Other Events and Attributes:

• House: House of Plantagenet
• FSID: MCT9-W4B

Notes:

Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (7 August 1282 – 5 May 1316) was the eighth and youngest daughter of King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile. Of all of her siblings, she was closest to her younger brother King Edward II, as they were only two years apart in age.

In April 1285 there were negotiations with Floris V for Elizabeth's betrothal to his son John I, Count of Holland. The offer was accepted and John was sent to England to be educated. On 8 January 1297 Elizabeth was married to John at Ipswich. In attendance at the marriage were Elizabeth's sister Margaret, her father, Edward I of England, her brother Edward, and Humphrey de Bohun. After the wedding Elizabeth was expected to go to Holland with her husband, but did not wish to go, leaving her husband to go alone. It is recorded that while in Ipswich the King, in some outburst, threw his daughter's coronet into the fire: a great ruby and a great emerald were supplied by Adam the Goldsmith for stones lost as a result.

After some time traveling England, it was decided Elizabeth should follow her husband. Her father accompanied her, traveling through the Southern Netherlands between Antwerp, Mechelen, Leuven and Brussels, before ending up in Ghent. There, they remained for a few months, spending Christmas with her two sisters Eleanor and Margaret. On 10 November 1299, John died of dysentery, though there were rumours of his murder. No children had been born from the marriage.

On her return trip to England, Elizabeth went through Brabant to see her sister Margaret. When she arrived in England, she met her stepmother Margaret, whom Edward had married while she was in Holland. On 14 November 1302 Elizabeth was married to Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, 3rd of Essex, also Constable of England, at Westminster Abbey.

The children of Elizabeth and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford were:

1. Margaret de Bohun (born 1302 - died 7 Feb. 1304).
2. Humphrey de Bohun (born c. Oct. 1303 - died c. Oct. 1304).
3. Lady Eleanor de Bohun (17 October 1304 – 1363)
4. John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (23 November 1306 – 1335)
5. Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford (6 December c. 1309 – 1361)
6. Margaret de Bohun, 2nd Countess of Devon (3 April 1311 – 1391)
7. William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton (1312–1360).
8. Edward de Bohun (1312–1334), twin of William
9. Eneas de Bohun, (1314 - after 1322); he is mentioned in his father's will
10. Isabel de Bohun (b&d 5 May 1316)

During Christmas 1315, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with her eleventh child, was visited by her sister-in-law, Queen Isabella of France. On 5 May 1316 she went into labour, giving birth to her daughter Isabella. Both Elizabeth and her daughter Isabella died shortly after the birth, and were buried together in Walden Abbey Church, Walden Essex. [1]

[1] Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, Wikipedia.

Elizabeth married de Bohun, Earl Humphrey on 14 Nov 1302 in Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England. Humphrey (son of de Bohun, Humphrey) was born in 1276 in Pleshey Castle, Pleshey, Essex, England; died on 16 Mar 1322 in Boroughbridge, Yorkshire, England; was buried after 16 Mar 1322 in Blackfriars (demolished), Pontefract, Yorkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. de Bohun, Earl William was born on 24 Mar 1312 in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England; died on 16 Sep 1360 in Saffron Walden, Essex, England; was buried on 16 Sep 1360 in Walden Abbey, Saffron Walden, Essex, England.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Hammer of the Scots
• Appointments / Titles: King of England
• Appointments / Titles: The Best Lance in the World
• Appointments / Titles: The Edward Justian
• Appointments / Titles: The Flower of Chivalry
• Nickname: Longshanks
• FSID: LHWS-PRY
• Occupation: Peerage of England
• Religion: Roman Catholic
• Military: 21 May 1264; Battle of Lewes
• Appointments / Titles: 1265; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
• Military: 2 Jul 1271, Nazareth, Israel; 7th or 9th Crusade: After capturing Nazareth in 1271, he massacred all the Muslims found within its walls. In retaliation for this savagery, an Assassin with a poisoned dagger stabbed him three times, but his life was saved by his wife's prompt action of sucking the poison from the wounds, and by his vigorous constitution which resisted whatever poison remained in his system. So in 1272 he negotiated and signed a 10 year truce before heading home, which is when he learned of his father’s death. He finally reached England in 1274 and was crowned in Westminster Abbey on August 19th.
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1272 and 1307; Duke of Aquitaine
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1272 and 1307; King of England
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1272 and 1307; Lord of Ireland
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1272 and 1307; Lord of Scotland
• Appointments / Titles: 26 Aug 1274, Westminster, London, England; Coronation as King of England
• Military: Between 1276 and 1277, Wales; Supressed a minor rebellion in Wales.
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1279 and 1281; Count of Ponthieu
• Military: Between 1282 and 1283, Wales; He responded to a second rebellion with a full scale war of conquest. After this success he subjected Wales to English rule, built a series of castles and towns in the country and settled them with English settlers.
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1290 and 1306; Lord of Scotland
• Military: 1293, France; War between England and France broke out in 1293 as a result of the efforts of France to curb Edwards’s power in Gascony. He lost Gascony in 1293 and did not regain it until 1303.
• Military: 1296, Scotland; After invading and conquering Scotland, he declared himself King of that realm.
• Military: 1298, Scotland; In winning the Battle of Falkirk led by Sir William Wallace, he achieved the greatest military triumph of his career, but failed to crush Scottish opposition. Wallace was captured and executed in 1305.

