Biography of Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany 1161-1201

Paternal Family Tree: Vannes

Maternal Family Tree: Adela Valois Countess Blois and Vermandois

In 1161 Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany was born to [her father] Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany [age 23] and [her mother] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [age 16]. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Between February 1171 and April 1175 [her step-father] Humphrey Bohun [age 27] and [her mother] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [age 26] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and [her grandmother] Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [age 51].

On 20th February 1171 [her father] Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany [age 33] died. His daughter Constance [age 10] succeeded Duchess Brittany, 3rd Countess Richmond.

On 30th June 1181 Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester [age 34] died at Leek, Staffordshire [Map]. His son [her future husband] Ranulf [age 11] succeeded 6th Earl Chester.

In July 1181 Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany [age 22] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 20] were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. He by marriage Duke Brittany. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [age 36]. He the son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [age 48] and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [age 59]. They were half second cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

In 1184 [her daughter] Eleanor "Fair Maid of Britanny" 4th Countess of Richmond was born to [her husband] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany [age 25] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 23] at Bristol Castle, Gloucestershire [Map]. She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

In 1185 [her daughter] Maud or Matilda Plantagenet was born to [her husband] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany [age 26] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 24]. She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She died aged four in 1189.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

On 19th August 1186 [her husband] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany [age 27] died at Paris [Map].

On 29th March 1187 [her son] Prince Arthur 3rd Duke Brittany was born posthumously to [her former husband] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 26]. He a grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.

In 1188 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [age 18] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 27] were married. She by marriage Countess Chester. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [age 43]. He the son of Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester and Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester. They were half third cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Before May 1189 [her daughter] Maud or Matilda Plantagenet [age 4] died.

Before 1194 [her uncle] David Dunkeld 8th Earl Huntingdon [age 41] and [her sister-in-law] Matilda Gernon Countess Huntingdon [age 22] were married. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. She the daughter of Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester and Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester. He the son of [her grandfather] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and [her grandmother] Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria. They were half fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

In 1199 [her half-brother] Henry Bohun 1st Earl Hereford [age 23] was appointed Constable of England.

In 1199 [her half-brother] Henry Bohun 1st Earl Hereford [age 23] was created 1st Earl Hereford.

Death of King Richard I

                    On 26th March 1199 [her former brother-in-law] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [age 41] was besieging Châlus Chabrol Castle. During the course of the evening King Richard "Lionheart" I of England was shot by a crossbow. The wound quickly became gangrenous; Richard died in the arms of his mother [her former mother-in-law] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [age 77] on 6th April 1199. His brother John [age 32] succeeded I King of England.
                
                    There was a brother between Richard and John named Geoffrey Duke of Brittany who had a son Arthur [age 11], who was around twelve, and a daughter Eleanor [age 15], who was around fifteen, whose mother was Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 38].
                
                    King Philip II of France [age 33] had planned for Eleanor to marry his son, probably to bring Brittany into the French Royal family, possibly to pursue a claim on England.
                
                    King Philip II of France supported Arthur's claim to the English throne. In the resulting war Arthur was captured, imprisoned and never seen again. Eleanor was captured, probably around the same time as Arthur, and imprisoned, more or less, for the remainder of her life, even after King John's death through the reign of King Henry III since she represented a threat to Henry's succession.

Before 1200 Guy Thouars [age 59] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 38] were married. The difference in their ages was 21 years. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [age 54]. They were half fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall

The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

In 1201 [her mother] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [age 56] died.

On 1st September 1201 [her daughter] Catherine Thouars was born to [her husband] Guy Thouars [age 61] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 40]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

On 5th September 1201 [her daughter] Alix Thouars Duchess of Brittany was born to [her husband] Guy Thouars [age 61] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 40]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She married in or before 1217 her fourth cousin Peter of Dreux aka Mauclerc Duke Brittany, son of Robert Capet II Count Dreux and Yolande Coucy Countess Dreux, and had issue.

On 5th September 1201 Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [age 40] died. Her son Prince [age 14] succeeded 3rd Duke Brittany, 4th Earl Richmond.

On 12th April 1213 [her former husband] Guy Thouars [age 73] died.

On 26th October 1232 [her former husband] Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [age 62] died at Wallingford Castle [Map]. His nephew John [age 25] succeeded 7th Earl Chester.

William de Hertburn Fitzpatrick and [her mother] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and [her grandmother] Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria.

[her father] Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and [her mother] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and [her grandmother] Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria. He the son of Alan "Black" Penthièvre 1st Earl Richmond and Bertha Canhiart I Duchess Brittany. They were half fourth cousins. He a great grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

[her son] Thomas Thouars was born to Guy Thouars and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

[her son] Pierre Thouars was born to Guy Thouars and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.