Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou

Notes:

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Plantagenet,_Count_of_Anjou

He was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance and then Duke of Normandy by conquest and called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet. When he married Empress Matilda, the daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, their son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II and founded the Plantagenet dynasty the name of which was taken from Geoffrey's nickname.

Geoffrey was the elder son of Foulques V d'Anjou and Eremburga de La Flèche, daughter of Elias I of Maine. He was named after his great-grandfather Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais. Geoffrey received his nickname from the yellow sprig of broom blossom (genêt is the French name for the planta genista, or broom shrub) he wore in his hat.

Geoffrey and Matilda's marriage was meant to seal a peace between England/Normandy and Anjou. She was eleven years older than Geoffrey, and very proud of her status as empress dowager (as opposed to being a mere countess). Their marriage was a stormy one with frequent long separations, but she bore him three sons and survived him.

Geoffrey and Matilda's children were:

Henry II of England (1133-1189)

Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (1 June 1134 Rouen to 26 July 1158 Nantes) died unmarried and was buried in Nantes

William, Viscount of Dieppe (1136-1164) died unmarried

Geoffrey also had illegitimate children by an unknown mistress (or mistresses).

When King Henry I died in 1135, Matilda at once entered Normandy to claim her inheritance. The border districts submitted to her, but England chose her cousin Stephen of Blois for its king, and Normandy soon followed suit.

In 1139 Matilda landed in England with 140 knights, where she was besieged at Arundel Castle by King Stephen. In the "Anarchy" which ensued, Stephen was captured at Lincoln in February 1141, and imprisoned at Bristol. A council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English". Stephen was subsequently released from prison and had himself re-crowned on the anniversary of his first coronation.

During 1142 and 1143, Geoffrey secured all of Normandy west and south of the Seine, and, on 14 January 1144, he crossed the Seine and entered Rouen. He assumed the title of Duke of Normandy in the summer of 1144. He also put down three baronial rebellions in Anjou,and the threat of rebellion slowed his progress in Normandy. He could not intervene in England because of this. In 1153 the Treaty of Wallingford stipulated that Stephen should remain King of England for life and that Henry, the son of Geoffrey and Matilda should succeed him.

Geoffrey died suddenly on 7 September 1151. According to John of Marmoutier, Geoffrey was returning from a royal council when he was stricken with fever. He arrived at Château-du-Loir, collapsed on a couch, made bequests of gifts and charities, and died. He was buried at St. Julien's Cathedral in Le Mans France.

Buried:
Grave location, biography, historical portrait, and cathedral photo:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8143822

Geoffrey married Matilda of England. Matilda (daughter of Henry I (Beauclerc) of England and Matilda of Scotland) was born 07 Feb 1102, Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire, England; died 10 Sep 1167, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France; was buried , Abbey of Our Lady of Bec, Normandy, France, reinterred Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, Rouen, Haute-Normandie, France. [Group Sheet]

Geoffrey married . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England

Henry was the son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. He became actively involved by the age of 14 in his mother's efforts to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois, and was made Duke of Normandy at 17. He inherited Anjou in 1151 and shortly afterwards married Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII of France had recently been annulled.

He ruled as Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Nantes, King of England (1154?89) and Lord of Ireland; at various times, he also controlled Wales, Scotland and Brittany.

Henry was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his royal grandfather, Henry I. During the early years of the younger Henry's reign he restored the royal administration in England, re-established hegemony over Wales and gained full control over his lands in Anjou, Maine and Touraine.

Henry's desire to reform the relationship with the Church led to conflict with his former friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This controversy lasted for much of the 1160s and resulted in Becket's murder in 1170.

Henry soon came into conflict with Louis VII and the two rulers fought what has been termed a "cold war" over several decades. Henry expanded his empire, often at Louis' expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse; despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, no lasting agreement was reached. By 1172, he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France, an area that would later come to be called the Angevin Empire.