Notes:

Reign 16 November 1272[1] – 7 July 1307
Coronation 19 August 1274
Predecessor Henry III
Successor Edward II
Born 17/18 June 1239 Palace of Westminster, London, England
Died 7 July 1307 (aged 68) Burgh by Sands, Cumberland, England
Burial Westminster Abbey, London, England
Spouse Eleanor of Castile (m. 1254–1290)
Margaret of France (m. 1299–1307)
Issue Eleanor, Countess of Bar
Joan, Countess of Hertford
Alphonso, Earl of Chester
Margaret, Duchess of Brabant
Mary of Woodstock
Elizabeth, Countess of Hereford
Henry
Edward II of England
Thomas, Earl of Norfolk
Edmund, Earl of Kent
House Plantagenet
Father Henry III of England
Mother Eleanor of Provence

Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons. In 1259, he briefly sided with a baronial reform movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford. After reconciliation with his father, however, he remained loyal throughout the subsequent armed conflict, known as the Second Barons' War. After the Battle of Lewes, Edward was hostage to the rebellious barons, but escaped after a few months and joined the fight against Simon de Montfort. Montfort was defeated at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, and within two years the rebellion was extinguished. With England pacified, Edward joined the Ninth Crusade to the Holy Land. The crusade accomplished little, and Edward was on his way home in 1272 when he was informed that his father had died. Making a slow return, he reached England in 1274 and was crowned at Westminster on 19 August.

He spent much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law. Through an extensive legal inquiry, Edward investigated the tenure of various feudal liberties, while the law was reformed through a series of statutes regulating criminal and property law. Increasingly, however, Edward's attention was drawn towards military affairs. After suppressing a minor rebellion in Wales in 1276–77, Edward responded to a second rebellion in 1282–83 with a full-scale war of conquest. After a successful campaign, Edward subjected Wales to English rule, built a series of castles and towns in the countryside and settled them with English people. Next, his efforts were directed towards Scotland. Initially invited to arbitrate a succession dispute, Edward claimed feudal suzerainty over the kingdom. In the war that followed, the Scots persevered, even though the English seemed victorious at several points. At the same time there were problems at home. In the mid-1290s, extensive military campaigns required high levels of taxation, and Edward met with both lay and ecclesiastical opposition. These crises were initially averted, but issues remained unsettled. When the King died in 1307, he left to his son, Edward II, an ongoing war with Scotland and many financial and political problems.

Edward I was a tall man for his era, hence the nickname "Longshanks". He was temperamental, and this, along with his height, made him an intimidating man, and he often instilled fear in his contemporaries. Nevertheless, he held the respect of his subjects for the way he embodied the medieval ideal of kingship, as a soldier, an administrator and a man of faith. Modern historians are divided on their assessment of the King: while some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, others have criticised him for his uncompromising attitude towards his nobility. Currently, Edward I is credited with many accomplishments during his reign, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, establishing Parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often criticised for other actions, such as his brutal conduct towards the Scots, and issuing the Edict of Expulsion in 1290, by which the Jews were expelled from England. The Edict remained in effect for the rest of the Middle Ages, and it would be over 350 years until it was formally overturned under Oliver Cromwell in 1656.

He was involved early in the political intrigues of his father’s reign, which included rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he sided with a Baronial Reform Movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford.

