#blanche of castile queen of france

[histoireettralala]

Blanche, Marguerite, and Queenship

Blanche's actions as queen dowager amount to no more than those of her grandmother and great-grandmother. A wise and experienced mother of a king was expected to advise him. She would intercede with him, and would thus be a natural focus of diplomatic activity. Popes, great Churchmen and great laymen would expect to influence the king or gain favour with him through her; thus popes like Gregory IX and Innocent IV, and great princes like Raymond VII of Toulouse, addressed themselves to Blanche. She would be expected to mediate at court. She had the royal authority to intervene in crises to maintain the governance of the realm, as Blanche did during Louis's near-fatal illness in 1244-5, and as Eleanor did in England in 1192.

In short, Blanche's activities after Louis's minority were no more and no less "co-rule" than those of other queen dowagers. No king could rule on his own. All kings- even Philip Augustus- relied heavily on those they trusted for advice, and often for executive action. William the Breton described Brother Guérin as "quasi secundus a rege"- "as if second to the king": indeed, Jacques Krynen characterised Philip and his administrators as almost co-governors. The vastness of their realms forced the Angevin kings to rely even more on the governance of others, including their mothers and their wives. Blanche's prominent role depended on the consent of her son. Louis trusted her judgement. He may also have found many of the demands of ruling uncongenial. Blanche certainly had her detractors at court, but she was probably criticsed, not for playing a role in the execution of government, but for influencing her son in one direction by those who hoped to influence him in another.

The death of a king meant that there was often more than one queen. Blanche herself did not have to deal with an active dowager queen: Ingeborg lived on the edges of court and political life; besides, she was not Louis VIII's mother. Eleanor of Aquitaine did not have to deal with a forceful young queen: Berengaria of Navarre, like Ingeborg, was retiring; Isabella of Angoulême was still a child. But the potential problem of two crowned, anointed and politically engaged queens is made manifest in the relationship between Blanche and St Louis's queen, Margaret of Provence.

At her marriage in 1234 Margaret of Provence was too young to play an active role as queen. The household accounts of 1239 still distinguish between the queen, by which they mean Blanche, and the young queen — Margaret. By 1241 Margaret had decided that she should play the role expected of a reigning queen. She was almost certainly engaging in diplomacy over the continental Angevin territories with her sister, Queen Eleanor of England. Churchmen loyal to Blanche, presumably at the older queen’s behest, put a stop to that. It was Blanche rather than Margaret who took the initiative in the crisis of 1245. Although Margaret accompanied the court on the great expedition to Saumur for the knighting of Alphonse in 1241, it was Blanche who headed the queen’s table, as if she, not Margaret, were queen consort. In the Sainte-Chapelle, Blanche of Castile’s queenship is signified by a blatant scattering of the castles of Castile: the pales of Provence are absent.

Margaret was courageous and spirited. When Louis was captured on Crusade, she kept her nerve and steadied that of the demoralised Crusaders, organised the payment of his ransom and the defence of Damietta, in spite of the fact that she had given birth to a son a few days previously. She reacted with quick-witted bravery when fire engulfed her cabin, and she accepted the dangers and discomforts of the Crusade with grace and good humour. But her attempt to work towards peace between her husband and her brother-in-law, Henry III, in 1241 lost her the trust of Louis and his close advisers — Blanche, of course, was the closest of them all - and that trust was never regained. That distrust was apparent in 1261, when Louis reorganised the household. There were draconian checks on Margaret's expenditure and almsgiving. She was not to receive gifts, nor to give orders to royal baillis or prévôts, or to undertake building works without the permission of the king. Her choice of members of her household was also subject to his agreement.

Margaret survived her husband by some thirty years, so that she herself was queen mother, to Philip III, and was still a presence ar court during the reign of her grandson Philip IV. But Louis did not make her regent on his second, and fatal, Crusade in 1270. In the early 12605 Margarer tried to persuade her young son, the future Philip III, to agree to obey her until he was thirty. When Philip told his father, Louis was horrified. In a strange echo of the events of 1241, he forced Philip to resile from his oath to his mother, and forced Margaret to agree never again to attempt such a move. Margaret had overplayed her hand. It meant that she was specifically prevented from acting with those full and legitimate powers of a crowned queen after the death of her husband that Blanche, like Eleanor of Aquitaine, had been able to deploy for the good of the realm.

Why was Margaret treated so differently from Blanche? Were attitudes to the power of women changing? Not yet. In 1294 Philip IV was prepared to name his queen, Joanna of Champagne-Navarre, as sole regent with full regal powers in the event of his son's succession as a minor. She conducted diplomatic negotiations for him. He often associated her with his kingship in his acts. And Philip IV wanted Joanna buried among the kings of France at Saint-Denis - though she herself chose burial with the Paris Franciscans. The effectiveness and evident importance to their husbands of Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor of Castile in England led David Carpenter to characterise late thirteenth-century England as a period of ‘resurgence in queenship’.

The problem for Margaret was personal, rather than institutional. Blanche had had her detractors at court. It is not clear who they were. There were always factions at courts, not least one that centred around Margaret, and anyone who had influence over a king would have detractors. They might have been clerks with misgivings about women in general, and powerful women in particular, and there may have been others who believed that the power of a queen should be curtailed, No one did curtail Blanche's — far from it. By the late chirteenth century the Capetian family were commissioning and promoting accounts of Louis IX that praise not just her firm and just rule as regent, but also her role as adviser and counsellor — her continuing influence — during his personal rule. As William of Saint-Pathus put it, because she was such a ‘sage et preude femme’, Louis always wanted ‘sa presence et son conseil’. But where Blanche was seen as the wisest and best provider of good advice that a king could have, a queen whose advice would always be for the good of the king and his realm, Margaret was seen by Louis as a queen at the centre of intrigue, whose advice would not be disinterested. Surprisingly, such formidable policical players at the English court as Simon de Montfort and her nephew, the future Edward I, felt that it was worthwhile to do diplomatic business through Margaret. Initially, Henry III and Simon de Montfort chose Margaret, not Louis, to arbitrate between them. She was a more active diplomat than Joinville and the Lives of Louis suggest, and probably, where her aims coincided with her husband’s, quite effective.