Henry and Eleanor had eight children. Henry's relationship with his wife Eleanor was complex: Henry trusted Eleanor to manage England for several years after 1154, and was later content for her to govern Aquitaine; indeed, Eleanor was believed to have influence over Henry during much of their marriage. Ultimately, however, their relationship disintegrated and chroniclers and historians have speculated on what ultimately caused Eleanor to abandon Henry to support her older sons in the Great Revolt of 1173-74. Probable explanations include Henry's persistent interference in Aquitaine, his recognition of Raymond of Toulouse in 1173, or his harsh temper. Henry had several long-term mistresses, including Annabel de Balliol and Rosamund Clifford

As the children grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry's heir apparent, "Young Henry", rebelled in protest; he was joined by his brothers Richard and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Flanders and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. The Great Revolt was only defeated by his vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them "new men" appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills.

Henry had eight legitimate children by Eleanor, five sons: William, the Young Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John, and three daughters: Matilda, Eleanor and Joan. Henry also had several illegitimate children; among the most prominent of these were Geoffrey (later Archbishop of York) and William (later Earl of Salisbury). Henry was expected to provide for the future of his legitimate children, either through granting lands to his sons or marrying his daughters well. Henry's family was divided by rivalries and violent hostilities, more so than many other royal families of the day. Various suggestions have been put forward to explain Henry's family's bitter disputes, from their inherited family genetics to the failure of Henry and Eleanor's parenting.

Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry would make John king, and a final rebellion broke out in 1189. Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, Henry retreated to Chinon in Anjou, where he died.

Henry's empire quickly collapsed during the reign of his youngest son John. Many of the changes Henry introduced during his long rule, however, had long-term consequences. Henry's legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems.



Buried:
Grave location, portrait and tomb effigy:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1951

Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor (daughter of William X of Aquitaine and Aenor de Châtellerault) was born 1122, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France; died 01 Apr 1204, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France; was buried , Fontevraud Abbey Fontevraud-l'Abbaye Departement de Maine-et-Loire Pays de la Loire, France. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamelin_de_Warenne,_Earl_of_Surrey

He was an illegitimate son of Geoffrey of Anjou, and thus a half-brother of King Henry II, and an uncle of King Richard I [the Lionheart] and of King John. Until he married, he was known as Hamelin de Anjou or Hamelin the Bastard.

King Henry II arranged for him to marry one of the wealthiest heiresses in England, Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey, the widow of William of Blois. Hamelin and Isabella married in April 1164, and after the marriage he was recognized as Comte de Warenne, that being the customary designation for what more technically should be Earl of Surrey. In consequence of the marriage Hamelin adopted the surname de Warenne, as did his descendants. By his wife he had progeny one son and four daughters as follows:

1. William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, only son and heir, who married Maud Marshal.

2. Clemence (aka Adela), mistress of her cousin King John, and by him the mother of Richard FitzRoy, feudal baron of Chilham, in Kent.

3. Ela, who married firstly Robert de Newburn and secondly William FitzWilliam of Sprotborough.

4.Maud (alias Matilda), who married firstly Henry Count d'Eu and Lord of Hastings, secondly Henry d'Estouteville, Seigneur de Valmont.

5. Isabel,who married firstly Robert de Lacy of Pontefract, and secondly Gilbert de l'Aigle, Lord of Pevensey.

Warenne's lands in England centred on Conisbrough Castle in Yorkshire, which powerful castle he built. He joined in the denunciations of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket in 1164, although after Becket's death he became a great believer in Becket's sainthood, having reportedly been cured of blindness by the saint's intervention. In 1176 he escorted his niece Joan to Sicily for her marriage.

He remained loyal to Henry II through all the problems of the later part of his reign when many nobles deserted him, and continued as a close supporter of that king's eldest son and his own nephew, Richard I [the Lionheart]. During Richard's absence on the Third Crusade, he took the side of the regent William Longchamp. Hamelin was present at the second coronation of King Richard in 1194 and at King John's coronation in 1199.

He died in 1202 and was buried in the Chapter House of Lewes Priory in Sussex. He was succeeded by his son, William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey.