On 24 December 1264 he was forced to deliver the Earldom of Chester into the hands of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester just before his escape. In late June 1260, Edward, attempting to alleviate Henry's money crisis, by subterfuge under cover of darkness requested admittance into the New Temple of the Knights Templar in London & robbed the treasuries of the city guilds. In June 1263 Prince Edward's foreign Flemish troops burned Bristol; the populace rose up & besieged him & his army in the castle. The Bishop of Worcester, Walter de Cantelou placated the townsfolk by taking Edward's pledge to make peace with de Montfort & the barons (Edward had no intention of honoring his pledge). March 1264 Simon's sons Henry & Bran de Montfort trap Prince Edward at Gloucester Castle, but Edward solemnly avows to Henry (they were extremely close, growing up together) that if Henry grants him a truce he will work with King Henry & Richard of Cornwall to arrange a truce & avoid war. Henry de Montfort was in command, & believed him. Edward was lying through his teeth. As soon as Henry & Bran de Montfort's army were out of sight, Edward seized the town & imposed harsh fines & penalties. On April 5 1264 the defeat at Northampton by Edward of Simon's forces (de Montfort was in London) crippled rebel forces. Northampton defenses had been allowed to decay in the years previous to de Montfort's occupation there, plus the battle was lost due to the treachery of the Prior at St. Andrew's. After the defeat, Edward allowed his army to have their sport on the town, culminating in utter destruction, rapine, murder, etc. of its inhabitants. Some 80 barons & knights were taken prisoner & the rebel army was gutted. The defeat touched off a riot in London (since Londoners were very favorable to Simon) on Apr 9, 1264 in which hundreds, mainly Jews, were slain. In May 1264 Edward looted lands of Robert de Ferrers, the Earl of Derby, & after Derby lost Tutbury Castle, he defected from Simon's support. King Henry meanwhile took Leicester & Nottingham. Simon & Gilbert de Clare attacked Rochester Castle (which surrendered) & besieged the town when Edward approached London so Simon went back to defend it. King Henry & Edward were practicing fierce cruelty by chopping off the nads & feet of all common soldiers captured from de Montfort's army. The Cinque Ports & Dover Castle held fast for Simon, & did not obey Henry & Edward's command for a naval force to attack London. Thwarted, Edward takes Gilbert de Clare's Tonbridge Castle. Simon continued to hold London, but was surrounded by Edward & Henry. In May 1264, the Bishop of Chichester tried to convince Henry III to negotiate, but he refused. The Bishops of London & Worcester (Walter de Cantelou) try to do the same on the eve of the Battle of Lewes; again Henry refuses. At Lewes, Montfort was outnumbered 2:1; Royalist forces numbered some 10,000. Montfort introduced a new strategy to warfare; he established a reserve command to be commanded by him, plus he introduced the concept of the night march. He was thought to be miles away by the Royalist forces on the eve of the battle, but he & his army undertook a night march to focre the battle on May 14, 1264. Henry was utterly taken by surprise, & his garrison lodged at the Priory were in some confusion; however, Edward, who garrisoned his men at Lewes Castle, was able to meet the rebel left flank of greenhorn & untrained Londoners under the command of Nicholas de Segrave. Edward routed them with no care for the "rules" of war in that he & his knights undertook a pursuit miles away from the battle only to slay every man they could find. This was thought caused by the Londoner's steadfast support for Monfort and their animosity toward Henry & especially Edward's mother Queen Eleanor (including the London mob's attack on her barge July 1263). From these beginnings Edward had a lifelong hatred for Londoners. On the eve of the Battle of Lewes, 14 May 1264, after Henry had refused the entreaty of the Bishops of London & Worcester (Walter de Cantelou) to negotiate, Simon formally renounced all allegiance to Henry, & was followed by his men. Including Gilbert de Clare, Hugh le Despenser, Humfrey de Bohun VI "the Younger", John Giffard, Sir John FitzJohn, Nicholas de Segrave, & Robert de Vere. Clare & Vere had the most to lose of any rebel supporters. At the battle itself, the left flank of green & hastily trained but no battle-experience Londoners was under the command of Nicholas de Segrave with 2nd an inexperienced John Giffard; the right flank was commanded by Simon's sons Henry & Guy de Montfort (Bran still being held in captivity at Windsor Castle by Henry) with 2nd Humphrey de Bohun VI "the Younger", the center column was commanded by Gilbert de Clare, 2nded by Sir John FitzJohn, with Simon himself commanding the new reserve force 2nded by Hugh le Despenser. For the Royalists, Henry commanded the center column, Richard of Cornwall commanded the left flank, & Edward commanded the vanguard. Royalist forces outnumbered the rebels by some 2:1 with some 10,000 men. Henry's force was augmented by a Scots force sent by his son in law Alexander III the Glorious, King of Scotland. With Edward were Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Hugh le Bigod, Henry Plantagenet of Almaine, Richard of Cornwall's son (& Edward's cousin & Simon's nephew), & John de Warenne. At the time of the battle, Simon was thought to be miles away, & still unable to ride a horse due to his broken leg. After Edward had absented himself from the field so long (carrying out his vengeance on the Londoners) Simon attacked & obliterated King Henry's force. Henry fled to the Priory. Richard of Cornwall was captured by Gilbert de Clare. When Edward & his men found out, Edward was urged to flee to Pevensey Castle & from there toward France. Edward refused to abandon his father, but the de Lusignans fled the battle, as did John de Warenne, Hugh le Bigod, Dafydd ap Gruddydd & over 300 knights. Only Edward's cousin Henry of Almaine (Richard of Cornwall's son) & Edwards’s household knights remained with him. Edward got through John FitzJohn's surrounding encampment to his father in the priory; Simon then offered a 12 hour truce & accepted their surrender the following morning. Lewes resulted in 2700 known dead (one of every five men). Under the Mise of Lewes, the Oxford Provisions were again reinstated as the law of the land, with an arbitration commission. Under no circumstances could Henry appoint aliens onto his council. Henry's extravagant spending was also to be brought under control & he to live within his means & pay off his enormous debts. A full amnesty was proclaimed for all rebels. No ransoms were to be paid for men captured neither at Lewes nor earlier at Northampton. Edward & Henry of Almaine surrendered themselves as hostages for their fathers' good faith. Edward was confined at Wallingford Castle with Richard of Cornwall. King Henry was lodged securely at the palace of the Bishop of London, In June 1264; Simon called a Parliament, one that included knights & town officials. The effect of Lewes that while Henry was still King, Simon had command of the realm. He also called for the terms of the Chivalric code to cover not only knights, but also commoners & Jews. In October 1264, the Pope (who hated Simon & the English Lords who had refused to succor his (the Pope's) abortive plans for Sicily) formally excommunicated Simon, his sons Henry, Bran & Guy, Gilbert de Clare, Hugh le Despenser, the Mayor of London Thomas Fitz Thomas, & many of their supporters. The Bishops of Worcester, London & Winchester refused to publish the sentence of anathema; the Pope laid England under Interdict Oct 21 1264, but the English clergy continued to support Simon & services & rites of the Church continued to be performed. Fought against and defeated Simon de Montfort (his uncle) in the Battle of Evesham and on 4 August 1265 took back his title with the death of Simon.

He spent much of his reign reforming royal administration and common law. Through an extensive legal inquiry, he investigated the tenure of various feudal liberties, while the law was reformed through a series of statutes regulating criminal and property law. He suppressed corruption in the administration of justice and passed legislation allowing feudal barons and the crown to collect revenues from properties willed to the church. He crushed clerical opposition when Pope Clement V allowed him in 1306 to suspend Archbishop Robert de Winchelsey. Early in his reign he divided the Curis Regis into three courts. 1) The Court of Kings Bench, to deal with criminal offenses reserved for the Kings judgment and with suits in which he was himself concerned; 2) The Court of Exchequer, to deal with all matters touching the Kings revenue; and 3) The Court of Common Pleas, to deal with suits between subject and subject. Edward took care that these courts should administer justice and dismissed judges and many other officials for corruption. He gave Scotland new constitution and representation in English Parliament.
While some historians have praised him for his contribution to the law, others have criticized him for his uncompromising attitude toward his nobility. Accomplishments include: Restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, Establishing Parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, reforming the law through statutes. His criticisms include: His brutal conduct towards the Scots, and issuing the Edict of Expulsion in 1290 (by which the Jews were expelled from England and would take over 350 yrs before it was overturned in 1656 by Oliver Cromwell).

