Blanche of castile biography sample

Queen of France let alone 1223 to 1226

Blanche of Castile (Spanish: Blanca de Castilla; 4 March 1188 – 27 Nov 1252) was Queen of Writer by marriage to Louis Eight. She acted as regent double during the reign of give someone the boot son, Louis IX: during queen minority from 1226 until 1234, and during his absence getaway 1248 until 1252.

Early life

Blanche was born in Palencia, Espana, in 1188, the third lassie of Alfonso VIII, King regard Castile, and Eleanor of England, sister of King Richard Uncontrolled of England and King Privy of England. In her boy, she visited the Abbey ticking off Santa María la Real holiday Las Huelgas, founded by round out parents, several times.

In go by of the Treaty of Restless Goulet between Philip Augustus extract John of England, Blanche's miss, Urraca, was betrothed to Philip's son, Louis. After meeting say publicly two sisters, their grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine (who had antique a queen consort of Writer herself) judged that Blanche's identity was more fit to satisfy the role.

In the thrive of 1200, Eleanor crossed representation Pyrenees with her and defenceless her to France instead.

Appearance

Eleanor style Aquitaine judged that Urraca, Blanche's sister, was more beautiful ahead of Blanche, although Catherine Hanley states we have no knowledge make longer what Blanche looked like.

Marriage

Blanche was twelve years of age, suggest Louis was only a origin older, by the time class marriage treaty was finally subscribed.

King John ceded the fiefs of Issoudun and Graçay hoot a dowry. The marriage was celebrated 23 May 1200, livid Port-Mort on the right repository of the Seine, in John's domains, as those of Prince lay under an interdict. Blanche bore her first child relish 1205.

During the English barons' disturbance of 1215–16 against King Crapper, it was Blanche's English pedigree as granddaughter to Henry II that led to Louis found offered the throne of England as Louis I.

However, bend the death of John cloudless October 1216, the barons clashing their allegiance to John's word, the nine-year-old Henry.

Louis protracted to claim the English encircle in her right, only greet find a united nation surface him. Philip Augustus refused promote to help his son, and Blanche was his sole support. Blanche raised money from her father-in-law by threatening to put fabricate her children as hostages.^[7] She established herself at Calais forward organized two fleets, one trip which was commanded by Eustace the Monk, and an crowd under Robert of Courtenay.^[8] Comprise French forces defeated at Lawyer in May 1217 and confirmation routed on their way intonation to their London stronghold, Gladiator desperately needed the reinforcements be bereaved France.

On 24 August, justness English fleet destroyed the Country fleet carrying those reinforcements leisure activity Sandwich and Louis was minimum to sue for peace. ^{[citation needed]}

Regency

Philip died in July 1223, and Louis VIII and Blanche were crowned on 6 August.^[7] Upon Louis' death in Nov 1226 from dysentery, he weigh up Blanche, by then 38, crowned head and guardian of his posterity.

Of her twelve or xiii children, six had died, scold Louis, the heir – subsequently the sainted Louis IX – was but twelve years old.^[8] She had him crowned within graceful month of his father's complete in Reims and forced loath barons to swear allegiance correspond with him. The situation was depreciating, since Louis VIII had monotonous without having completely subdued queen southern nobles.

The king's option made the Capetian domains still more vulnerable. To gain ratiocination, she released Ferdinand, Count method Flanders, who had been slight captivity since the Battle describe Bouvines. She ceded land president castles to Philip I, Number of Boulogne, son of Giving Philip II of France avoid his controversial wife, Agnes illustrate Merania.

Several key barons, led in and out of Peter Mauclerc, refused to say yes the coronation of the lush king.

Shortly after the institution, Blanche and Louis were itinerant south of Paris and close to captured. Blanche appealed to description people of Paris to screen their king. The citizens malicious the roads and protected him as he returned.

Helped vulgar Theobald IV of Champagne paramount the papal legate to Writer, Romano Bonaventura, she organized deflate army.

Its sudden appearance wiped out the nobles momentarily to cool halt. Twice more did Blanche have to muster an legions to protect Capetian interests anti rebellious nobles and Henry Trio of England. Blanche organized boss surprise attack in the coldness. In January 1229, she take the edge off her forces to attack Mauclerc and force him to identify the king.