To an extent the difference between Blanche’s and Margaret’s position and influence simply reflected political reality. Blanche was accused of sending rich gifts to her family in Spain, and advancing them within the court. But there was no danger that her cultivation of Castilian family connections could damage the interests of the Capetian realm. Margaret’s Provençal connections could. Her sister Eleanor was married to Henry III of England. Margaret and Eleanor undoubtedly attempted to bring about a rapprochement between the two kings. This was helpful once Louis himself had decided to come to an agreement with Henry in the late 1250s, but was perceived as meddlesome plotting in the 1240s. Moreover, Margaret’s sister Sanchia was married to Henry's younger brother, Richard of Cornwall, who claimed the county of Poitou, and her youngest sister, Beatrice, countess of Provence, was married to Charles of Anjou. Sanchia’s interests were in direct conflict with those of Alphonse of Poitiers; and Margaret herself felt that she had dowry claims in Provence, and alienated Charles by attempting to pursue them. Indeed, her ill-fated attempt to tie her son Philip to her included clauses that he would not ally himself with Charles of Anjou against her.

Lindy Grant- Blanche of Castile, Queen of France

[dreamconsumer]

The education of St. Louis.

[lesansnom]

La Reine Blanche de Castille et son fils Saint Louis

[edmundtudor]

Below the cut I have made a list of each English and British monarch, the age of their mothers at their births, and which number pregnancy they were the result of. Particularly before the early modern era, the perception of Queens and childbearing is quite skewed, which prompted me to make this list. I started with William I as the Anglo-Saxon kings didn’t have enough information for this list.

House of Normandy

William I (b. c.1028)

Son of Herleva (b. c.1003)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 25 at birth.

William II (b. c.1057/60)

Son of Matilda of Flanders (b. c.1031)

Third pregnancy at minimum, although exact birth order is unclear.

Approx age 26/29 at birth.

Henry I (b. c.1068)

Son of Matilda of Flanders (b. c.1031)

Fourth pregnancy at minimum, more likely eighth or ninth, although exact birth order is unclear.

Approx age 37 at birth.

Matilda (b. 7 Feb 1102)

Daughter of Matilda of Scotland (b. c.1080)

First pregnancy, possibly second.

Approx age 22 at birth.

Stephen (b. c.1092/6)

Son of Adela of Normandy (b. c.1067)

Fifth pregnancy, although exact birth order is uncertain.

Approx age 25/29 at birth.

Henry II (b. 5 Mar 1133)

Son of Empress Matilda (b. 7 Feb 1102)

First pregnancy.

Age 31 at birth.

Richard I (b. 8 Sep 1157)

Son of Eleanor of Aquitaine (b. c.1122)

Sixth pregnancy.

Approx age 35 at birth.

John (b. 24 Dec 1166)

Son of Eleanor of Aquitaine (b. c.1122)

Tenth pregnancy.

Approx age 44 at birth.

House of Plantagenet

Henry III (b. 1 Oct 1207)

Son of Isabella of Angoulême (b. c.1186/88)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 19/21 at birth.

Edward I (b. 17 Jun 1239)

Son of Eleanor of Provence (b. c.1223)

First pregnancy.

Age approx 16 at birth.

Edward II (b. 25 Apr 1284)

Son of Eleanor of Castile (b. c.1241)

Sixteenth pregnancy.

Approx age 43 at birth.

Edward III (b. 13 Nov 1312)

Son of Isabella of France (b. c.1295)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 17 at birth.

Richard II (b. 6 Jan 1367)

Son of Joan of Kent (b. 29 Sep 1326/7)

Seventh pregnancy.

Approx age 39/40 at birth.

House of Lancaster

Henry IV (b. c.Apr 1367)

Son of Blanche of Lancaster (b. 25 Mar 1342)

Sixth pregnancy.

Approx age 25 at birth.

Henry V (b. 16 Sep 1386)

Son of Mary de Bohun (b. c.1369/70)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 16/17 at birth.

Henry VI (b. 6 Dec 1421)

Son of Catherine of Valois (b. 27 Oct 1401)

First pregnancy.

Age 20 at birth.

House of York

Edward IV (b. 28 Apr 1442)

Son of Cecily Neville (b. 3 May 1415)

Third pregnancy.

Age 26 at birth.

Edward V (b. 2 Nov 1470)

Son of Elizabeth Woodville (b. c.1437)

Sixth pregnancy.

Approx age 33 at birth.

Richard III (b. 2 Oct 1452)

Son of Cecily Neville (b. 3 May 1415)

Eleventh pregnancy.

Age 37 at birth.

House of Tudor

Henry VII (b. 28 Jan 1457)

Son of Margaret Beaufort (b. 31 May 1443)

First pregnancy.

Age 13 at birth.

Henry VIII (b. 28 Jun 1491)

Son of Elizabeth of York (b. 11 Feb 1466)

Third pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Edward VI (b. 12 Oct 1537)

Son of Jane Seymour (b. c.1509)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 28 at birth.

Jane (b. c.1537)

Daughter of Frances Brandon (b. 16 Jul 1517)

Third pregnancy.

Approx age 20 at birth.

Mary I (b. 18 Feb 1516)

Daughter of Catherine of Aragon (b. 16 Dec 1485)

Fifth pregnancy.

Age 30 at birth.

Elizabeth I (b. 7 Sep 1533)

Daughter of Anne Boleyn (b. c.1501/7)

First pregnancy.

Approx age 26/32 at birth.