Edward married of Castille, Queen of England Eleanor. Eleanor was born in 1241 in Burgos, Burgos, Castilla-Leon, Spain; died on 5 Dec 1290 in Harby, Nottinghamshire, England; was buried on 24 Dec 1290 in Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Princess of Castile and Leon
• Appointments / Titles: Oct 1254; Queen of England

Notes:

From Life Sketch:

Eleanor Of Castile, Spanish Leonor De Castilla born 1246—died Nov. 28, 1290, Harby, Nottinghamshire, England, queen consort of King Edward I of England (ruled 1272–1307). Her devotion to Edward helped bring out his better qualities; after her death, his rule became somewhat arbitrary. Eleanor was the daughter of King Ferdinand III of Castile and his wife, Joan of Ponthieu. In 1254 Eleanor was married to Lord Edward, son of England’s King Henry III. In honour of the event, her half brother, Alfonso X of Castile, transferred to Edward his claims to Gascony. When Henry III’s baronial opponents seized power in England in 1264, Eleanor was sent for safety to France; she returned in October 1265, after Edward had crushed the rebels. Eleanor accompanied Edward on a crusade from 1270 to 1273. The story that she saved his life at Acre (now in Israel) by sucking poison from a dagger wound is evidently apocryphal. After Edward ascended the throne, Eleanor was criticized for allegedly mistreating the tenants on her lands. Upon her death, Edward erected the famous Eleanor Crosses—several of which still stand—at each place where her coffin rested on its way to London.
(Britannica.com)

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Aquitaine
• Appointments / Titles: King
• Appointments / Titles: King of England
• Appointments / Titles: Lord of Ireland
• FSID: 9C69-MKH
• Occupation: King Of England 1216-1272
• Appointments / Titles: Between 4 Nov 1216 and 24 May 1220; King of England
• Burial: 27 Nov 1272, Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England

Henry married Berenger, Eleanor on 14 Jan 1236 in Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, Kent, England. Eleanor (daughter of Berenger, Count Raimund IV and de Savoie, Countess Béatrice) was born on 1 Jul 1223 in Aix, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France; was christened in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France; died on 25 Jun 1291 in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England; was buried on 11 Sep 1291 in Abbey of St. Mary and St. Melor, Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Countess of Provence
• Appointments / Titles: Queen of England
• Appointments / Titles: Queen of England

Notes:

Eleanor of Provence
1223-1291
Queen of England, 1236-1272
"Beautiful, resourceful, clever—and unpopular"

Eleanor of Provence, the queen of Henry III of England, was his loyal marriage-partner for thirty-six years. Strong-willed, ambitious and practical, she played a major role in ruling the kingdom during the volatile thirteenth century. So why is she so little remembered in the roster of medieval queens? Probably because Henry filled his reign with so many miscalculations and disasters that not even a strong helpmeet could avert them. If Eleanor had been a reigning queen instead of a queen-consort, things might have been different.

As daughter of Count Raymond of Provence, Eleanor grew up steeped in the sunny, pleasure-loving culture of Southern France. She was acquainted with the nobility of the Mediterranean world. When she married Henry she brought from her birthplace her taste for the good life and her familiarity with many influential players on the European stage. Eleanor also brought her relatives to install in important offices in England. This didn't endear her to Henry's barons or to the English people, who mistrusted foreigners.

What Henry, an ambitious but ineffective king, lacked in willpower Eleanor more than made up for. Like her two predecessors on the English throne, Isabella of Angouleme and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Eleanor of Provence was fiercely ambitious for her children and supremely self-confident in exercising her power.

She was intimately involved in Henry's battles. These included excursions to France to fight for the Continental lands the French and English had been squabbling about for decades. At home, Henry and Eleanor had rebellious barons to contend with. When Henry was captured by his own barons and forced to agree to their terms for reforms, Eleanor went to France and raised a formidable army to free her husband. But her invasion fleet was wrecked before it reached England. Her son Edward (later Edward I), as combative as his mother, fought off the rebels and rescued his father.

After Henry died in 1272 Eleanor became Queen Dowager, but she never gave up her active role in promoting the royal family's interests. Only after fourteen years did she take off her crown and don the veil at the nunnery of Amesbury. There she lived a quiet, pious life until her death in 1291.

Queen Eleanor of Provence was beautiful, resourceful, clever-and unpopular. Her foreign airs and entanglements, her influence on her husband and her imperious manner could not endear her to the English. The chronicler summed up her contradictory qualities after her death: "the generous and devout virago."

http://www.medievalqueens.com/queen-eleanor-of-provence.htm

Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was Queen consort of England, as the spouse of King Henry III of England, from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1253.

Although she was completely devoted to her husband, and staunchly defended him against the rebel Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, she was very much hated by the Londoners. This was because she had brought a large number of relatives with her to England in her retinue; these were known as "the Savoyards", and they were given influential positions in the government and realm. On one occasion, Eleanor's barge was attacked by angry citizens who pelted her with stones, mud, pieces of paving, rotten eggs and vegetables.