Buried:
Grave location, biography, photo of abbey:
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Hamelin married Isabella de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey. Isabella (daughter of William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey and Adela (Ela) of Ponthieu) was born ca 1136, England; died 13 Jul 1199, East Sussex, England; was buried , Lewes Priory Lewes Lewes District East Sussex, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_England

John, the youngest of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was at first not expected to inherit significant lands. Following the failed rebellion of his elder brothers between 1173 and 1174, however, John became Henry's favorite child. He was appointed the Lord of Ireland in 1177 and given lands in England and on the continent. John's elder brothers William, Henry and Geoffrey died young; by the time Richard I became king in 1189, John was a potential heir to the throne. John unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against Richard's royal administrators whilst his brother was participating in the Third Crusade.

Despite this, after Richard died in 1199, John was proclaimed King of England, and came to an agreement with Philip II of France to recognize John's possession of the continental Angevin lands at the peace treaty of Le Goulet in 1200.

He was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death in 1216. John lost the duchy of Normandy to King Philip II of France, which resulted in the collapse of most of the Angevin Empire and contributed to the subsequent growth in power of the Capetian dynasty during the 13th century. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of the Magna Carta, a document sometimes considered to be an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom.

When war with France broke out again in 1202, John achieved early victories, but shortages of military resources and his treatment of Norman, Breton and Anjou nobles resulted in the collapse of his empire in northern France in 1204. John spent much of the next decade attempting to regain these lands, raising huge revenues, reforming his armed forces and rebuilding continental alliances. John's judicial reforms had a lasting impact on the English common law system, as well as providing an additional source of revenue. An argument with Pope Innocent III led to John's excommunication in 1209, a dispute finally settled by the king in 1213. John's attempt to defeat Philip in 1214 failed due to the French victory over John's allies at the battle of Bouvines. When he returned to England, John faced a rebellion by many of his barons, who were unhappy with his fiscal policies and his treatment of many of England's most powerful nobles. Although both John and the barons agreed to the Magna Carta peace treaty in 1215, neither side complied with its conditions. Civil war broke out shortly afterwards, with the barons aided by Louis of France. It soon descended into a stalemate. John died of dysentery contracted whilst on campaign in eastern England during late 1216; supporters of his son Henry III went on to achieve victory over Louis and the rebel barons the following year.

Contemporary chroniclers were mostly critical of John's performance as king, and his reign has since been the subject of significant debate and periodic revision by historians from the 16th century onwards. Historian Jim Bradbury has summarized the current historical opinion of John's positive qualities, observing that John is today usually considered a "hard-working administrator, an able man, an able general". Nonetheless, modern historians agree that he also had many faults as king, including what historian Ralph Turner describes as "distasteful, even dangerous personality traits", such as pettiness, spitefulness and cruelty. These negative qualities provided extensive material for fiction writers in the Victorian era, and John remains a recurring character within Western popular culture, primarily as a villain in films and stories depicting the Robin Hood legends.

John's personal life greatly affected his reign. Contemporary chroniclers state that John was sinfully lustful and lacking in piety. It was common for kings and nobles of the period to keep mistresses, but chroniclers complained that John's mistresses were married noblewomen, which was considered unacceptable. John had at least five children with mistresses during his first marriage to Isabelle of Gloucester, and two of those mistresses are known to have been noblewomen.

John's behaviour after his second marriage to Isabella of Angoulême is less clear, however. None of John's known illegitimate children were born after he remarried, and there is no actual documentary proof of adultery after that point, although John certainly had female friends amongst the court throughout the period. The specific accusations made against John during the baronial revolts are now generally considered to have been invented for the purposes of justifying the revolt; nonetheless, most of John's contemporaries seem to have held a poor opinion of his sexual behavior.

The character of John's relationship with his second wife, Isabella of Angoulême, is unclear. John married Isabella whilst she was relatively young ? her exact date of birth is uncertain, and estimates place her between at most 15 and more probably towards twelve years old at the time of her marriage. Even by the standards of the time, Isabella was married whilst very young. John did not provide a great deal of money for his wife's household and did not pass on much of the revenue from her lands. Other aspects of their marriage suggest a closer, more positive relationship. Chroniclers recorded that John had a "mad infatuation" with Isabella, and certainly John had conjugal relationships with Isabella between at least 1207 and 1215; they had five children.

