Arthur, duke of Brittany

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_I,_Duke_of_Brittany

-http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BRITTANY.htm#ArthurIdied1203

c) ARTHUR de Bretagne (posthumously Nantes 29 Mar 1187-murdered Rouen or Cherbourg 3 Apr 1203, bur Notre dame des Prés [<-- Please click hyperlink; probable spelling error by FMG], Rouen or Abbaye de Bec, Normandy). Benedict of Peterborough records that "filia sororis regis Scotiæ Willelmi comitissa Brittaniæ" gave birth "in nocte Dominicæ Resurrectionis apud Namnetisis in Britanniam" to "filium…Arturum"[310]. Ralph de Diceto´s Abbreviationes Chronicorum record in 1187 that “Constantia comitissa Britanniæ” gave birth “die Paschæ” to “filium...Arturum”[311]. His birth is recorded by Matthew of Paris, who specifies that he was born posthumously but does not give the precise date[312]. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Arturum iuvenum et filiam unam Alienordem" as children of "Gaufridus dux Britannie comes Richemontis filius Henrici regis Anglie natu tertius" & his wife[313]. The Chronicon Briocensi names "Arturum et…Alienor" as the two children of "Goffridus Henrici Regis filius" and his wife "Constantiam de Brittania"[314]. He succeeded from birth as ARTHUR I Duke of Brittany. His uncle Richard I King of England recognised him as his heir in England and in his territories in France. On Richard's death 6 Apr 1199, Arthur, who was in Brittany, led a force into Anjou and Maine, where he was recognised by the barons as the rightful heir. He styled himself Duke of Brittany, Comte d'Anjou and Earl of Richmond from 18 Apr 1199. He did homage to Philippe II "Auguste" King of France but, offended by the latter, fled to his uncle John who received him kindly. Warned of John's intentions, he escaped to Angers but was captured by the king at Mirebeau and sent to Falaise. He was murdered on the orders of King John. The Chronicon Britannicum records that "Arturus Dux Britanniæ" was held captive in 1203 "apud Mirabellum" by his uncle John King of England and murdered[315].

1. Betrothed (11 Nov 1190) to --- of Sicily, daughter of TANCRED di Lecce King of Sicily & his wife Sibilla ---. Benedict of Peterborough records the betrothal in 1190 of "Arturum ducem Britanniæ" and "unam de filiabus regis Tancredi"[316]. This betrothal was arranged as part of the treaty signed between Richard I King of England and Tancred King of Sicily, concerning the inheritance of Tancred's predecessor Guillaume II King of Sicily whose widow was King Richard's sister[317]. The agreement between “Tancredo...Regi Siciliæ” and “Ricardus...Rex Angliæ...”, dated 1190, includes the betrothal of “Arthurum...ducem Britanniæ...nepotem nostrum et hæredem si forte sin prole nos obire contigerit” and “filiam vestram” [referring to King Tancred][318].
2. Betrothed (Apr 1202) to MARIE de France, daughter of PHILIPPE II "Auguste" King of France & his third wife Agnes von Andechs-Merano (after 1197-15 Aug 1238, bur Louvain, église Saint Pierre). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "filium unum Philippum…et filiam unam Mariam" as children of "Philippus [rex]" and "Mariam filiam ducis Meranie et marchionis Histrie", and in a later passage records their legitimation[319]. The primary source which confirms this betrothal has not yet been identified.

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Arthur I (29 March 1187 –April 1203) was Duke of Brittany between 1194 and 1203. The posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1186) and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. In 1191 he was designated heir to the throne of England, by Richard I; the intent being that Arthur would succeed Richard —in preference over Richard's younger brother John Lackland.

Richard, Geoffrey and John were sons —third, fourth and fifth, respectively— of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.

Contents [hide]

1 Early life

2 English invasion and Arthur's capture

3 Disappearance

4 Legacy

4.1 In literature

4.2 In music

5 Ancestry

6 References

[edit] Early life

While Richard I was away on the Third Crusade, Constance took more independence for Brittany, and in 1194 had the young Arthur proclaimed its duke as a child of seven years.

When Richard I died in 1199, his brother John immediately claimed the throne of England, but much of the French nobility refused to recognize him as king, They preferred Arthur, who declared himself vassal of Philip II of France, thereby forswearing his vassalage to John. This was sufficient provocation for King John, who invaded France in 1202.

[edit] English invasion and Arthur's capture

Phillip recognized Arthur's right to Brittany, Anjou, Maine, and Poitou. But, by the Treaty of Le Goulet, May 1200, Philip had recognised John as heir of his brother Richard I and King of England, and thus had formally abandoned support for Arthur's claim to the English throne.

On 31 July 1202, Arthur was surprised by John's forces while besieging Mirebeau, where he was holding as hostage his grandmother, John's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Captured by John's barons, Arthur was imprisoned at Falaise in Normandy, guarded by Hubert de Burgh. At this time his sister Eleanor was also captured, then imprisoned at Corfe Castle in Dorset. The following year Arthur was transferred to Rouen, under the charge of William de Braose, and then vanished mysteriously in April 1203.

