Blanche of France (1282–1305)
Encyclopedia
Blanche of France was consort to Rudolph I of Habsburg
, Duke of Austria and Styria
and son of King Albert I of Germany
.
, the second child of Philip III of France
and his second wife, Maria of Brabant. Her siblings were Louis, Count of Évreux and Margaret of France, Queen of England. Blanche also had two older half-brothers from her father's first marriage to Isabella of Aragon
: Philip
, the future King of France, and Charles, Count of Valois.
Blanche's maternal grandparents were Henry III, Duke of Brabant
and his wife Alice of Burgundy
. Her paternal grandparents were Louis IX of France
and Margaret of Provence.
, in September 1290. Her second betrothal was on 31 July 1291 to Edward, Prince of Wales
, but he would instead marry Blanche's niece Isabella
.
Her third betrothal took place in 1293 and was to the Prince of Wales's father, Edward I of England
, who had been widowed three years earlier. Edward broke off his son's betrothal to Blanche after hearing of her beauty and sent emissaries to negotiate the intended union with her half-brother, King Philip IV
. Philip agreed to give Blanche to Edward on the following conditions:
Edward agreed and sent his brother Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster
, to fetch the new bride, but Lancaster discovered that Blanche was already betrothed to another. Philip instead offered Edward her younger sister Margaret, who was at the time only eleven years old. Edward refused Margaret's hand and instead declared war on France. Five years later Edward and Philip declared a truce under which Edward would marry Margaret (then a more mature 16 years of age) and receive both the city of Guienne and the sum of £15,000, which was owed to Margaret.
Her fourth betrothal, in 1296, was to John, son of John II, Count of Holland
.
. She died on 1 March 1305, possibly of complications of the miscarriage. Rudolph married Elisabeth Richeza of Poland
the next year; they had no children and Rudolph died in 1307 after being King of Bohemia for only one year.
Blanche is buried at the Minoritenkirche, Vienna
.
Rudolph I of Bohemia
Rudolf I of Habsburg was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1298 and King of Bohemia and titular King of Poland from 1306 until his death...
, Duke of Austria and Styria
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
and son of King Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
.
Family
Blanche was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the second child of Philip III of France
Philip III of France
Philip III , called the Bold , was the King of France, succeeding his father, Louis IX, and reigning from 1270 to 1285. He was a member of the House of Capet.-Biography:...
and his second wife, Maria of Brabant. Her siblings were Louis, Count of Évreux and Margaret of France, Queen of England. Blanche also had two older half-brothers from her father's first marriage to Isabella of Aragon
Isabella of Aragon
Isabella of Aragon , infanta of Aragon, was, by marriage, Queen consort of France in the Middle Ages from 1270 to 1271.-Life:...
: Philip
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
, the future King of France, and Charles, Count of Valois.
Blanche's maternal grandparents were Henry III, Duke of Brabant
Henry III, Duke of Brabant
Henry III of Brabant was Duke of Brabant between 1248 and his death. He was the son of Henry II of Brabant and Marie of Hohenstaufen....
and his wife Alice of Burgundy
Adelaide of Burgundy (1233–1273)
Adelaide of Burgundy was a daughter of Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, by his first wife Yolande of Dreux. She was a member of the House of Burgundy.- Family :...
. Her paternal grandparents were Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
and Margaret of Provence.
Betrothals
Blanche was betrothed four times before her eventual marriage. Her first betrothal was to John I, Marquis of NamurJohn I, Marquis of Namur
John I of Namur was the ruler of Namur from 1305 to 1330. He was a member of the house of Dampierre, the son of Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders and Marquis of Namur, and his second wife Isabelle of Luxembourg...
, in September 1290. Her second betrothal was on 31 July 1291 to Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, but he would instead marry Blanche's niece Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
.
Her third betrothal took place in 1293 and was to the Prince of Wales's father, Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, 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...
, who had been widowed three years earlier. Edward broke off his son's betrothal to Blanche after hearing of her beauty and sent emissaries to negotiate the intended union with her half-brother, King Philip IV
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
. Philip agreed to give Blanche to Edward on the following conditions:
- A truce would be concluded between the two countries; and
- Edward would cede the province of Gascony to France.
Edward agreed and sent his brother Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster
Earl of Lancaster
The title of Earl of Lancaster was created in the Peerage of England in 1267, merging in the crown in 1399. See also Duke of Lancaster.-Earls of Lancaster :...
, to fetch the new bride, but Lancaster discovered that Blanche was already betrothed to another. Philip instead offered Edward her younger sister Margaret, who was at the time only eleven years old. Edward refused Margaret's hand and instead declared war on France. Five years later Edward and Philip declared a truce under which Edward would marry Margaret (then a more mature 16 years of age) and receive both the city of Guienne and the sum of £15,000, which was owed to Margaret.
Her fourth betrothal, in 1296, was to John, son of John II, Count of Holland
John II, Count of Holland
John II of Avesnes was the oldest son of John I of Avesnes and Adelaide of Holland.-History:John II was Count of Hainaut from 1280 to his death, succeeding his grandmother, Margaret II...
.
Marriage
Blanche married Rudolph on 25 May 1300; she bore him a stillborn daughter in 1304, a short-lived son who died in March 1306 and she suffered a miscarriageMiscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. She died on 1 March 1305, possibly of complications of the miscarriage. Rudolph married Elisabeth Richeza of Poland
Elisabeth Richeza of Poland
Elisabeth Richenza of Poland was a daughter and the only surviving child of Przemysl II of Poland and his second wife Richenza of Sweden, herself a daughter of Valdemar I of Sweden and Sofia of Denmark.Her name at birth was Richeza; she adopted the name Elisabeth after her first marriage...
the next year; they had no children and Rudolph died in 1307 after being King of Bohemia for only one year.
Blanche is buried at the Minoritenkirche, Vienna
Minoritenkirche, Vienna
The Minoritenkirche, formal name: Italienische Nationalkirche Maria Schnee is a church built in French Gothic style in the Altstadt or First District of Vienna, Austria.The site on which the church is built was given to followers of Francis of Assisi in 1224...
.