Eleanor was the mother of five children including the future King Edward I of England. She also was renowned for her cleverness, skill at writing poetry, and as a leader of fashion
Eleanor and Henry together had five children:
1.Edward I (1239–1307), married Eleanor of Castile (1241–1290) in 1254, by whom he had issue, including his heir Edward II. His second wife was Margaret of France, by whom he had issue.
2.Margaret (1240–1275), married King Alexander III of Scotland, by whom she had issue.
3.Beatrice (1242–1275), married John II, Duke of Brittany, by whom she had issue.
4.Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster (1245–1296), married Aveline de Forz in 1269, who died four years later without issue; married Blanche of Artois in 1276, by whom he had issue.
5.Katherine (25 November 1253 – 3 May 1257)

Other Events and Attributes:

• Burial: Worcester Cathedral, Worcester, Worcestershire, England
• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Bedford
• House: House of Plantagenet
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1177 and 7 Jan 1186; Lord of Ireland
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1189 and 1199, Gloucestershire, England; Earl
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1204, Maine (Historical), France; Count
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1204, Poitou-Charentes, France; Count
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1216, Aquitaine, France; Duke
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1216, England; King
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1199 and 7 Jan 1217; King of England
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1202 and 1216, Angoulême, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France; Count
• Death: 19 Oct 1216, Newark Castle, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England

Notes:

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; became Henry's favourite child. John grew up to be around 5 ft 5 in. John's first period of rule in Ireland was not a success. Ireland had only recently been conquered by Anglo-Norman forces, and tensions were still rife between Henry II, the new settlers and the existing inhabitants.[28] John infamously offended the local Irish rulers by making fun of their unfashionable long beards. In order to remarry, John first needed to abandon Isabel, Countess of Gloucester, his first wife; as a cousin, John could not have legally wed her without this. Marrying Isabella of Angoulême, John was acquiring a key land route between Poitou and Gascony, which significantly strengthened his grip on Aquitaine. At the start of John's reign there was a sudden change in prices, as bad harvests and high demand for food resulted in much higher prices for grain and animals. This inflationary pressure was to continue for the rest of the 13th century and had long-term economic consequences for England. From Henry II onwards, ira et malevolentia had come to describe the right of the king to express his anger and displeasure at particular barons or clergy, building on the Norman concept of malevoncia – royal ill-will.[116] In the Norman period, suffering the king's ill-will meant difficulties in obtaining grants, honours or petitions; John was deeply suspicious of the barons. Chroniclers complained that John's mistresses were married noblewomen, which was considered unacceptable. During the remainder of his reign, John focused on trying to retake Normandy and England itself had to be secured against possible French invasion, John became involved in a dispute with Pope Innocent III that would lead to the king's excommunication. John refused Innocent's request that he consent to Langton's appointment, but the pope consecrated Langton anyway. He barred Langton from entering England and seized the lands of the archbishopric and other papal possessions.
Neither John nor the rebel barons seriously attempted to implement the peace accord. The failure of the agreement led rapidly to the First Barons' War. The rebel barons responded by inviting Prince Louis of France to lead them: Louis had a claim to the English throne by virtue of his marriage to Blanche of Castile, a granddaughter of Henry II. John contracted dysentery, which would ultimately prove fatal. By October 1216 John faced a "stalemate", "a military situation uncompromised by defeat". John's illness grew worse. John died on the night of 18 October. John's first wife, Isabel, Countess of Gloucester, was released from imprisonment in 1214; she remarried twice, and died in 1217. 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.
Popular representations of John first began to emerge during the Tudor period: Shakespeare's King John, Sir Walter Scott's historical romance, Ivanhoe, Howard Pyle's book The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Excerpts from Wikipedia.org.
Name: King John
Born: December 24, 1166 at Beaumont Palace : Oxford
Parents: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
House of: Angevin ( Plantagenet)
Ascended to the throne: April 6, 1199 aged 32 years
Crowned: May 27, 1199 at Westminster Abbey
Married: 1) Isabella of Gloucester, (annulled 1199), (2) Isabella, Daughter of Count of Angouleme
Children: Two sons including Henry III, three daughters and several illegitimate children
Died: October 18, 1216 at Newark Castle, aged 49 years, 9 months, and 24 days
Buried at: Worcester
Reigned for: 17 years, 6 months, and 13 days
Succeeded by: his son Henry III
---------------
John was nicknamed Lackland, probably because, as the youngest of Henry II's five sons, it was difficult to find a portion of his father's French possessions for him to inherit. He was acting king from 1189 during his brother Richard the Lion-Heart's absence on the Third Crusade. The legend of Robin Hood dates from this time in which John is portrayed as Bad King John. He was involved in intrigues against his absent brother, but became king in 1199 when Richard was killed in battle in France.

King John signs Magna Carta 1215
Most of his reign was dominated by war with France. Following the peace treaty of Le Goulet there was a brief peace, but fighting resumed again in 1202. John had lost Normandy and almost all the other English possessions in France to Philip II of France by 1204. He spent the next decade trying to regain these without success and was finally defeated by Philip Augustus at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. He was also in conflict with the Church. In 1205 he disputed the pope's choice of Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury, and Pope Innocent III placed England under an interdict, suspending all religious services, including baptisms, marriages, and burials. John retaliated by seizing church revenues, and in 1209 was excommunicated. Eventually, John submitted, accepting the papal nominee, and agreed to hold the kingdom as a fief of the papacy; an annual monetary tribute was paid to the popes for the next 150 years by successive English monarchs.