[edit] Disappearance

The puzzle of Arthur's disappearance gave rise to various stories. One account was that Arthur's jailers feared to harm him, and so he was murdered by John directly and his body dumped in the Seine. The Margam annals provide the following account of Arthur's death:

After King John had captured Arthur and kept him alive in prison for some time, at length, in the castle of Rouen, after dinner on the Thursday before Easter, when he was drunk and possessed by the devil (ebrius et daemonio plenus), he slew him with his own hand, and tying a heavy stone to the body cast it into the Seine. It was discovered by a fisherman in his net, and being dragged to the bank and recognized, was taken for secret burial, in fear of the tyrant, to the priory of Bec called Notre Dame de Pres. {See Bec Abbey}.

William de Braose rose high in John's favour after Arthur's disappearance, receiving new lands and titles in the Welsh Marches, so much so that he was obviously suspected of complicity, and indeed many years later, after conflict with King John, William de Braose's wife Maud de Braose personally and directly accused the King of murdering Arthur, which resulted in Maud and her eldest son, also William, being imprisoned and starved to death in Windsor Castle. William de Braose escaped to France, where he was supposed to have published a statement on what happened to Arthur, but no copy has been found.

[edit] Legacy

[edit] In literature

The death of Arthur is a vital ingredient in Shakespeare's history play King John, in which Arthur is portrayed as a child whose innocence dissuades Hubert de Burgh from committing the murder demanded by King John. However, Arthur soon dies after jumping from his place of confinement in an escape attempt. In the 19th century the Breton poet Auguste Brizeux wrote of Arthur in La chasse du Prince Arthur.

He is also the principal character of a highly inventive alternative history novel by the eccentric English writer Frederick Rolfe ('Baron Corvo'), entitled Hubert's Arthur, posthumously published by A. J. A. Symons in 1935. The novel started as a collaboration between Rolfe and Harry Pirie-Gordon, but in the event the latter only supplied the copious heraldic details pertaining to the characters. This is presented as the lengthy narrative of the aged Hubert de Burgh, who is supposed to have saved Arthur's life and accompanied him on crusade to the Holy Land, where he becomes King of Jerusalem and eventually returns to England, defeats King John and kills his son Henry Plantagenet (the historical Henry III) in single combat. The remainder of the book details the prosperous reign of King Arthur, his defeat of the Barons under Simon de Montfort, and his eventual miraculous death. Of all Rolfe's novels this one has never been reprinted, no doubt because of the strong strain of anti-semitism, which draws upon the myths of Christian boys martyred by Jews, such as St. Hugh.

In the novel Saving Grace by Julie Garwood, the heroine finds documents relating to Arthur's murder, committed under the orders of King John, by two of King John's barons. She is married to a Scottish Laird, Gabriel MacBain, to escape England, but is harassed by both King John's barons, and the English faction hoping to take down King John; each party unsure of how much she knows.

[edit] In music

In 1912 the Breton composer Joseph-Guy Ropartz composed a symphonic poem, La Chasse du Prince Arthur (Prince Arthur's Hunt) after the poem by Brizeux. The Breton folk-rock band Tri Yann have made a song about Arthur's life[1].

[edit] Ancestry

Ancestors of Arthur I, Duke of Brittany[hide]

 16. Fulk of Jerusalem 

8. Geoffrey V of Anjou
17. Ermengarde of Maine
4. Henry II of England
18. Henry I of England
9. Empress Matilda
19. Matilda of Scotland (sister of 28)
2. Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany
20. William IX of Aquitaine
10. William X of Aquitaine
21. Philippa of Toulouse
5. Eleanor of Aquitaine
22. Aimery I of Châttellerault
11. Aenor de Châtellerault
23. Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard
1. Arthur I, Duke of Brittany
24. Stephen, Count of Tréguier
12. Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond
6. Conan IV, Duke of Brittany
26. Conan III, Duke of Brittany
13. Bertha, Duchess of Brittany
27. Maude of England (daughter of 18)
3. Constance, Duchess of Brittany
28. David I of Scotland (brother of 19)
14. Henry, Earl of Northumbria
29. Maud, 2nd Countess of Huntingdon
7. Margaret of Huntingdon, Countess of Hereford
30. William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey
15. Ada de Warenne
31. Elizabeth of Vermandois
[edit] References

M. Dominica Legge, "William the Marshal and Arthur of Brittany", Historical Research, volume 55 (1982)

F. M. Powicke, "King John and Arthur of Brittany", The English Historical Review, volume 24 (October 1909), pp. 659-674

Tudor Place

^ Lyrics (Note: the words of the song are in Middle French and seem to come from an anonymous manuscript, probably dating from the 1400s)

Arthur I, Duke of Brittany

House of Plantagenet

Born: 29 March 1187 Died: April 1203

Peerage of England

Preceded by

Constance Earl of Richmond

1187–1203 Extinct

English royalty

Preceded by

Richard, Duke of Aquitaine Heir to the English Throne

as heir presumptive

6 July 1189 - 6 April 1199 Succeeded by

Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine

French nobility

Preceded by

Constance Duke of Brittany

1194–1203 Succeeded by

Alix

Preceded by

Richard I of England Count of Anjou

1199–1203 Seized by France

[hide]Family information

Henry II of England

House of Plantagenet Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany Arthur I, Duke of Brittany

Eleanor of Aquitaine

House of Poitiers

Conan IV, Duke of Brittany

House of Penthievre Constance, Duchess of Brittany

Margaret of Huntingdon

House of MacAlpin

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Categories: 1187 births | 1203 deaths | Heirs to the English throne | Counts of Anjou | Dukes of Brittany | Earls in the Peerage of England | House of Plantagenet | Rulers who died as children | Medieval child rulers | Burials at Rouen Cathedral

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