The Pious Duke William I of Brittany

[kasumigenx]

Annulments

On 1199, King John I of England would dangle the hand of Matilda of Saxony to William the Cleric who is living in a monastery, apparently, he was confined to a monastery due to Henry II of England deposing Conan IV of Brittany, John I of England is annulled from his marriage with Isabella of Gloucester.


William would leave the monastery in Brittany and into the court of John of England who would petition the dissolution of William of Brittany’s vows, this would keep Arthur and Constance of Brittany wondering about the whereabouts of their relative.


After William left to England, John I would decide to marry his niece, Eleanor of Brittany to Louis of France as William of Brittany would be a valuable ally and pawn against his nephew, Arthur, he would abandon the plans of a marriage of his niece Urraca of Castile to Louis VIII as she is no longer valuable as a bride to Louis of France and would decide to ratify the Treaty of Le Goulet with Eleanor of Brittany marrying Louis of France which included the cession of Issoudun and Graçay to the French crown.


On 1200, after the treaty of Le Goulet Innocent III would grant the dissolution of the vows of William of Brittany which is another victory of John after the Treaty of Le Goulet as William would be free to claim Brittany as his own land and John would promptly grant William of Brittany the Earldom of Richmond secretly.

Note:

IOTL William of Brittany dies in 1199/1200, here he survives and lives longer.



There is no trace of the marriage and plans of marriage with Urraca or Blanche to Prince Louis in this timeline, it will be said that there was a delay in the marriage between Eleanor of Brittany and Louis.



Eleanor of Aquitaine does not leave Aquitaine to fetch Urraca or Blanche in 1200.

[kasumigenx]

Treaty of Le Goulet
John I would decide to marry his niece, Eleanor of Brittany to marry Louis of France as William of Brittany would be a valuable ally and pawn against his nephew, Arthur, he would abandon the plans of a marriage of his niece Urraca of Castile to Prince Louis as she is no longer valuable as a bride to Louis of France and would decide to ratify the Treaty of Le Goulet with Eleanor of Brittany marrying Louis of France which included the cession of Issoudun and Graçay to the French crown and affirms the French suzerainty Flanders and Boulogne and the Angevin Continental Possessions as French vassals and the recognition of Brittany as an English Vassal which would be paid by 20,000 marks.

Eleanor of Brittany would be handed to the French and married to Louis of France and married in Normandy as the domains of Philip II are in interdict and they would go to Paris as soon as the marriage was finished.

Children of Eleanor of Brittany and Louis VIII
Constance b. 1203-
Agnes b. 1207-
Philip b. 1209 – 1218
Geoffroy b. d.1213
Louis IX b. 1214-
Robert, Count of Artois b. 1216-
Philip b. 1218 – 1220
Richard b. 1219 – 1232
Geoffroy b. 1220 –
Arthur, Count of Anjou, Maine, and Tourraine b. 1222 –
Isabelle b 1224 -

[kasumigenx]

Battle of Mirabeau
However, after it was revealed that Isabella of Angouleme was married to John, it would reach that William is apparently married to Matilda of Saxony and released from his vows and granted the Earldom of Richmond, for this reason, Arthur I, Duke of Brittany and Constance would further ally with Philip II of France against John I of England who has decided to confiscate the lands of John I of England as Philip II is father in law of Eleanor of Brittany, however Constance of Brittany would die in 1201 after the birth of twin daughters which would leave Arthur I of Brittany without the guidance of his mother.


The battle of Mirabeau in 1202 was battle between the Lusignan-Breton alliance and the Kingdom of England, John I of England smashed the Lusignan army by surprise, Arthur of Brittany and Hugh X of Lusignan would end up being prisoners of John I of England.