His concessions did not buy peace for long and the Barons War continued. The barons sought French aid and Prince Louis of France landed in England supported by attacks from the North by Alexander II of Scotland. John fled and according to legend lost most of his baggage and the crown jewels when crossing the tidal estuaries of the Wash. He became ill with dysentery and died at Newark Castle in October 1216.
Timeline for King John
Year Event
1199 John accedes to the throne on the death of his brother, Richard I.
1204 England loses most of its possessions in France.
1205 John refuses to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury
1208 Pope Innocent III issues an Interdict against England, banning all church services except baptisms and funerals
1209 Pope Innocent III excommunicates John for his confiscation of ecclesiastical property
1209 Cambridge University founded
1212 Innocent III declares that John is no longer the rightful King
1213 John submits to the Pope’s demands and accepts the authority of the Pope
1214 Philip Augustus of France defeats the English at the Battle of Bouvines
1215 Beginning of the Barons' war. The English Barons march to London to demand rights which they lay down in the Magna Carta.
1215 John meets the English barons at Runnymede, agrees to their demands, and seals the Magna Carta which set limits on the powers of the monarch, lays out the feudal obligations of the barons, confirms the liberties of the Church, and grants rights to all freemen of the realm and their heirs for ever. It is the first written constitution.
1215 The Pope decrees that John need not adhere to the Magna Carta, and civil war breaks out
1216 The barons seek French aid in their fight against John. Prince Louis of France lands in England and captures the Tower of London
1216 John flees North and loses his war chest of cash and jewels in the Wash estuary
1216 John dies of a fever at Newark and is buried Worcester Cathedral

John married de Taillefer, Queen of England Isabelle on 24 Aug 1200 in Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France. Isabelle (daughter of de Taillefer, Aymar and de Courtenay, Alice) was born on 2 Sep 1188 in Angoulême, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France; was christened in 1188 in France; died on 10 Jun 1246 in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France; was buried in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Burial: Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France
• FSID: MF7F-HQF
• Life Event: 6 Oct 1200, Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England; Crowed Queen Consort of England
• Appointments / Titles: 18 Jun 1202; Countess of Angoulême
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1229 and 1246; Countess of La Marche
• Death: 4 Jun 1246, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France
• Burial: Aft 4 Jun 1246, Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France

Notes:

Wikipedia -

Isabella Taillifer of Angoulême (French: Isabelle d'Angoulême, IPA; c. 1188-4 June 1246) was queen consort of England as the second wife of King John from 1200 until John's death in 1216. She was also suo jure Countess of Angoulême from 1202 until 1246.

She had five children by the king, including his heir, later Henry III. In 1220, Isabella married Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche, by whom she had another nine children.

Some of her contemporaries, as well as later writers, claim that Isabella formed a conspiracy against King Louis IX of France in 1241, after being publicly snubbed by his mother, Blanche of Castile, for whom she had a deep-seated hatred. In 1244, after the plot had failed, Isabella was accused of attempting to poison the king. To avoid arrest, she sought refuge in Fontevraud Abbey, where she died two years later, but none of this can be confirmed.

Queen of England
She was the only daughter and heir of Aymer Taillefer, Count of Angoulême, by Alice of Courtenay, who was sister of Peter II of Courtenay, Latin Emperor of Constantinople and granddaughter of King Louis VI of France.

Isabella became Countess of Angoulême in her own right on 16 June 1202, by which time she was already queen of England. Her marriage to King John took place on 24 August 1200, in Angoulême, a year after he annulled his first marriage to Isabel of Gloucester. She was crowned queen in an elaborate ceremony on 8 October at Westminster Abbey in London. Isabella was originally betrothed to Hugh IX le Brun, Count of Lusignan, son of the Count of La Marche. As a result of John's temerity in taking her as his second wife, King Philip II of France confiscated all of their French lands, and armed conflict ensued.

At the time of her marriage to John, the blonde and blue-eyed 12-year-old Isabella was already renowned by some for her beauty and has sometimes been called the Helen of the Middle Ages by historians. Isabella was much younger than her husband and possessed a volatile temper similar to his own. King John was infatuated with his young, beautiful wife; however, his acquisition of her had at least as much to do with spiting his enemies as romantic love. She was already engaged to Hugh IX le Brun when she was taken by John. It was said that he neglected his state affairs to spend time with Isabella, often remaining in bed with her until noon. However, these were rumors spread by John's enemies to discredit him as a weak and grossly irresponsible ruler, given that at the time John was engaging in a desperate war against King Philip of France to hold on to the remaining Plantagenet duchies. The common people began to term her a "siren" or "Messalina", which spoke volumes as to popular opinion. Her mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, readily accepted her as John's wife.

On 1 October 1207 at Winchester Castle, Isabella gave birth to a son and heir who was named Henry after the King's father, Henry II. He was quickly followed by another son, Richard, and three daughters, Joan, Isabel, and Eleanor. All five children survived into adulthood and made illustrious marriages; all but Joan produced offspring of their own.

Second marriage
When King John died in October 1216, Isabella's first act was to arrange the speedy coronation of her nine-year-old son at the city of Gloucester on 28 October. As the royal crown had recently been lost in The Wash, along with the rest of King John's treasure, she supplied her own golden circlet to be used in lieu of a crown. The following July, less than a year after his crowning as King Henry III of England, she left him in the care of his regent, William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and returned to France to assume control of her inheritance of Angoulême.

In the spring of 1220, she married Hugh X of Lusignan, "le Brun", Seigneur de Luisignan, Count of La Marche, the son of her former fiancé, Hugh IX, to whom she had been betrothed before her marriage to King John. It had been previously arranged that her eldest daughter Joan should marry Hugh, and the little girl was being brought up at the Lusignan court in preparation for her marriage. Hugh, however, upon seeing Isabella, whose beauty had not diminished, preferred the girl's mother. Joan was provided with another husband, King Alexander II of Scotland, whom she wed in 1221.