In the aftermath of John's death William Marshal was declared the protector of the nine-year-old Henry III. The civil war continued until royalist victories at the battles of Lincoln and Dover in 1217. Louis of France gave up his claim to the English throne and signed the Treaty of Lambeth. The failed Magna Carta agreement was resuscitated by Marshal's administration and reissued in an edited form in 1217 as a basis for future government. Henry III continued his attempts to reclaim Normandy and Anjou until 1259, but John's continental losses and the consequent growth of Capetian power in the 13th century proved to mark a "turning point in European history".

John's second wife, Isabella of Angoulême, left England for Angoulême soon after the king's death; she became a powerful regional leader, but largely abandoned the children she had had by John. They had five legitimate children:

His eldest son, Henry III, ruled as king for the majority of the 13th century.


Richard became a noted European leader and ultimately the King of the Romans in the Holy Roman Empire.

Joan married Alexander II of Scotland to become his queen consort.

Isabella married the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.[232]

His youngest daughter, Eleanor, married William Marshal's son, also called William, and later the famous English rebel Simon de Montfort.

John had a number of illegitimate children by various mistresses, including nine sons ? Richard, Oliver, John, Geoffrey, Henry, Osbert Gifford, Eudes, Bartholomew and probably Philip ? and three daughters ? Joan, Maud and probably Isabel. Of these, Joan became the most famous, marrying Prince Llywelyn the Great of Wales.

Historical interpretations of John have been subject to considerable change over the years. Medieval chroniclers provided the first contemporary, or near contemporary, histories of John's reign. These historians were generally unsympathetic to John's behavior under Richard's rule, but slightly more positive towards the very earliest years of John's reign. Reliable accounts of the middle and later parts of John's reign are more limited.

In the 16th century political and religious changes altered the attitude of historians towards John. Tudor historians were generally favorably inclined towards the king, focusing on John's opposition to the Papacy and his promotion of the special rights and prerogatives of a king. Revisionist histories portrayed John as an early Protestant hero.

By the Victorian period in the 19th century historians were more inclined to draw on the judgements of the chroniclers and to focus on John's moral personality, blaming his These historians were often inclined to see John's reign, and his signing of Magna Carta in particular, as a positive step in the constitutional development of England, despite the flaws of the king himself. family background and his cruel personality for his downfall.

In the 1940s, new interpretations of John's reign began to emerge, based on research into the record evidence of his reign, such as pipe rolls, charters, court documents and similar primary records. Interpretations of Magna Carta and the role of the rebel barons in 1215 have been significantly revised: although the charter's symbolic, constitutional value for later generations is unquestionable, in the context of John's reign most historians now consider it a failed peace agreement between "partisan" factions.

Most historians today argue that John was an unsuccessful monarch, but note that his failings were exaggerated by 12th- and 13th-century chroniclers. The current consensus that John was a hard-working administrator, an able man, an able general", albeit, with distasteful, even dangerous personality traits, including pettiness, spitefulness and cruelty.

Buried:
Grave location, photos of tomb and effigy:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1953

John married Isabel d'Angoulême, Countess of Angoulême. Isabel (daughter of Aymer d'Angoulême, Count of Angoulême and Alice/Alix de Courtenay, Countess of Angoulême) was born ca 1188, Angoulême; died 04 Jun 1246, Fontevraud Abbey, France; was buried , Fontevraud Abbey, France. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_England,_Queen_of_Castile

She was Queen of Castile and Toledo as wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile and was the sixth child and second daughter of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Eleanor was born in the castle at Domfront, Normandy on 13 October 1162, as the second daughter of Henry II, King of England and his wife Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. Her half-siblings were Marie and Alix of France, and her full siblings were Henry the Young, Duchess Matilda, King Richard, Duke Geoffrey, Queen Joan and King John.

In 1174, when she was 12 years old, Eleanor married King Alfonso VIII of Castile in Burgos. The couple had been betrothed in 1170, but due to the bride's youth as well as the uproar in Europe regarding her father's suspected involvement in the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket, the wedding was delayed. Her parents' purpose in arranging the marriage was to secure Aquitaine?s border on the Pyrennes, while Alfonso was seeking an ally in his struggles with his uncle, Sancho VI of Navarre. In 1177, this led to Henry overseeing arbitration of the border dispute.