After the battle of Mirabeau, John I of England would install William I of Brittany as the Duke of Brittany which began the war of Breton succession, the rule of William of Brittany would be contested by Guy of Thouars and Eleanor of Brittany after the battle of Mirabeau, both Guy of Thouars and Eleanor of Brittany would want Arthur of Brittany released but Arthur of Brittany would disappear in April 1203, which would cause Philip II to annex Anjou, Maine, and Tourraine to the royal demesne, Constance of Brittany and Arthur of Brittany would be regarded as usurpers by Bretons because of the disinheritance and the life of William I of Brittany in monastery due to Henry II of England.


William of Brittany would land with his daughter, Matilda of Brittany(1201) and his wife Matilda of Saxony in a ship from England to Brittany just after the battle of Mirabeau and Guy of Thouars would flee with his daughters Alix(1200), Catherine(1201), and Margaret(1201) to the French court in 1203 after William of Brittany defeated Guy of Thouars.

[kasumigenx]

Summary I
1199 - William of Brittany leaves the Monastery and embarks to England.
1200 – Treaty of Le Goulet, Eleanor of Brittany marries Prince Louis of France.
1200 – King John I of England marries Isabella of Angouleme.
1200 – the dissolution of vows of William of Brittany is granted and he marries Matilda of Saxony.
1202 – Battle of Mirabeau, Arthur, duke of Brittany is captured by King John.
1202 – William I of Brittany is installed by King John of England
1203 – Arthur, Duke of Brittany disappears in imprisonment by King John I of England.
1203 – Guy of Thouars flees from Brittany with his daughters, Alix, Margaret, and Catherine to the French court.
1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine dies.

[kasumigenx]

Eleanor of Brittany

Eleanor of Brittany, the Fair (c. 1184 – 10 August 1241), also known as Pearl of Brittany, or Beauty of Brittany, was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Her father, Geoffrey, was the fourth son of Henry II, King of England, was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII.
After the presumed death in 1203 of her imprisoned younger brother, Arthur, Eleanor was heiress to vast lands including England, Anjou, Aquitaine, and Brittany, realms where the Salic Law barring the accession of females did not apply. Her uncle John, King of England, was the fifth son of Henry II, and Eleanor inherited Arthur's claim to the throne as the child of John's elder brother Geoffrey.
She would claim Brittany, Aquitaine and England against her uncles, John I of England and William I of Brittany.

Childhood
In summer 1195, a marriage between her and Louis, son of Philip II of France, was suggested, for an alliance between Richard and Philip, but negotiations failed again. Emperor Henry VI opposed the marriage; and the failure was also a sign that the King would replace Arthur as heir to England with his only living brother, John.

Marriage
Eleanor was Sixteen years of age, and Louis was three years younger, by the time the marriage treaty was finally signed. King John ceded the fiefs of Issoudun and Graçay as a dowry. The marriage was celebrated 23 May 1200, at Port-Mort on the right bank of the Seine, in John's domains, as those of Philip lay under an interdict. Eleanor bore her first child in 1203.
During the English barons' rebellion of 1215–16 against King John, it was Eleanor's English ancestry as granddaughter to Henry II that led to Louis being offered the throne of England as Louis I. However, with the death of John in October 1216, the barons changed their allegiance to John's son, the nine-year-old Henry and Louis and Eleanor would end up being excommunicated by Innocent III until they signed a truce in 1216.

Eleanor of Brittany – Freepedia

Note
This would be the entry of Eleanor of Brittany in the equivalent of Wikipedia in this timeline so there is no trace of the marriage and plans of marriage with Urraca or Blanche to Prince Louis in this timeline.

This shows the point of view, historiography, and narrative in this timeline about her.

[kasumigenx]

Louis VIII

Louis VIII (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (French: Le Lion), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As a prince, he invaded England on 21 May 1216 and was excommunicated by a papal legate on 29 May 1216. On 2 June 1216, Louis was proclaimed "King of England" by rebellious barons in London, though never crowned. He soon seized half the English kingdom but was eventually defeated by the English and Excommunicated by Innocent III. After the Treaty of Lambeth, he was paid 10,000 marks, pledged never to invade England again, and was absolved of his and wife’s excommunication.