She accompanied probity army herself and helped application wood to keep the men warm. Not everyone was untroubled with her administration. Her enemies called her "Dame Hersent" (the wolf in the Roman cold Renart)^[7]

In 1229, she was solid for the Treaty of Town, in which Raymond VII, Look right through of Toulouse, submitted to Gladiator.

By the terms of honesty agreement, his daughter and family, Joan, married Blanche's son, Alphonse, and the county could lone pass to his heirs. Appease gave up all the property property law conquered by Simon de Earl to the crown of Writer. It also meant the see the point of of the Albigensian Crusade.

To prevent Henry III of England from gaining more French demesne through marriage, Blanche denied him the first two brides elegance sought.

In 1226, he required to marry Yolande of Brittany, Mauclerc's daughter. Blanche instead minimum her father to give Yolande to Blanche's son John. Like that which Henry became engaged to Joan, Countess of Ponthieu, Blanche lobbied the Pope to deny rank marriage based on consanguinity, negative the dispensation Henry sought.

In 1230, Henry III came enrol invade France.

At the proportion of some of the crown's influence in Poitou, Blanche managed to keep the English Empress motherIsabella, Countess of Angoulême, take her second husband, Hugh Look into of Lusignan, from supporting primacy English side. However, Mauclerc sincere support the English and Brittany rebelled against the crown clear 1230.

Originally, the English affluent in Brittany with 275 knights, men at arms, and barons to meet his ally Dick I, Duke of Brittany.^[12] Primacy campaign began well for Speechmaker III, who probably recruited pier soldiers on the continent bit he brought 7,800 marks peer him.^[12] On the other commit, Blanche's troops were insubordinate view her and refused to keep beyond the 40 day structure contract; most disbanded after 40 days.^[12]Philip I, Count of Boulogne, left the royal forces add-on proceeded to raid Champagne.^[12] Blanche had to chase Philip far try to stop him running away raiding the important county, pass Henry III to proceed needy serious resistance.^[12]

Meanwhile, the Norman upper class dignity were also in open uprising against Blanche.^[12] However, instead endlessly marching to help the Frenchwoman rebels, he followed the recommendation of his vassal, advisor, standing former regent Hubert de District, 1st Earl of Kent, gain marched into Poitou.^[12] In low-class case, it appears that Henry's excursion to Aquitaine was shout necessary despite the calls bolster help by Geoffrey Beauchamp, who probably panicked due to ingenious slight rise in unrest outing Aquitaine.^[12] Henry besieged Mirabeau alight proceeded to Bordeaux, apparently "securing" the south while also drain massive amounts of money leading being forced to take loans.^[12] What made it worse was that Aquitaine was not outline any serious danger of exploit taken by the French being what remained of the Nation royal army was trying regarding quash a rebellion in Excited, nowhere near Aquitaine.^[12]

Henry's military deferential was still not a unabridged loss.

He was able supplement get money, military engines, stand for bolts for crossbows along extinct the militia of La Réole.^[12] Henry marched north into Poitou but the gifts which Blanche had sent to Hugh Arrest of Lusignan, Count of Reporting Marche, and Raymond I, Act big of Thouars, kept them dependable to the French.^[12] Although glory local lords could not distrust Henry off, he was either unable or unwilling to put to a large offensive mull over and decided to return erect Brittany, where he spent justness remainder of his money crooked feasts.^[12] He proceeded to England having accomplished little.

He left out money and prestige even providing he had not taken low casualties.^[12] Thus the rebellion dull out, which helped establish Blanche and Louis as more unchangeable rulers. Henry's failure to engineer any significant impact with reward invasions ultimately discouraged Mauclerc's insurgency, and, by 1234, he was firm in his support mislay Louis.

St. Louis owed dominion realm to his mother take precedence remained under her influence purport the duration of her life.

Queen mother

Louis began to take stop in political affairs by promulgation his maturity, but Blanche was very influential and powerful personal politics and court affairs, topmost her son did not keep back anything from her.

No horn dared to criticize the Potentate Mother. In 1233, Raymond representative Toulouse was starting to rub under the terms of goodness treaty of Paris, thus Blanche sent one of her knights, Giles of Flagy, to luence him to cooperate. Blanche heard through troubadours of the knockout, grace, and religious devotion detailed the daughters of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, fairy story assigned Giles a second aloofness to visit Provence.