Of all Eleanor of Aquitaine?s daughters, her namesake was the only one who was enabled, by political circumstances, to wield the kind of influence her mother had exercised. In her own marriage treaty, and in the first marriage treaty for her daughter Berengaria, Eleanor was given direct control of many lands, towns, and castles throughout the kingdom. She was almost as powerful as Alfonso, who specified in his will in 1204 that she was to rule alongside their son in the event of his death, including taking responsibility for paying his debts and executing his will. It was she who persuaded him to marry their daughter Berengaria to Alfonso IX of León. Troubadours and sages were regularly present in Alfonso VIII?s court due to Eleanor?s patronage.

Eleanor took particular interest in supporting religious institutions. In 1179, she took responsibility to support and maintain a shrine to St. Thomas Becket in the cathedral of Toledo. She also created and supported the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas, which served as a refuge and tomb for her family for generations, and its affiliated hospital.

When Alfonso died, Eleanor was reportedly so devastated with grief that she was unable to preside over the burial. Their eldest daughter Berengaria instead performed these honours. Eleanor then took sick and died only twenty-eight days after her husband, and was buried at Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas.

Eleanor was praised for her beauty and regal nature by the poet Ramón Vidal de Besalú after her death. Her great-grandson Alfonso X referred to her as "noble and much loved."

Eleanor and Alfonso had 11 children:

1. Beregaria, the second wife of King Alfonso IX of León.

2. Sancho died in infancy.

3. Sancha died in infancy.

4. Henry died young.

5. Urraca married Alfonso II of Portugal.

6. Blanche married Louis VIII of France.

7. Ferdinand, heir to the throne, was returning through the San Vicente mountains from a campaign against the Muslims when he contracted a fever and died.

8. Mafalda betrothed in 1204 to Infante Ferdinand of Leon, eldest son of Alfonso IX and stepson of her oldest sister.

9. Eleanor married in Ágreda on 6 February 1221 with James I of Aragon.

10. Constance was a nun at the Cistercian monastery of Santa María la Real at Las Huelgas.

11. Henry was the only surviving son, he succeeded his father in 1214 aged ten under the regency firstly of his mother and later his oldest sister. He was killed when he was struck by a tile falling from a roof.



Buried:
Grave location, historical portrait, biography, and photo of tomb:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10783007

Eleanor married Alfonso VIII (El De Las Navas) of Castile, King of Castille and King of Toledo. Alfonso was born 11 Nov 1155, Provincia de Soria Castilla y León, Spain; died 05 Oct 1214, Gutierre-Munoz Provincia de Ávila Castilla y León, Spain; was buried , Monasterio de Santa María la Real de las Huelgas, Burgos, Provincia de Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_de_Warenne,_5th_Earl_of_Surrey

He was the son of Hamelin de Warenne and Isabel, daughter of William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey. His father Hamelin granted him the manor of Appleby, North Lincolnshire.

De Warenne was present at the coronation of John, King of England on 27 May 1199. When Normandy was lost to the French in 1204 he lost his Norman holdings, (in 1202 he was lieutenant of Gascony), but John recompensed him with Grantham and Stamford.

His first tenure of office as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports began in 1204, and lasted until 1206. He was also a Warden of the Welsh Marches between 1208 and 1213.

William was one of the few barons who remained loyal to King John (who was his cousin) during the king?s difficulties with the barons, when they sought for the French prince to assume the English throne, and is listed as one of those who advised John to accede to the Magna Carta. His allegiance only faltered a few times when the king?s cause looked hopeless.

In March 1217 he again demonstrated his loyalty to England by supporting the young King Henry III, and he was also responsible for the establishment of Salisbury Cathedral.

Between the years 1200 and 1208, and during 1217-1226 he was to serve as the High Sheriff of Surrey. In 1214 he was again appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.

William married Maud Marshal, on 13 October 1225. They had a son and a daughter, John (1231-1304) succeeded his father as earl, while the daughter, Isabel de Warenne (c. 1228-1282), married Hugh d'Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel.