House of Stuart

James I (b. 19 Jun 1566)

Son of Mary I of Scotland (b. 8 Dec 1542)

First pregnancy.

Age 23 at birth.

Charles I (b. 19 Nov 1600)

Son of Anne of Denmark (b. 12 Dec 1574)

Fifth pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Charles II (b. 29 May 1630)

Son of Henrietta Maria of France (b. 25 Nov 1609)

Second pregnancy.

Age 20 at birth.

James II (14 Oct 1633)

Son of Henrietta Maria of France (b. 25 Nov 1609)

Fourth pregnancy.

Age 23 at birth.

William III (b. 4 Nov 1650)

Son of Mary, Princess Royal (b. 4 Nov 1631)

Second pregnancy.

Age 19 at birth.

Mary II (b. 30 Apr 1662)

Daughter of Anne Hyde (b. 12 Mar 1637)

Second pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Anne (b. 6 Feb 1665)

Daughter of Anne Hyde (b. 12 Mar 1637)

Fourth pregnancy.

Age 27 at birth.

House of Hanover

George I (b. 28 May 1660)

Son of Sophia of the Palatinate (b. 14 Oct 1630)

First pregnancy.

Age 30 at birth.

George II (b. 9 Nov 1683)

Son of Sophia Dorothea of Celle (b. 15 Sep 1666)

First pregnancy.

Age 17 at birth.

George III (b. 4 Jun 1738)

Son of Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (b. 30 Nov 1719)

Second pregnancy.

Age 18 at birth.

George IV (b. 12 Aug 1762)

Son of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 19 May 1744)

First pregnancy.

Age 18 at birth.

William IV (b. 21 Aug 1765)

Son of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 19 May 1744)

Third pregnancy.

Age 21 at birth.

Victoria (b. 24 May 1819)

Daughter of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafield (b. 17 Aug 1786)

Third pregnancy.

Age 32 at birth.

Edward VII (b. 9 Nov 1841)

Daughter of Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 24 May 1819)

Second pregnancy.

Age 22 at birth.

House of Windsor

George V (b. 3 Jun 1865)

Son of Alexandra of Denmark (b. 1 Dec 1844)

Second pregnancy.

Age 20 at birth.

Edward VIII (b. 23 Jun 1894)

Son of Mary of Teck (b. 26 May 1867)

First pregnancy.

Age 27 at birth.

George VI (b. 14 Dec 1895)

Son of Mary of Teck (b. 26 May 1867)

Second pregnancy.

Age 28 at birth.

Elizabeth II (b. 21 Apr 1926)

Daughter of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (b. 4 Aug 1900)

First pregnancy.

Age 25 at birth.

Charles III (b. 14 Nov 1948)

Son of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (b. 21 Apr 1926)

First pregnancy.

Age 22 at birth.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women’s History Meme || Sibling Relationships (1/5) ↬ Berenguela, reina de Léon y de Castilla and Blanca de Castilla, reine de France

Queen Berenguela of Castile (1180–1246) was, in her lifetime and for some time thereafter, a dominant figure on the political landscape of the kingdoms of Castile and Leon. She typified the medieval elite woman whose ordained role in life was to be a wife and mother. The political circumstances of her native Castile, however, complicated and even enhanced Berenguela’s reproductive responsibilities. As the eldest daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Leonor of England, Berenguela was at different points in her young life the presumed heir to the throne. The Castilians adhered to the Visigothic principle of partible inheritance. Although favoring sons, this principle meant that daughters had a claim to inheritance. Therefore, it was possible for a woman to inherit the throne when a male heir was lacking as had happened with Alfonso VI’s daughter Urraca in 1109 and with Berenguela in 1217. Berenguela’s awareness of and concern for her own lineage derived not only from a strong, involved identification with her natal family, based on her position as her father’s daughter, but also from her awareness of her own self as an element of that lineage. Her experiences and activities can be usefully contextualized by those of her numerous and important sisters, especially Urraca, Blanche, Leonor, and Constanza. They show ways in which Berenguela was like other elite women; indeed, her life could have turned out very much like one of theirs. Despite their individual circumstances, together they help demonstrate ways in which Berenguela was and was not alone in her experiences of family, marriage, motherhood, religion, and, above all, gender. Furthermore, the sisters were key elements of Berenguela’s family; throughout their lives, they remained in contact, if only for seemingly political reasons at times. Family visits, the fostering of children, and prayers for the dead suggest affective bonds as well as a deep sensibility of filial and sisterly piety among the members of this family. Berenguela’s sister Blanca (1188–1252) is better known as Blanche of Castile, queen of France, one of the most famous women of the Middle Ages. From the time of her marriage to the French heir Louis, Blanche was destined for significance, even if only as another female link in the seemingly miraculous chain of male inheritance that had secured the Capetian throne for generations. Three years after Blanche’s husband Louis became king, he was dead, and Blanche became regent both for her young son, Louis IX, and for the kingdom of France. Blanche became queen of France at a time when the institution of queenship seems to have undergone a shift, becoming increasingly relegated to the private, domestic world of the queen’s own household; at the very least, there is a change in the way documentation presented the queen’s activities at court. Although Blanche’s own political experiences were particular to her Capetian context, examining the several parallels between her experiences and those of her sister Berenguela points to certain consistencies in thirteenth-century royal motherhood and queenship. — Berenguela of Castile (1180–1246) and Political Women in the High Middle Ages by Miriam Shadis [old version]

[isadomna]

Berenguela and Blanche of Castile

Daughters of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England, Berenguela maintained strong connections with her sister Blanche, Queen of France. Their letters are in Latin. Latin was still, at the beginning of the 13th century, the language of writing, while French and Castilian became the languages ​​commonly spoken, even at court. Berenguela and Blanche were well-educated, competent and forceful like their formidable grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The two sisters will also lead a parallel existence, each exerting, in their own country, a comparable influence. Much like her younger sister Blanche in France, Berenguela presents an interesting case of co-rulership with her son in Castile. Furthermore, both have ties with warfare and played determinant roles in the success of military campaigns as well as access to – and maintenance of – the throne.