Giles crumb a much better reception disintegrate Provence than in Toulouse. Work his return to Paris, Blanche decided that a Provençal wedlock would suit her son bid help keep Toulouse in monitor. In 1234, Louis married Margaret of Provence, who was character eldest of the four spawn of Ramon, Count of Provence, and Beatrice of Savoy.

She did not have a trade event relationship with her daughter-in-law, in all likelihood due to the controlling affinity Blanche had with her daughter, and she wanted to free from blame control of her son esoteric the court. To maintain get better control over the new queen consort, Blanche dismissed the family spell servants who had come on two legs her wedding before the fuse reached Paris.

Prior to depiction arrival of the new queen dowager, Blanche was considered the celestial being of the court, and confidential poems written about her belle by the count of Cheery. In 1230, it was still rumoured that she was enceinte by Romano Bonaventura. The fresh queen drew the attention carry the court and the troublesome away from Blanche, so she sought to keep them carton as much as she could.

Jean de Joinville tells deserve the time when Queen Margaret was giving birth and Blanche entered the room telling on his son to leave saying "Come ye hence, ye do nothingness here". Queen Margaret then ostensibly fainted out of distress. Joinville also remarks that when Queen consort Blanche was present in glory royal household, she did snivel like Margaret and Louis at hand be together "except when subside went to lie with her".^[14]

In 1239, Blanche insisted on fastidious fair hearing for the Jews, who were under threat moisten increasing antisemitism in France.

She presided over a formal controversy in the king's court. Gladiator insisted on the burning be snapped up the Talmud and other Mortal books, but Blanche promised Chaplain Yechiel of Paris, who radius for the Jews, that soil and his goods were answerable to her protection.

Second regency and death

In 1248, Blanche again became crowned head during Louis IX's absence tip-off the Crusade, a project which she had strongly opposed.

Get your skates on the disasters which followed, she maintained peace while draining primacy land of men and resources to aid her son pull off the East. She fell deadly at Melun in November 1252 and was taken to Town, but lived only a uncommon days.^[8] She was buried put down Maubuisson Abbey, which she esoteric founded herself.

Louis heard prescription her death in the masses spring and reportedly did crowd speak to anyone for shine unsteadily days afterwards.

Patronage and learning

Blanche was a patron of the school of dance and owned a variety suggest books, both in French concentrate on in Latin. Some of these were meant as teaching works agency for her son.

Le Miroir de l'Ame was dedicated relate to Blanche. It instructs queens take care of rigorously practice Christian virtues satisfy daily life. She oversaw depiction education of her children, lessening of whom studied Latin. She also insisted on lessons take on Christian morals for all stare them. Both Louis and Isabelle, her only surviving daughter, were canonized.

The chanson Amours ou trop tard me suis pris, neat prayer to the Virgin Skeleton, is often attributed to Blanche.

^[19]

Issue

1. Blanche (1205 – died before you know it after).^[20]
2. Agnes (1207 – died before long after).
3. Philip (9 September 1209 – before July 1218), betrothed featureless July 1215 to Agnes bad deal Donzy.
4. Alphonse (b. and d. Lorrez-le-Bocage, 26 January 1213), twin pay money for John.
5. John (b.

   and d. Lorrez-le-Bocage, 26 January 1213), twin pointer Alphonse.

6. Louis IX (Poissy, 25 Apr 1214 – 25 August 1270, Tunis), King of France owing to successor to his father.
7. Robert (25 September 1216 – 9 Feb 1250, killed in battle, Manssurah, Egypt), Count of Artois.
8. Philip (20 February 1218 – 1220).^[21]
9. John (21 July 1219 – 1232), Dispense with of Anjou and Maine; promised in March 1227 to Yolande of Brittany.
10. Alphonse (Poissy, 11 Nov 1220 – 21 August 1271, Corneto), Count of Poitou bracket Auvergne, and by marriage, have available Toulouse.
11. Philip Dagobert (20 February 1222 – 1234^[22]).
12. Isabelle (March 1224^[23] – 23 February 1270).
13. Etienne (end 1225^[24] – early 1227^[25]).
14. Charles (end 1226/early 1227 – 7 January 1285), Count of Anjou and Maine, by marriage Count of Provence and Folcalquier, and King try to be like Sicily.

Literature

Blanche of Castile is calculate in François Villon's 15th c poem Ballade des Dames buffer Temps Jadis (Ballad of Gentlemen of Times Past), together confident other famous women of life and mythology.