Buried:
Grave location, biography, and photo of abbey.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=45182046

William married Maude Marshal, Countess of Norfolk, Countess of Surrey. Maude (daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare) was born 1192, Pembrokeshire, Wales; died 27 Mar 1248, Tintern, Monmouthshire, Wales; was buried , Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire, Wales. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Leicester

She was the youngest child of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême. At the time of Eleanor's birth at Gloucester, King John's London was in the hands of French forces, John had been forced to sign the Magna Carta and Queen Isabella was in shame. Eleanor never met her father, as he died at Newark Castle when she was barely a year old.

The only lands loyal to her brother, Henry III of England, were in the Midlands and southwest. The barons ruled the north, but they united with the royalists under William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who protected the young king Henry, and the French were defeated.

Before William the Marshal died in 1219 Eleanor was promised to his son, also named William. They were married on 23 April 1224 at New Temple Church in London. The younger William was 34 and Eleanor only nine. He died in London on 6 April 1231, days before their seventh anniversary. There were no children of this marriage.

Eleanor had brought a dowry of 10 manors and 200 pounds per year to this marriage. According to the law of the time, widows were allowed to retain one third of the estates of the marriage. However, her brother-in-law Richard took all of the estates and sold many, including her dowry, to pay William's debts. Eleanor strove for many years to try and recover her lost property.

The widowed Eleanor swore a holy oath of chastity in the presence of Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury. Seven years later, she met Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. According to Matthew Paris, Simon was attracted to Eleanor's beauty and elegance as well as her wealth and high birth. They fell in love and married secretly on 7 January 1238 at the King's chapel in Westminster Palace. Her brother King Henry later alleged that he only allowed the marriage because Simon had seduced Eleanor. The marriage was controversial because of the oath Eleanor had sworn several years before to remain chaste. Because of this, Simon made a pilgrimage to Rome seeking papal approval for their union.

Simon and Eleanor had seven children:

Henry de Montfort (November 1238-1265)
Simon the younger de Montfort (April 1240-1271)
Amaury de Montfort, Canon of York (1242/1243-1300)
Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola (1244-1288)
Joanna, born and died in Bordeaux between 1248 and 1251
Richard de Montfort (1252-1281)
Eleanor de Montfort Princess of Wales (1258-1282)

Simon de Montfort had the real power behind the throne, but when he tried to take the throne, he was defeated and killed with his son at the Battle of Evesham on 4 August 1265. Eleanor fled to exile in France where she became a nun at Montargis Abbey, a nunnery founded by her deceased husband's sister Amicia, who remained there as abbess. There she died on 13 April 1275, and was buried there. She was well treated by Henry, retained her incomes, and her proctors were allowed to pursue her litigation concerning the Leicester inheritance in the English courts; her will and testament were executed without hindrance.

Through her son Guy, Eleanor was an ancestor of Elizabeth Woodville, queen of Edward IV.


Buried:
Grave location and portrait:
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Eleanor married Simon V de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. Simon was born 1208, England; died 04 Aug 1265, Evesham, Worcestershire, England; was buried , Evesham Abbey, Worcestershire, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berengaria_of_Castile

She was queen regnant of Castile in 1217 and queen consort of León from 1197 to 1204. As the eldest child and heir presumptive of Alfonso VIII of Castile, she was a sought after bride, and was engaged to Conrad, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. After his death, she married her cousin, Alfonso IX of León, to secure the peace between him and her father. She had five children with him before their marriage was voided by Pope Innocent III.

When her father died, she served as regent for her younger brother Henry I in Castile until she succeeded him on his untimely death. Within months, she turned Castile over to her son, Ferdinand III, concerned that as a woman she would not be able to lead Castile's forces. However, she remained one of his closest advisors, guiding policy, negotiating, and ruling on his behalf for the rest of her life. She was responsible for the re-unification of Castile and León under her son's authority, and supported his efforts in the Reconquest of Spain from the Moors. She was a patron of religious institutions and supported the writing of a history of the two countries.

She was the eldest daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England, and she was the heiress presumptive of the throne of Castile for several years, because many of her siblings who were born after her died shortly after birth or in early infancy.

