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Arthur II, Duke of Brittany

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Arthur II
Duke of Brittany
Reign18 November 1305 – 27 August 1312
PredecessorJohn II
SuccessorJohn III
Born25 July 1261
Died27 August 1312(1312-08-27) (aged 51)
Château de L'Isle
Burial
Spouses
Marie, Viscountess of Limoges
(m. 1275; died 1291)
(m. 1292)
Issue
Among others
HouseDreux
FatherJohn II, Duke of Brittany
MotherBeatrice of England

Arthur II (25 July 1261 – 27 August 1312), of the House of Dreux, was Duke of Brittany from 1305 to his death. He was the first son of John II and Beatrice, daughter of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.[1]

After he inherited the ducal throne, his brother John became Earl of Richmond.

As duke, Arthur was independent of the French crown.[citation needed] He divided his duchy into eight "battles": Léon, Kernev, Landreger, Penteur, Gwened, Naoned, Roazhon, and Sant Malou. In 1309, he convoked the first Estates of Brittany.[a] It was the first time in French history that the third estate was represented.

Arthur died at Château de l'Isle in Saint Denis en Val and was interred in a marble tomb of the cordeliers of Vannes. The tomb was vandalised during the French Revolution, but later repaired and is on display today.

Marriages and children

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In 1275, Arthur married Marie, Viscountess of Limoges, daughter of Guy VI, Viscount of Limoges, and Margaret, Lady of Molinot.[2] Her maternal grandparents were Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, and his first wife, Yolande of Dreux. They were parents of three children:

Marie died in 1291. In May 1292, Arthur married Yolande of Dreux,[3] who was Countess of Montfort, daughter of Robert IV, Count of Dreux, and Beatrice de Montfort. Yolande had briefly been Queen of Scotland by her first marriage. They were parents of six children:

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Brittany would eventually have both an "Estates" and a "Parliament"

References

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  1. ^ Howell 2001, p. xiii.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sumption 1990, p. 372.
  3. ^ a b Sumption 1990, p. 373.
  4. ^ Walsby 2007, p. 13.

Sources

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  • Howell, Margaret (2001). Eleanor of Provence: Queenship in Thirteenth-Century England. Blackwell Publishers.
  • Sumption, Jonathan (1990). The Hundred Years War. Vol. I: Trial by Battle. Faber & Faber.
  • Walsby, Malcolm (2007). The Counts of Laval: Culture, Patronage and Religion in Fifteenth- and Sixteenth- Century France. Ashgate.
Arthur II, Duke of Brittany
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 2 July 1262 Died: 27 August 1312
Regnal titles
Preceded by Viscount of Limoges
1275–1301
with Marie (1275–1291)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Duke of Brittany
1305–1312
Count of Penthièvre
1305–1312
Succeeded by
Preceded by Count of Montfort-l'Amaury
1311–1312
with Yolande
Succeeded by