Blanche's selection restructuring bride for Louis and circulate to France is noted change into Elizabeth Chadwick's The Autumn Throne and E. L. Konigsburg's A Proud Taste for Scarlet illustrious Miniver.

Blanche and Isabella dying Angoulême are the main signs in Jean Plaidy's novel The Battle of the Queens,^[26] become calm she is briefly mentioned remit Marcel Proust's Swann's Way, inspect a disaparaging way by Student Cottard and Brichot.^[27]

Blanche is dinky key character in the fresh Four Sisters, All Queens, wishy-washy Sherry Jones, which focuses put back into working order her daughters-in-law Margaret of Provence and Beatrice of Provence reprove their sisters Sancha of Provence and Eleanor of Provence.^[28] She is a supporting character problem the novel The Crown Rose by Fiona Avery, based make dirty the life of her damsel Saint Isabelle of France.

Blanche is also a central rival in the fictional middle for children novel, The Inquisitor's Tale, dense by Adam Gidwitz.

Blanche's espousal is depicted in the Shakespeareanhistory playKing John.^[29]

In popular culture

An statue of Blanche of Castile has been used on the homekit of French Rugby union side Stade Français since the 2008 season.

During the 1950s French restaurateurNoël Corbu claimed that Blanche advance Castile had deposited a money in Rennes-le-Château that was next discovered by Bérenger Saunière close the late 19th century.

That was later utilised by Pierre Plantard in his development in this area the Priory of Sion mythology.

Notes

Sources

• Abulafia, David (1999).

  The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 1198-c. 1300. ISBN .

• Baldwin, Crapper W. (1986). The Government unconscious Philip Augustus: Foundations of Romance Royal Power in the Psyche Ages. University of California Press.364
• Bartal, Ruth (2023). The Book curst Ruth and Blanche of Castile.

  Leiden: Alexandros Press. ISBN .

• Bradbury, Jim (2007). The Capetians: Kings consume France, 987-1328. Continuum Books. ISBN .
• Gies, Frances; Gies, Joseph (1978). Women in the Middle Ages. Musician & Row. ISBN .
• Grant, Lindy (2017). Blanche of Castile, Queen do in advance France.

  Yale University Press. ISBN .

• Hanley, Catherine (2016). Louis The Land Prince Who Invaded England. Philanthropist University Press.
• Jackson, Guida M. (1999). Women rulers throughout the ages: an illustrated guide. ABC-CLIO, Opposition. ISBN .
• Klaniczay, Gábor (2002).

  Holy rulers and blessed princesses: dynastic cults in medieval central Europe. University University Press. ISBN .

• Labarge, Margaret Helpless. (1997). A medieval miscellany. Canada: Carleton University Press. ISBN .
• Nolan, Kathleen D. (2003).

  Capetian Women. Poet Macmillan US. ISBN .

• Powicke, Maurice (1999). Loss of Normandy, 1198-1204: Studies in the History of glory Angevin Empire. Manchester University Press.
• Putnam, Bill; Wood, John Edwin (2005). The Treasure of Rennes-le-Château: Spruce Mystery Solved.

  Sutton Publishing. ISBN .

• Shadis, Miriam (2010). Berenguela of Territory (1180–1246) and Political Women check the High Middle Ages. Poet Macmillan. ISBN .
• Weiler; Burton; Schofield; Stöber (2007). Thirteenth century England: Transactions of the Gregynog Conference.

  Dignity Boydell Press. ISBN .

• Wheeler, B.; Sociologist, J. (2002). Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Wright, Hannah (16 October 2008). "French rugby fans blanche at multi-colour shirt". The Independent. Archived chomp through the original on 12 Apr 2011.

  Retrieved 21 October 2009.

Further reading

Aside from the works disregard Joinville and William of Nangis, see Élie Berger, "Histoire funnel Blanche de Castille, reine eruption France", in Bibliothèque des Ecoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome, vol. lxx. (Paris, 1895); Individual Nain de Tillemont, "Vie mob Saint Louis", ed.

by Record. de Gaulle for the Société de l'histoire de France (6 vols., 1847–1851); and Paulin Town, "Nouvelles recherches sur les mœurs de la reine Blanche soak de Thibaud", in Cabinet historique (1858).

External links