Berengaria's first engagement was agreed in 1187 when her hand was sought by Conrad, Duke of Rothenburg and fifth child of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. Conrad then marched to Castile, where in Carrión the engagement was celebrated and Conrad was knighted. Berengaria's status as heir of Castile specified that she would inherit the kingdom after her father or any childless brothers who may come along. Conrad would only be allowed to co-rule as her spouse, and Castile would not become part of the Holy Roman Empire.

The marriage was not consummated, due to Berengaria's young age, as she was less than 10 years old. Conrad and Berengaria never saw each other again. By 1191, Berengaria requested an annulment of the engagement from the Pope, influenced, no doubt, by third parties such as her grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was not interested in having a Hohenstaufen as a neighbor to her French fiefdoms.

In order to help secure peace between Castile and León, Berengaria married Alfonso IX of León, her first cousin once removed, in Valladolid in 1197. As part of the marriage, and in accordance with Spanish customs of the time, she received direct control over a number of castles and lands within León. Most of these were along the border with Castile.

Berengaria and Alfonso IX had five children:

1. Eleanor (1198/1199-1202).

2. Constance (1200-1242), a nun in the Abbey of las Huelgas.

3.Ferdinand III (1201-1252), King of Castile and León.

4. Alfonso (1203-1272), Lord of Molina and Mesa by his first marriage to Mafalda de Lara, heiress of Molina and Mesa. His second marriage was to Teresa Núñez, and third to Mayor Téllez de Meneses, Lady of Montealegre and Tiedra, by whom he was the father of María of Molina, wife of King Sancho IV of León and Castile.

5. Berengaria (1204-1237), married John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem.

Starting in 1198, Pope Innocent III objected to the marriage on the grounds of consanguinity, though the couple stayed together until 1204. They vehemently sought a dispensation in order to stay together, including offering large sums of money. However, the pope denied their request, although they succeeded in having their children considered legitimate. Her marriage dissolved, Berengaria returned to Castile and to her parents in May 1204, where she dedicated herself to the care of her children.

Though she had left her role as queen of León, she retained authority over and taxing rights in many of the lands she had received there, which she gave to her son Ferdinand in 1206. Some of the nobles who had served her as queen followed her back to the court in Castille. The peace which had prevailed since her marriage was lost, and there was war again between León and Castille, in part over her control of these lands. In 1205, 1207, and 1209, treaties were made again between the two countries, each expanding her control. In the treaties of 1207 and 1209, Berengaria and her son were given again significant properties along the border. The treaty in 1207 is the first existing public document in the Castilian dialect.

In 1214, on the death of her father, Alfonso VIII of Castile, the crown passed to his only surviving son, Berengaria's 10-year-old brother, Henry I. Their mother Eleanor assumed the regency, but died 24 days after her husband. Berengaria, now heir presumptive again, replaced her as regent. At this point internal strife began, instigated by the nobility, primarily the House of Lara. They forced Berengaria to cede regency and guardianship of her brother to Count Álvaro Núñez de Lara.

The situation in Castile had grown perilous for Berengaria, so she decided to take refuge in the castle of Autillo de Campos, which was held by Gonzalo Rodríguez Girón (one of her allies) and sent her son Ferdinand to the court of his father. Circumstances changed suddenly when Henry died on 6 June 1217 after receiving a head wound from a tile which came loose while he was playing with other children at the palace of the Bishop of Palencia.

The new sovereign was well aware of the danger her former husband posed to her reign; it was feared that he would claim the crown for himself. Therefore, she kept her brother's death and her own accession secret from Alfonso. She wrote to Alfonso asking that Ferdinand be sent to visit her, and then abdicated in their son's favor on 31 August.

Although she did not reign for long, Berengaria continued to be her son's closest advisor, intervening in state policy, albeit in an indirect manner. Well into her son's reign, contemporary authors wrote that she still wielded authority over him. One example in which Berengaria's mediation stood out developed in 1218 when the scheming Lara family, still headed by former regent Álvaro Núñez de Lara, conspired to have Alfonso IX, King of León and King Ferdinand's father, invade Castile to seize his son's throne. However, the capture of Count Lara facilitated the intervention of Berengaria, who got father and son to sign the Pact of Toro on 26 August 1218, putting an end to confrontations between Castile and León.