Berenguela and Blanche directed a great deal of their personal energy into assuring that all of their children were appropriately married. It was Blanche who suggested sending Joan of Ponthieu as a bride for her nephew Fernando after his first wife's death. Berenguela and Blanche became the mothers of fighting saints King Fernando III and King Louis IX.

In the Archives Nationales de France are nine letters written to King Louis VIII and his wife Blanche of Castile, during Louis’s brief reign from 1223 to 1226. These letters informed Louis VIII that Alfonso VIII of Castile had intended his throne to pass to a son of Louis and Blanche, if his own son Enrique died without heirs. Louis VIII should therefore immediately send his son to Castile, where his correspondents—the scions of several major Castilian noble houses—would take up arms to set him on the throne and overthrow the “foreigner” (alienus) who was in power. The most prominent of these Castilian magnates were Rodrigo Díaz de Cameros and Gonzalo Pérez de Molina. This conspiracy was an explicit attempt to dispose of the current Castilian monarchy and replace it with a new configuration of rulers. It was therefore a far more serious threat than either Rodrigo Díaz’s or Gonzalo Pérez’s earlier revolts had been. And it was aimed squarely at the legitimacy of the reigning monarchs.

The letters’ most perplexing feature is the suggestion that Blanche’s claim to the Castilian throne superseded Berenguela’s. Some historians have even taken this as evidence that Blanche was the elder sister, though that claim is patently false. Yet the plot to overthrow Fernando III was first of all an attempt to unseat Berenguela. It was through her that Fernando III claimed hereditary right and legitimate descent from Alfonso VIII. To say that Alfonso VIII had excluded Berenguela from the succession, and to describe Fernando as a “foreigner,” was to reject the Castilian identity that Berenguela had tried to reclaim during her ten years as a solitary queen in her father’s court, and that she had negotiated with varying success during her regency and the subsequent wars. It was to define her not as the daughter and sister of the latest kings of Castile, but as the cast-off wife of the king of León.

To be sure, Blanche and her sons were at least as French as Berenguela and Fernando III were Leonese. But the rebels were apparently willing to overlook this quibble; their appeal was directed as much to Louis VIII as to his queen. Besides, the threat of union with France was diminished by the fact that Blanche and Louis VIII had no fewer than five living sons at the time that they ruled France. The rebels never insisted that the son sent to them should be Louis VIII’s firstborn, and a younger brother’s accession in Castile considerably reduced the risk of union between the crowns. All five French princes were underage, but so much the better; the minorities of Alfonso VIII and Enrique I had proved how much power nobles could gain in a regency. Louis VIII was sufficiently intrigued by the rebels’ offer to have asked them for proof of their promised support. His wife, however, was likely to be less sympathetic. A combination of Blanche’s unwillingness to contribute to her older sister’s overthrow and Fernando III’s military successes after 1224 probably quashed the plot.

Sources:

JANNA BIANCHINI,THE QUEEN'S HAND: POWER AND AUTHORITY IN THE REIGN OF BERENGUELA OF CASTILE

Regine Pernoud, La Reine Blanche

[the-paintrist]

Eugenie Servieres - Blanche of Castile freeing prisoners - 1818

oil on canvas, height: 141 cm (55.5 in) Edit this at Wikidata; width: 109 cm (42.9 in)

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Libourne, France

Blanche of Castile (Spanish: Blanca de Castilla; 4 March 1188 – 27 November 1252) was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX: during his minority from 1226 until 1234, and during his absence from 1248 until 1252.

A crowd of serfs of the officers of the chapter of Chastenay had been plunged into the prisons of this chapter for not having paid the size attached to their condition. The Regent, touched with compassion, at the complaints she received, asked the officers of the chapter to release them from prison on her bail; but she was refused and soon learned that a number of these unfortunate people were going to perish, either from hunger or from all the inconveniences they suffered in a place barely capable of containing them. Blanche, indignant, goes to the prisons of the chapter, where she orders the doors to be broken down, and with her scepter gives the first blow. This blow was so well seconded that in an instant the door fell to the ground. We then saw a multitude of men, women and children, with dying, pale and disfigured faces, who, throwing themselves at her feet, begged her to take them under her protection (His. of the Queens and Regents of France , volume I)

Eugénie Honorée Marguerite Servières, née Charen (1786 – 20 March 1855) was a French painter in the Troubadour style. She specialized in genre period paintings.

[palecleverdoll]

Ages of French Queens at First Marriage

I have only included women whose birth dates and dates of marriage are known within at least 1-2 years, therefore, this is not a comprehensive list.

This list is composed of Queens of France until the end of the House of Bourbon; it does not include Bourbon claimants or descendants after 1792.

The average age at first marriage among these women was 20.

Ermentrude of Orléans, first wife of Charles the Bald: age 19 when she married Charles in 842 CE

Richilde of Provence, second wife of Charles the Bald: age 25 when she married Charles in 870 CE

Richardis of Swabia, wife of Charles the Fat: age 22 when she married Charles in 862 CE

Théodrate of Troyes, wife of Odo: age 14 or 15 when she married Odo in 882 or 883 CE

Frederuna, wife of Charles III: age 20 when she married Charles in 907 CE

Beatrice of Vermandois, second wife of Robert I: age 10 when she married Robert in 990 CE

Emma of France, wife of Rudolph: age 27 when she married Rudolph in 921 CE

Gerberga of Saxony, wife of Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine, and later of Louis IV: age 16 when she married Gilbert in 929 CE

Emma of Italy, wife of Lothair: age 17 when she married Lothair in 965 CE

Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou, wife of Stephen, Viscount of Gévaudan, Raymond III, Count of Toulouse, and later Louis V: age 15 when she married Stephen in 955 CE

