#*constance of brittany voice* recognize my duchy's independence or die by my blade

[ardenrosegarden]

After Geoffrey’s death in 1186, Constance and her children became prey to strategical maneuvering of both sides [England and France].  Constance, however, had become used to taking a strong role before her husband’s death.  As the daughter of the previous Breton duke, Conan IV, the great-granddaughter of Conan III, and the great-great-granddaughter of Alan IV, Constance was apparently trusted by the Breton nobility far more than her English husband.  She thus played a more central role in Breton government than most duchesses.  Her governmental role extended to the issuance of acts in her own name.   Several telling pieces of evidence suggest she adopted a policy of strengthening her hand by emphasizing her links to traditional Breton power.  She signed her acts as "daughter of Count Conan" and made donations and made donations to the monastic foundations traditionally supported by the Breton ducal house.  Her decision to name the son born a few months after Geoffrey's death after the mythical Breton king Arthur is another indication of this conscious policy.

Laura Mellinger, Prayer and Politics in Medieval Brittany, the Making of Saint-Goerges