Isabella had married Hugh without the consent of the king's council in England, as was required of a queen dowager. That council had the power not only to assign to her any subsequent husband, but to decide whether she should be allowed to remarry at all. That Isabella flouted its authority moved the council to confiscate her dower lands and to stop the payment of her pension. Isabella and her husband retaliated by threatening to keep Joan, who had been promised in marriage to the King of Scotland, in France. The council first responded by sending furious letters to the Pope, signed in the name of young King Henry, urging him to excommunicate Isabella and her husband, but then decided to come to terms with Isabella, to avoid conflict with the Scottish king, who was eager to receive his bride. Isabella was granted the stannaries in Devon, and the revenue of Aylesbury for a period of four years, in compensation for her confiscated dower lands in Normandy, as well as the £3,000 arrears for her pension.

Isabella had nine more children by Hugh X. Their eldest son Hugh XI of Lusignan succeeded his father as Count of La Marche and Count of Angoulême in 1249.

Isabella's children from her royal marriage did not join her in Angoulême, remaining in England with their eldest brother Henry III.

Rebellion and death
Described by some contemporaries as "vain, capricious, and troublesome," Isabella could not reconcile herself with her less prominent position in France. Though Queen mother of England, Isabella was now mostly regarded as a mere Countess of La Marche and had to give precedence to other women. In 1241, when Isabella and Hugh were summoned to the French court to swear fealty to King Louis IX of France's brother, Alphonse, who had been invested as Count of Poitou, their mother, the Queen Dowager Blanche openly snubbed her. This so infuriated Isabella, who had a deep-seated hatred of Blanche for having fervently supported the French invasion of England during the First Barons' War in May 1216, that she began to actively conspire against King Louis. Isabella and her husband, along with other disgruntled nobles, including her son-in-law Raymond VII of Toulouse, sought to create an English-backed confederacy which united the provinces of the south and west against the French king. She encouraged her son Henry in his invasion of Normandy in 1230, but then did not provide him the support she had promised.

In 1244, after the confederacy had failed and Hugh had made peace with King Louis, two royal cooks were arrested for attempting to poison the King; upon questioning they confessed to having been in Isabella's pay. Before Isabella could be taken into custody, she fled to Fontevraud Abbey, where she died on 4 June 1246.

By her own prior arrangement, she was first buried in the Abbey's churchyard, as an act of repentance for her many misdeeds. On a visit to Fontevraud, her son King Henry III of England was shocked to find her buried outside the Abbey and ordered her immediately moved inside. She was finally placed beside Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Afterwards, most of her many Lusignan children, having few prospects in France, set sail for England and the court of Henry, their half-brother.

Issue
With King John of England: 5 children, all of whom survived into adulthood, including:

1.) King Henry III of England (1 October 1207-16 November 1272). Married Eleanor of Provence, by whom he had issue, including his heir, King Edward I of England.

2.) Richard, Earl of Cornwall and King of the Romans (5 January 1209-2 April 1272). Married firstly Isabel Marshal, secondly Sanchia of Provence, and thirdly Beatrice of Falkenburg. Had issue.

3.) Joan (22 July 1210-1238), the wife of King Alexander II of Scotland. Her marriage was childless.

4.) Isabella (1214-1241), the wife of Emperor Frederick II, by whom she had issue.

5.) Eleanor (1215-1275), who would marry firstly William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke; and secondly Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, by whom she had issue.

With Hugh X of Lusignan, Count of La Marche: nine children, all of whom survived into adulthood, including:

1.) Hugh XI of Lusignan (1221-1250), Count of La Marche and Count of Angoulême. Married Yolande de Dreux, Countess of Penthièvre and of Porhoet, by whom he had issue.

2.) Aymer of Lusignan (1222-1260), Bishop of Winchester

3.) Agnès de Lusignan (1223-1269). Married William II de Chauvigny (d. 1270), and had issue.

4.) Alice of Lusignan (1224-9 February 1256). Married John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, by whom she had issue.

5.) Guy of Lusignan (c. 1225-1264), killed at the Battle of Lewes. (Tufton Beamish maintains that he escaped to France after the Battle of Lewes and died there in 1269).

6.) Geoffrey of Lusignan (c. 1226-1274). Married in 1259 Jeanne, Viscountess of Châtellerault, by whom he had issue.

7.) Isabella of Lusignan (c.1226/1227-14 January 1299). Married firstly before 1244 Maurice IV, seigneur de Craon (1224-1250), by whom she had issue; she married secondly, Geoffrey de Rancon.

8.) William of Lusignan (c. 1228-1296). 1st Earl of Pembroke. Married Joan de Munchensi, by whom he had issue.

9.) Marguerite de Lusignan (c. 1229-1288). Married firstly in 1243 Raymond VII of Toulouse; secondly c. 1246 Aimery IX de Thouars, Viscount of Thouars and had issue

Other Events and Attributes:

• Life Event: Count of Provence
• FSID: LZN1-KQ4
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1209 and 7 Jan 1210; 4th Count of Provence
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1209 and 7 Jan 1246; Count of Forcalquier

Notes:

Ramon Berenguer IV or V (1198 – 19 August 1245), Count of Provence and Forcalquier, was the son of Alfonso II of Provence and Garsenda de Sabran, heiress of Forcalquier.
He was the first Count of Provence to live in the county in more than one hundred years.
After his father's death (1209), Ramon was imprisoned in the castle of Monzón, in Aragon until he was able to escape in 1219 and claim his inheritance. He was a powerful and energetic ruler who added Forcalquier to his domain.

He and his wife were known for their support of troubadors, always having some around the court. He was known for his generosity, though his income did not always keep up. He wrote laws prohibiting nobles from performing menial work, such as farming or heavy labor.