Bertha of Burgundy, wife of Odo I, Count of Blois, and later Robert II: age 19 when she married Odo in 984 CE

Constance of Arles, third wife of Robert II: age 17 when she married Robert in 1003 CE

Anne of Kiev, wife of Henry I: age 21 when she married Henry in 1051 CE

Bertha of Holland, first wife of Philip I: age 17 when she married Philip in 1072 CE

Bertrade of Montfort, wife of Fulk IV, Count of Anjou, and second wife of Philip I: age 19 when she married Fulk in 1089 CE

Adelaide of Maurienne, second wife of Louis VI: age 23 when she married Louis in 1115 CE

Eleanor of Aquitaine, first wife of Louis VII and later Henry II of England: age 15 when she married Louis in 1137 CE

Adela of Champagne, third wife of Louis VII: age 20 when she married Louis in `1160 CE

Isabella of Hainault, first wife of Philip II: age 10 when she married Philip in 1180 CE

Ingeborg of Denmark, second wife of Philip II: age 19 when she married Philip in 1193 CE

Agnes of Merania, third wife of Philip II: age 21 when she married Philip in 1195 CE

Blanche of Castile, wife of Louis VIII: age 12 when she married Louis in 1200 CE

Margaret of Provence, wife of Louis IX: age 13 when she married Louis in 1234 CE

Isabella of Aragon, first wife of Philip III: age 14 when she married Philip in 1262 CE

Marie of Brabant, second wife of Philip III: age 20 when she married Philip in 1274 CE

Joan I of Navarre, wife of Philip IV: age 11 when she married Philip in 1284 CE

Margaret of Burgundy, wife of Louis X; age 15 when she married Louis in 1305 CE

Clementia of Hungary, second wife of Louis X: age 22 when she married Louis in 1315 CE

Joan II, Countess of Burgundy, wife of Philip V: age 15 when she married Philip in 1307 CE

Blanche of Burgundy, first wife of Charles IV: age 12 when she married Charles in 1308 CE

Marie of Luxembourg, second wife of Charles IV: age 18 when she married Charles in 1322 CE

Joan of Évreux, third wife of Charles IV: age 14 when she married Charles in 1324 CE

Bonne of Luxembourg, first wife of John II: age 17 when she married John in 1332 CE

Joan I, Countess of Auvergne, wife of Philip of Burgundy, and later John II: age 12 when she married Philip in 1338 CE

Joanna of Bourbon, wife of Charles V: age 12 when she married Charles in 1350 CE

Isabeau of Bavaria, wife of Charles VI: age 15 when she married Charles in 1385 CE

Marie of Anjou, wife of Charles VII: age 18 when she married Charles in 1422 CE

Charlotte of Savoy, second wife of Louis XI: age 9 when she married Louis in 1451 CE

Anne of Brittany, wife of Maximilian I, HRE, Charles VIII and later Louis XII: age 13 when she married Maximilian in 1490 CE

Joan of France, first wife of Louis XII: age 12 when she married Louis in 1476 CE

Mary Tudor, third wife of Louis XII: age 18 when she married Louis in 1514 CE

Claude of France, first wife of Francis I: age 15 when she married Francis in 1514 CE

Eleanor of Austria, wife of Manuel I of Portugal and later second wife of Francis I: age 20 when she married Manuel in 1518 CE

Catherine de' Medici, wife of Henry II: age 14 when she married Henry in 1533 CE

Mary, Queen of Scots, wife of Francis II: age 16 when she married Francis in 1558 CE

Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Charles IX: age 16 when she married Charles in 1570 CE

Louise of Lorraine, wife of Henry III: age 22 when she married Henry in 1575 CE

Margaret of Valois, first wife of Henry IV: age 19 when she married Henry in 1572 CE

Marie de' Medici, second wife of Henry IV: age 25 when she married Henry in 1600 CE

Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII: age 14 when she married Louis in 1615 CE

Maria Theresa of Spain, wife of Louis XIV: age 22 when she married Louis in 1660 CE

Marie Leszczyńska, wife of Louis XV: age 22 when she married Louis in 1725 CE

Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI: age 15 when she married Louis in 1770 CE

[realcatalina]

Royal women who died in childbirth in 15/16th century

There are misconceptions that Tudor were somehow unnaturaly cursed, more plagued by fertility issues and deaths in childbirths than the other dynasties.

Plenty of past royal miscarriages and stillbirths were not even recorded. But had they existed they could have contain similiarly grim acount.  But we can at least look at records of royal women who died in childbirth in 15th and 16th century:

During, or soon after childbirth/miscarriage:

Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in 1430

Catherine of Castille, Duchess of Villena in 1439

Catherine of Poděbrady, Queen of Hungary in 1464

Anne of Savoy(Crown Princess of Naples) in 1480

Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal in 1498

Elizabeth of York, Queen of England in 1503

Anne of Foix-Candale, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary in 1506

Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal in 1517  

Jane Seymour, Queen of England in 1537

Isabella of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress in 1539

Maria Manuela of Portugal, Princess Asturias in 1545

Catherine Parr, Dowager Queen of England in 1548

Isabella of Valois, Queen of Spain in 1568

Claude of Valois, French Princess in 1575

Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland in 1598

Weeks/Months after(never recovered fully):

Catherine of Valois, Dowager Queen of England in 1437

Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence in 1476

Barbara Zápolya, Queen of Poland in 1515

Aditionally deaths of royal women:

Blanche of England died of fever in 1409, she was pregnant at the time

Mary of Burgundy died in 1482, weeks after she fell from horse and broke her back. She was pregnant at the time.

Claude of France, Queen of France  might have died from childbirth or miscarriage in 1524, although different causes are also speculated by historians-mainly illness and poison.

Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Sweden died in 1535. She was pregnant and fell badly while dancing. The fall confined her to bed and lead to complications and eventually her death.

Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany had fell from stairs in 1578 eight months pregnant. She then had premature labour where baby was in difficult position and both of them died.

Deaths due to cancer of reproductive organs:

Barbara Radziwiłł, Queen of Poland died in 1551. The cause was widely speculated at the time, but modern historians think it could have been cervical or ovarian cancer.

Mary I of England died in 1558 fallowing phantom pregnancy. Historians think it could have been ovarian or uterine cancer.

(Some might disagree with Catherine of Valois dying of childbirth. But imo, if you think her giving birth and her death detoriating not long after is not at least contributing factor, then you’re insane.)

It’s a lot of women. Those were the days. Men fought on battlefields and women had battlefield of their own. The most heartbreaking for me are the cases where mother died in childbirth and the child didn’t live or died young. 

I have probably missed some women. I mostly fallowed just main royal line. Queens, spouses of crown princes and blood princesses. But there should have also been wives of the rest of the princes, i just looked at few.

Also in some cases, the cause of death was not recorded, nor was there any theory about possible pregnancy pushed foward by historians. We can rule out those royal women who died pass their childbearing years. But younger ones we can only speculate about. Although in 16th century if the royal woman died of illness or generally poor health, usually it is mentioned. In 15th-usually nothing. 

So we will never get 100% accuracy, but i try.  

It’s certainly interesting to me reading that Queen of Sweden died after falling badly during dancing. I thought that period superstition(which lingers to today) that one should not dance is total bull. But aparently they had some dances which could cause pregnant lady harm. Idk, maybe some of those jumpy ones could cause woman to trip and fall very easily?

I will probably update this in future. Write to me if I made mistake in anything or if you know of any more royal women who died either in childbirth or after or while pregnant in 15/16th century. Or if you know anything more about death of Claude of France.

[brookston]

Holidays 7.13

Holidays

Ann Hutchinson Memorial Day

Atomic Bomb Test Day

Barbershop Music Appreciation Day

Be A Geek For A Day

Blame Someone Else Day

Bottled Beer Day

Childhood Memories Day

Embrace Your Geekness Day

Festival of Inner Worlds

Festival of the Three Cows (Border of France & Basque Spain)

Fool's Paradise Day

Go Wakeboarding Day

Go West Day

Gruntled Workers Day

Guinea Fowl Day (French Republic)

International Day of ADHD Awareness

International Day of Sarcoma

International Growth Hacking Day

International Puzzle Day

International Rock Day

International Rock ’N’ Roll Day

Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Pakistan)

La Retraite Aux Flambeaux (Night Watch; France)

Naadam, Day 3 (Mongolia)

Nathan Bedford Forrest Day (Tennessee)

National Delaware Day

National Paul Day

National Sam Day

Puzzle Day

Sandra Bland Day (Texas)

713 Day

Swiftie Day

Uniwaine Day (Elderly Men Day; Kiribati)

World Cup Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Beans 'n' Franks Day

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Day

National Beef Tallow Day

National French Fries Day (a.k.a. National French Fry Day)

National Nitrogen Ice Cream Day

2nd Thursday in July

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo begins (Vernal, Utah) [2nd Thursday thru Saturday]

National Tree Day [2nd Thursday]

Oregon Trail Days begin (Geris, Nebraska) [2nd Thursday thru Sunday]

Oxegen Festival begins (Ireland) [2nd Thursday there Sunday]

Turkey Rama begins (McMinnville, Oregon) [2nd Thursday]

Independence Days

Statehood Day (Montenegro)

Usi (Declared; 2014) [unrecognized]

Wilkland (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abd-al-Masih (Christian; Saint & Martyr)

Abel of Tacla Haimonot (Coptic Church)

Anacletus (Christian; Martyr)

Asarnha Bucha Day (Theravada Buddhism)

Bhanu Jayanti (Sikkim, India)

Blanche of Castile (Positivist; Saint)

Boun Khao Phansa begins (Buddhist Lent)

Clelia Barbieri (Christian; Saint)

Conrad Weiser (Episcopal Church (USA))

Eugenius of Carthage (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Kalimát (Words; Baha’i)

Geek Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (a.k.a. Henry the Emperor; Christian; Saint)

Joel the Prophet (Christian; Saint)

Macarena Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Mordecai Ardon (Artology)

Mildrith of Thanet (Christian; Saint)

Mr. Screech (Muppetism)

Obon (a.k.a. Ulanbana, Festival of the Lanterns; Buddhist, Shinto)

Rosa Mystica (Christian; Saint)

Silas (Catholic Church; Saint)

Solstitium IX (Pagan)

Spot the Loony Day (Pastafarian)

Teresa of the Andes (Christian; Saint)

Turiaf (a.k.a. Turiave or Thivisiau; Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 13 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [13 of 24]

Fatal Day (Pagan) [14 of 24]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

Breaking Away (Film; 1979)

Californy’er Bust (Disney Cartoon; 1945)

Country Mouse (WB MM Cartoon; 1935)

Dedicated To the One I Love, by The Shirelles (Song; 1959)

Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog, by Elvis Presley (Song; 1956)

Eighth Grade (Film; 2018)

Generation Kill (TV Series; 2008)

Ghost (Film; 1990)

A Hard Day’s Night, by The Beatles (US Album; 1964)

Hollywoodland sign (Dedicated; 1923)

Ice Age: Continental Drift (Animated Film; 2012)

Inception (Film; 2010)

The Last Starfighter (Film; 1984)

Legally Blonde (Film; 2001)

Microbe Hunters, by Paul de Kruif (Science Book; 1926)

The Muppets Take Manhattan (Film; 1984)

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce (Short Story; 1890)

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, by Bob Dylan (Soundtrack Album; 1973)

Queen, by Queen (Album; 1973)

Skyscraper (Film; 2018)

The Spy Who Loved Me (James Bond Film; 1977) [#10]