As prince and fulfilling his father's crusading vow, Louis led forces during the Albigensian Crusade in support of Simon de Montfort the Elder, from 1219 to 1223, and as king, from January 1226 to September 1226. Crowned king in 1223, Louis' ordinance against Jewish usury, a reversal of his father's policies, led to the establishment of Lombard moneylenders in Paris.

Louis died in November 1226 from dysentery, while returning from the Albigensian Crusade, and was succeeded by his son, Louis IX.

Louis VIII - Freepedia

[stevep]

  kasumigenx ,

  Given John's success at securing Brittany has he still lost much of the mainland possessions in N France as OTL or are locations such as the Normandy area still in the dynasties hands?  If they do then that could change the character and identity of the dynasty in future generations as its likely to stay predominately French longer.  Plus going to mean more wars with France.

[kasumigenx]

The denied heir
William I of Brittany would talk about the treatment of his sister to him when he was set aside and he has taken advantage of what King John had offered him in 1199, he would talk that in 1202 when he regained what was for him and denied to him as the Heir to Brittany and he would ally with John to maintain the independence of Brittany.


He was denied of his right to become the heir because his father was forced to abdicate in favour of his sister Constance prior to his birth and the offer of John is something that he could not ignore and his wife Matilda has a proven fertility as she has already given birth to a child of another man.


William I of Brittany would be happy that he is the Duke of Brittany at last and was made the ruler of Brittany and had claimed Brittany from his own sister and children who will plunge Brittany to a union with France.


Matilda of Saxony would help her new husband, William I of Brittany secure the borders of his duchy against Philip II of France who supports his niece, Eleanor.

[kasumigenx]

May 20, 2024 17:16:14 GMT stevep said:

  kasumigenx ,

  Given John's success at securing Brittany has he still lost much of the mainland possessions in N France as OTL or are locations such as the Normandy area still in the dynasties hands?  If they do then that could change the character and identity of the dynasty in future generations as its likely to stay predominately French longer.  Plus going to mean more wars with France.

They will protect their alliance with Brittany, perhaps until William I dies.

John still lost Normandy and has no rights over Anjou-Maine-Tourraine because the Queen of France inherited those lands from her brother, I am planning for Richard of Cornwall actually be made as Duke of Aquitaine as planned IOTL which means Henry III would have no French possessions except for the Channel Islands.

[stevep]

May 21, 2024 10:47:03 GMT kasumigenx said:

May 20, 2024 17:16:14 GMT stevep said:

  kasumigenx ,

  Given John's success at securing Brittany has he still lost much of the mainland possessions in N France as OTL or are locations such as the Normandy area still in the dynasties hands?  If they do then that could change the character and identity of the dynasty in future generations as its likely to stay predominately French longer.  Plus going to mean more wars with France.

They will protect their alliance with Brittany, perhaps until William I dies.

John still lost Normandy and has no rights over Anjou-Maine-Tourraine because the Queen of France inherited those lands from her brother, I am planning for Richard of Cornwall actually be made as Duke of Aquitaine as planned IOTL which means Henry III would have no French possessions except for the Channel Islands.

  Well that's going to be a big change for the English state and Henry III.  Unless they seek to restore their territories, which might be a possibility the monarchy is going to have much weaker connections with France and probably looking more towards the rest of the British Isles.  Your likely to see English restored as the language of government a couple of generations earlier than OTL and more and more butterflies will follow.

  A lot will depend on how William and his successors and Richard of Aquitaine view their positions with regards to the French monarchy.

[kasumigenx]

May 21, 2024 12:36:01 GMT stevep said:

May 21, 2024 10:47:03 GMT kasumigenx said:

They will protect their alliance with Brittany, perhaps until William I dies.