Ramon had many border disputes with his neighbors, the Counts of Toulouse. In 1226, Ramon began to reassert his right to rule in Marseille. The citizens there initially sought the help of Ramon's father-in-law Thomas, Count of Savoy in his role as imperial vicar. However, they later sought the help of Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse.
In 1228, Ramon supported his father-in-law in a double-sided conflict against Turin and Guigues VI of Viennois. This small war was one of many rounds intended to more firmly establish control over trade from Italy into France, and Provence included several key routes.
While the Albigensian Crusade worked in his favor against Toulouse, Ramon was concerned that its resolution in the Treaty of Paris left him in a precarious position. Raymond turned his troops from fighting France to attempting to claim lands from Provence. When Blanche of Castile sent her knight to both Toulouse and Provence in 1233, Ramon entertained him lavishly, and the knight left well impressed by both the count and his eldest daughter, Margaret. Soon after, Blanche negotiated the marriage between Margaret and her son, Louis, with a dowry of ten thousand silver marks. Ramon had to get contributions from allies for a portion, and had to pledge several of his castles to cover the rest. Ramon and Beatrice travelled with their daughter to Lyon in 1234 to sign the marriage treaty, and then Margaret was escorted to her wedding in Sens by her uncles from Savoy, William and Thomas.

Shortly after, William began negotiating on Ramon's behalf with Henry III of England to marry his daughter Eleanor. Henry sent his own knight to Provence early in 1235, and again Ramon and his family entertained him lavishly. Henry wrote to William on June 22 that he was very interested, and sent a delegation to negotiate the marriage in October. Henry was seeking a dowry of up to twenty thousand silver marks to help offset the dowry he had just paid for his sister, Isabella. However, he had drafted seven different versions of the marriage contract, with different amounts for the dowry, the lowest being zero. Ramon shrewdly negotiated for that option, offering as consolation a promise to leave her ten thousand marks when he died.

In 1238, Ramon joined his brother-in-law, Amadeus IV at the court of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in Turin. Frederick was gathering forces to assert more control in Italy. Raymond VII of Toulouse was also summoned, and all expected to work together in the war.

In January 1244, Pope Innocent IV decreed that no one but the pope could excommunicate Ramon. In 1245, Ramon sent representatives to the First Council of Lyon, to discuss crusades and the excommunication of Frederick.

Ramon died in August 1245 in Aix-en-Provence, leaving the county to his youngest daughter, Beatrice.
On 5 June 1219, Ramon married Beatrice of Savoy, daughter of Thomas, Count of Savoy. She was a shrewd and politically astute woman, whose beauty was likened by Matthew Paris to that of a second Niobe. The wedding also provided the 14-year-old Ramon with a powerful father-in-law to aid him in establishing his authority and protecting his interests. They had four daughters who reached adulthood, all of whom married kings.

stillborn son (1220)
Margaret of Provence (1221–1295), wife of Louis IX, King of France
Eleanor of Provence (1223–1291), wife of Henry III, King of England
stillborn son (1225)
Sanchia of Provence (1228–1261), wife of Richard, King of the Romans
Beatrice of Provence (1231–1267), wife of Charles I, King of Sicily
His daughters were all educated and literate.
Ramon Berenguer IV died in Aix-en-Provence. At least two planhs (Occitan funeral laments) of uncertain authorship (one possibly by Aimeric de Peguilhan and one falsely attributed to Rigaut de Berbezilh) were written in his honour.

Giovanni Villani in his Nuova Cronica had this to say about Raymond:

Count Raymond was a lord of gentle lineage, and kin to them of the house of Aragon, and to the family of the count of Toulouse, By inheritance Provence, this side of the Rhone, was his; a wise and courteous lord was he, and of noble state and virtuous, and in his time did honourable deeds, and to his court came all gentle persons of Provence and of France and of Catalonia, by reason of his courtesy and noble estate, and he made many Provençal coblas and canzoni of great worth.

Raimund married de Savoie, Countess Béatrice. Béatrice (daughter of de Savoie, Count Thomas and de Genève, Countess Marguerite Beatrix) was born in 1198 in Chambéry, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France; died on 11 Jan 1267 in France; was buried after 11 Jan 1267 in Eglise Saint Jean de Malte, Aix, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Countess of Montpellier
• Appointments / Titles: Countess of Provence
• FSID: M1Q6-XVH
• Occupation: Countess of Savoy
• Birth: 1201, Chambéry, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France

Notes:

Beatrice di Savoia was born before 1204. She was the daughter of Tomaso I, Conte di Savoia and Margaret de Faucigny.2 She married Raimond Berengar V, Comte de Provence, son of Alfonso II, Comte de Provence and Gersend de Sabran, Comtesse de Forcalquier, in December 1220. She died circa 1266.
Children of Beatrice di Savoia and Raimond Berengar V, Comte de Provence

* Marguerite de Provence+3 b. 1221, d. 20 Dec 1295
* Eleanor of Provence+4 b. 1223, d. 24 Jun 1291
* Sanchia of Provence+1 b. c 1225, d. 9 Nov 1261
* Beatrice, Comtesse de Provence+3 b. 1234, d. c Jul 1267

Citations

1. [S106] Royal Genealogies Website (ROYAL92.GED), online ftp://ftp.cac.psu.edu/genealogy/public_html/royal/index.html. Hereinafter cited as Royal Genealogies Website.
2. [S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 69. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Family.
3. [S16] Jirí Louda and Michael MacLagan, Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, 2nd edition (London, U.K.: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), table 45. Hereinafter cited as Lines of Succession.
4. [S105] Brain Tompsett, Royal Genealogical Data, online http://www3.dcs.hull.ac.uk/genealogy/royal/. Hereinafter cited as Royal Genealogical Data.