Today’s Name Days

Anno, Heinrich, Kunigunde (Austria)

Emanuel, Ferdinand, Henrik (Croatia)

Markéta (Czech Republic)

Margrethe (Denmark)

Greta, Grete, Kreet, Kreeta, Mare, Maret, Mareta, Margareeta, Marge, Margit, Marit, Marita, Meeta, Reeda, Reet (Estonia)

Ilari, Joel, Lari (Finland)

Enzo, Eugène, Henri, Joël (France)

Heinrich, Kunigunde (Germany)

Iliofotos, Sarah (Greece)

Jenő (Hungary)

Enrico (Italy)

Alda, Margarita, Margrieta, Mariska, Pērle (Latvia)

Anakletas, Arvilas, Arvilė, Henrikas (Lithuania)

Melissa, Mia, Mildrid (Norway)

Ernest, Ernestyn, Eugeniusz, Irwin, Jakub, Justyna, Małgorzata, Radomiła (Poland)

Margita (Slovakia)

Enrique, Joel (Spain)

Joel, Judit (Sweden)

Ezra, Joel, Joelle, Mildred, Natalia, Natalie, Natasha, Nathalie, Nathan, Nathanael, Nathania, Nathaniel, Tasha (USA)

Henri, Nathalie, Nathaly (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 194 of 2024; 171 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 28 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 4 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 26 (Ren-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 24 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 24 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 14 Lux; Sevenday [14 of 30]

Julian: 30 June 2023

Moon: 16%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 26 Charlemagne (7th Month) [Blanche of Castile]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 23 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 23 of 31)

[martinwilliammichael]

Saint Louis’ Marian century

Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France) was the fruit of a long prayer to the Virgin Mary. His mother, Queen Blanche of Castile, distressed at being childless, met with Saint Dominic in Paris. The latter urged her to take the Virgin Mary as her mediatrix, to recite the rosary and to have it recited by the pious people of the Court. He himself prayed for this intention. And so, on April 25, 1214, the future Louis IX was born. His mother assumed the role of regent until he reached the age of majority. He became king at the age of 12. At the end of her regency, Queen Blanche left her son a pacified kingdom.

Saint Louis was such a great king that the 13th century was named after him, and often referred to as "the century of Saint Louis". In the 40 years or so of his reign (1234-1270), he made France the heart of Christendom, and inspired the spread of medieval art, imitated abroad and dubbed “French style”.

He thus fulfilled the dream of his mother, Blanche of Castile, who had prayed to the Virgin Mary for a long time to give her a son whose virtues would make him worthy of wearing the crown of King of France. His father, Louis VIII, nicknamed “The Lion”, was also a great devotee of the Virgin. In his will, he asked that his crown and jewels be sold to build a monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a wish that was carried out by his wife.

The century of Saint Louis was therefore a Marian century. The great devotion of St. Louis and his family to the Virgin Mary, but also the influence of the Dominicans and Franciscans, who advised Louis IX in his faith, led to the evolution of the image of the Virgin Mary and Mariology: in this hierarchical society, Mary assumed a higher rank than before: she was now portrayed in the glory of heaven, reigning with Christ.

For this reason, the glory of Mary took precedence over her humility: she was honored more as Queen than as servant. She was also celebrated as the Mother of Christ and men. The figure of Eve receded before that of Mary, the New Eve, and the weight of guilt was lifted by the hope of salvation, a hope reflected in Gothic art, architecture and the arts as a whole, and embodied in representations of the Virgin Mary.

Louis IX, who was canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII, was a deeply religious knight-king.

Adapted from : Isabelle Rolland

blog.gingko-editions.fr

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[histoireettralala]

"A legend almost in her own lifetime"

Like her grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine and her uncle Richard the Lionheart, Blanche became a legend almost in her own lifetime. For Philippe Mousquès, writing within her lifetime, she was a formidable presence: she was the wise queen, whose son loved her more deeply than any other son could love his mother, and obeyed her in all things. The Ménestrel of Reims wrote in 1262, a mere ten years after her death and long before the image of Blanche became caught up in attempts to declare her son a saint. The Ménestrel has several striking anecdotes featuring Blanche. He tells the story of Blanche blackmailing Philip Augustus into releasing monies to rescue Lord Louis's English campaign by threatening to pawn her children. He tells too the unforgettable story of Blanche disproving the slander that she had been made pregnant by Cardinal Romanus, by jumping on a table in full council and throwing off an enveloping mantle to reveal herself in nothing but a flimsy chemise. "Lords, look at me, all of you: someone has said that I am pregnant with a child", she challenges them, as she twirls on the table to show off her svelte figure. When she died, Matthew Paris called her the "Lady of the ladies of this world", and compared her to the Persian empress Semiramis. Matthew had developed into one of her most ardent admirers, and it is clear from the context that the highest praise is intended.

Lindy Grant- Blanche of Castile, Queen of France

[valkyries-things]

BLANCHE OF CASTILE // QUEEN OF FRANCE

“She was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX: during his minority from 1226 until 1234, and during his absence from 1248 until 1252. Helped by Theobald IV of Champagne and the papal legate to France, Romano Bonaventura, she organized an army. Its sudden appearance brought the nobles momentarily to a halt. Twice more did Blanche have to muster an army to protect Capetian interests against rebellious nobles and Henry III of England. Blanche organized a surprise attack in the winter. In January 1229, she led her forces to attack Mauclerc and force him to recognize the king. She accompanied the army herself and helped collect wood to keep the soldiers warm.”

[everydayshalloween]

Henry III of England: BLANCHE, GET OFF OF ME-

Blanche of Castile, Queen of France, sitting on his back: Make me, motherfucker.

Isabella of England, Holy Roman Empress: Should we do something?

Richard of Cornwall: Nah, this is quality entertainment.