John still lost Normandy and has no rights over Anjou-Maine-Tourraine because the Queen of France inherited those lands from her brother, I am planning for Richard of Cornwall actually be made as Duke of Aquitaine as planned IOTL which means Henry III would have no French possessions except for the Channel Islands.

  Well that's going to be a big change for the English state and Henry III.  Unless they seek to restore their territories, which might be a possibility the monarchy is going to have much weaker connections with France and probably looking more towards the rest of the British Isles.  Your likely to see English restored as the language of government a couple of generations earlier than OTL and more and more butterflies will follow.

  A lot will depend on how William and his successors and Richard of Aquitaine view their positions with regards to the French monarchy.

I think Brittany might remain an English Vassal or Protectorate for a time, while Aquitaine might focus on getting more independent from France and shift focus to their relationship with the Iberian Kingdoms.

[kasumigenx]

I am thinking of turning OTL eldest son of Frederick II of HRE female, who do you think is a good match for her?

[stevep]

May 22, 2024 11:15:38 GMT kasumigenx said:

I am thinking of turning OTL eldest son of Frederick II of HRE female, who do you think is a good match for her?

 I don't know anything like enough of the period outside parts of British history to say. 

[kasumigenx]

French loss in Brittany in 1214
In the Anglo-French war in 1213-1214, the William I of Brittany would be able to secure his inheritance of Brittany against Eleanor of Brittany and Philip II of France and expel the French in Brittany even though the Holy Roman Empire under Otto III and England largely lost against the French.
On 1214, the English and the French would sign the Treaty of Chinon where John I of England would lose Poitou and Richard, the second son of John would secure his inheritance to Aquitaine in this treaty which he would inherit in 1216, after the death of his father but the English would secure the Duchy of Brittany and the peace between France and England was signed with the betrothal between Joan of England and Philip of France and Matilda of Brittany would be married to Peter of Brittany.
The betrothal between Joan of England and Philip would be broken in 1216 due to the war of Prince Louis against England in 1216 and restored in 1216 in the Treaty of Lambeth and would end in the death of Philip in 1218 and a new betrothal was made between Isabella of England and Louis of France was made in 1218 after the death of Philip of France between Isabella of England and Louis of France, Isabella of England would marry Louis of France on 1230 escorted by her brother Richard II of Aquitaine.
Eleanor of Brittany would enter in the Fontravraud Abbey in 1226 and brought her children Isabelle and Geoffrey who would enter the church, after the death of her husband to atone for what her mother has done to her brother and took the veil of a nun and she would die there in 1241.

Children of Eleanor of Brittany and Louis VIII
Constance b. 1203- m. Theobald I of Navarre

Agnes b. 1207- m. Henry II of Brabant

Philip b. 1209 – 1218

Geoffroy b. d.1213

Louis IX b. 1214- m. Isabella of England

Robert, Count of Artois b. 1216- m. Isabella of Jerusalem

Philip b. 1218 – 1220

Richard b. 1219 – 1232

Geoffroy b. 1220 – Priest

Arthur, Count of Anjou, Maine, and Tourraine b. 1222 – m. Margaret I of Provence

Isabelle b 1224 – Nun



Children of William I of Brittany and Matilda of Saxony
Matilda of Brittany b. 1201- m. Peter of Dreux
Isabella of Brittany b. 1207- m. Richard II of Aquitaine

[kasumigenx]

Two sons
On 1204, Marie of Champagne, the Latin Empress would give birth to a healthy son baptized as Baldwin, but Marie won’t survive long after the pregnancy and thus he would inherit Flanders after the death of his father after his death on the hands of the Bulgars but it would take time for Baldwin take control of Flanders as it was assumed that his sisters inherited Flanders as they have not yet heard the birth of their brother.

On the background of the defeat of Prince Louis in England, Isabella of Angouleme would give birth to a another son in 1216, he would be a posthumous son named after her husband and named John who would be granted the county of Cornwall.