In 1222, Berengaria intervened anew in favor of her son, achieving the ratification of the Convention of Zafra, thereby making peace with the Laras by arranging the marriage of Mafalda, daughter and heiress of the Lord of Molina, Gonzalo Pérez de Lara, to her own son and King Ferdinand's brother, Alfonso. In 1224 she arranged the marriage of her daughter Berengaria to John of Brienne, a maneuver which brought Ferdinand III closer to the throne of León, since John was the candidate Alfonso IX had in mind to marry his eldest daughter Sancha. By proceeding more quickly, Berengaria prevented the daughters of her former husband from marrying a man who could claim the throne of León.

Perhaps her most decisive intervention on Ferdinand's behalf took place in 1230, when Alfonso IX died and designated as heirs to the throne his daughters Sancha and Dulce from his first marriage to Theresa of Portugal, superseding the rights of Ferdinand III. Berengaria met with the princesses? mother and succeeded in the ratification of the Treaty of las Tercerías, by which they renounced the throne in favor of their half-brother in exchange for a substantial sum of money and other benefits. Thus were the thrones of León and Castile re-united in the person of Ferdinand III, which had been divided by Alfonso VII in 1157.

She intervened again by arranging the second marriage of Ferdinand after the death of Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen. Although he already had plenty of children, Berengaria was concerned that the king's virtue not be diminished with illicit relations. Her husband's rampant infidelity most likely played a part in this decision. This time, she chose a French noblewoman, Joan of Dammartin, a candidate put forth by the king's aunt and Berengaria's sister Blanche, widow of King Louis VIII of France. Berengaria served again as regent, ruling while her son Ferdinand was in the south on his long campaigns of the Reconquest. She governed Castile and León with her characteristic skill, relieving him of the need to divide his attention during this time.

She met with her son a final time in Pozuelo de Calatrava in 1245, afterwards returning to Toledo.[40] She died 8 November 1246,and was buried at Las Huelgas near Burgos.

Much like her mother, Eleanor of England, she was a strong patron of religious institutions. She worked with her mother to support the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas. As queen of León, she supported the Order of Santiago and supported the Basilica of San Isidoro, not only donating to it, but also exempting it from any taxes.

She is portrayed as a wise and virtuous woman by the chroniclers of the time.




Buried:
Grave location, historical portrait, and statue:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=62558130

Berengaria married Alfonso IX of León. Alfonso (son of Ferdinand II of León and Urraca of Portugal, Queen of León) was born 15 Aug 1171, Zamora, Castilla y León, Spain; died 23/24 September 1230, Villanueva de Sarria, Spain; was buried , Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela Provincia da La Coruña Galicia, Spain. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Warenne,_6th_Earl_of_Surrey

He was a prominent English nobleman and military commander during the reigns of Henry III of England and Edward I of England. During the Second Barons' War he switched sides twice, ending up in support of the king, for whose capture he was present at Lewes in 1264. Warenne was later appointed a Guardian of Scotland and featured prominently in Edward I's wars in Scotland.

During the conflicts between Henry III and his barons, Warenne started as a strong supporter of the king, switched to support for Simon de Montfort, and then returned to the royalist party.

On 22 August 1296, the king appointed him "warden of the kingdom and land of Scotland". However Warenne returned to England a few months later claiming that the Scottish climate was bad for his health. The following spring saw the rebellion of William Wallace, Warenne was ordered to lead his army North by the King after initially refusing to return to Scotland. He was defeated by Wallace at the Battle of Stirling Bridge and fled to York. Nevertheless the king appointed Warenne captain of the next campaign against the Scots in early 1298. He raised the siege of Roxburgh and re-took the town of Berwick. The king himself took the field later that year, and Warenne was one of the commanders during the decisive English victory at Falkirk.

Buried:
Grave location, biography, and photo of abbey ruins:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=45182365

John married Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey. Alice (daughter of Hugh, Seigneur de Lusignan, X, Count of La Marche and Angoulême and Isabel d'Angoulême, Countess of Angoulême) was born 1224, Lusignan, Poitou, France; died 09 Feb 1256, Warren, Sussex, England; was buried , Lewes Priory Lewes Lewes District East Sussex, England. [Group Sheet]