Henry III: RICHARD, YOU ASSHOLE, I CAN HEAR YOU-

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.13

Holidays

Ann Hutchinson Memorial Day

Atomic Bomb Test Day

Barbershop Music Appreciation Day

Be A Geek For A Day

Blame Someone Else Day

Bottled Beer Day

Childhood Memories Day

Embrace Your Geekness Day

Festival of Inner Worlds

Festival of the Three Cows (Border of France & Basque Spain)

Fool's Paradise Day

Go Wakeboarding Day

Go West Day

Gruntled Workers Day

Guinea Fowl Day (French Republic)

International Day of ADHD Awareness

International Day of Sarcoma

International Growth Hacking Day

International Puzzle Day

International Rock Day

International Rock ’N’ Roll Day

Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Pakistan)

La Retraite Aux Flambeaux (Night Watch; France)

Naadam, Day 3 (Mongolia)

Nathan Bedford Forrest Day (Tennessee)

National Delaware Day

National Paul Day

National Sam Day

Puzzle Day

Sandra Bland Day (Texas)

713 Day

Swiftie Day

Uniwaine Day (Elderly Men Day; Kiribati)

World Cup Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Beans 'n' Franks Day

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Day

National Beef Tallow Day

National French Fries Day (a.k.a. National French Fry Day)

National Nitrogen Ice Cream Day

2nd Thursday in July

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo begins (Vernal, Utah) [2nd Thursday thru Saturday]

National Tree Day [2nd Thursday]

Oregon Trail Days begin (Geris, Nebraska) [2nd Thursday thru Sunday]

Oxegen Festival begins (Ireland) [2nd Thursday there Sunday]

Turkey Rama begins (McMinnville, Oregon) [2nd Thursday]

Independence Days

Statehood Day (Montenegro)

Usi (Declared; 2014) [unrecognized]

Wilkland (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abd-al-Masih (Christian; Saint & Martyr)

Abel of Tacla Haimonot (Coptic Church)

Anacletus (Christian; Martyr)

Asarnha Bucha Day (Theravada Buddhism)

Bhanu Jayanti (Sikkim, India)

Blanche of Castile (Positivist; Saint)

Boun Khao Phansa begins (Buddhist Lent)

Clelia Barbieri (Christian; Saint)

Conrad Weiser (Episcopal Church (USA))

Eugenius of Carthage (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Kalimát (Words; Baha’i)

Geek Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (a.k.a. Henry the Emperor; Christian; Saint)

Joel the Prophet (Christian; Saint)

Macarena Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Mordecai Ardon (Artology)

Mildrith of Thanet (Christian; Saint)

Mr. Screech (Muppetism)

Obon (a.k.a. Ulanbana, Festival of the Lanterns; Buddhist, Shinto)

Rosa Mystica (Christian; Saint)

Silas (Catholic Church; Saint)

Solstitium IX (Pagan)

Spot the Loony Day (Pastafarian)

Teresa of the Andes (Christian; Saint)

Turiaf (a.k.a. Turiave or Thivisiau; Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 13 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [13 of 24]

Fatal Day (Pagan) [14 of 24]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

Breaking Away (Film; 1979)

Californy’er Bust (Disney Cartoon; 1945)

Country Mouse (WB MM Cartoon; 1935)

Dedicated To the One I Love, by The Shirelles (Song; 1959)

Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog, by Elvis Presley (Song; 1956)

Eighth Grade (Film; 2018)

Generation Kill (TV Series; 2008)

Ghost (Film; 1990)

A Hard Day’s Night, by The Beatles (US Album; 1964)

Hollywoodland sign (Dedicated; 1923)

Ice Age: Continental Drift (Animated Film; 2012)

Inception (Film; 2010)

The Last Starfighter (Film; 1984)

Legally Blonde (Film; 2001)

Microbe Hunters, by Paul de Kruif (Science Book; 1926)

The Muppets Take Manhattan (Film; 1984)

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce (Short Story; 1890)

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, by Bob Dylan (Soundtrack Album; 1973)

Queen, by Queen (Album; 1973)

Skyscraper (Film; 2018)

The Spy Who Loved Me (James Bond Film; 1977) [#10]

Today’s Name Days

Anno, Heinrich, Kunigunde (Austria)

Emanuel, Ferdinand, Henrik (Croatia)

Markéta (Czech Republic)

Margrethe (Denmark)

Greta, Grete, Kreet, Kreeta, Mare, Maret, Mareta, Margareeta, Marge, Margit, Marit, Marita, Meeta, Reeda, Reet (Estonia)

Ilari, Joel, Lari (Finland)

Enzo, Eugène, Henri, Joël (France)

Heinrich, Kunigunde (Germany)

Iliofotos, Sarah (Greece)

Jenő (Hungary)

Enrico (Italy)

Alda, Margarita, Margrieta, Mariska, Pērle (Latvia)

Anakletas, Arvilas, Arvilė, Henrikas (Lithuania)

Melissa, Mia, Mildrid (Norway)

Ernest, Ernestyn, Eugeniusz, Irwin, Jakub, Justyna, Małgorzata, Radomiła (Poland)

Margita (Slovakia)

Enrique, Joel (Spain)

Joel, Judit (Sweden)

Ezra, Joel, Joelle, Mildred, Natalia, Natalie, Natasha, Nathalie, Nathan, Nathanael, Nathania, Nathaniel, Tasha (USA)

Henri, Nathalie, Nathaly (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 194 of 2024; 171 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 28 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 4 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Wu-Wu), Day 26 (Ren-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 24 Tammuz 5783

Islamic: 24 Dhu al-Hijjah 1444

J Cal: 14 Lux; Sevenday [14 of 30]

Julian: 30 June 2023

Moon: 16%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 26 Charlemagne (7th Month) [Blanche of Castile]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 23 of 94)

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 23 of 31)

[margueritedanjou]

Favorite royals who were devoted mothers. (1/5)

Blanche de Castille, Queen of France.