Eleanor of Woodstock
Encyclopedia
Eleanor of Woodstock was an English princess.
She was born at Woodstock Palace
in Oxfordshire
to the king Edward II of England
and queen Isabella of France
. She was a younger sister of Edward III of England
, and the second wife of Reginald II of Guelders
, "the Black".
. £333 was given for her churching
by father. In 1324 she was taken into care by her cousin Eleanor de Clare
then sent to the care of Ralph de Mothermer and Isabella Hastings with her younger sister Joan of the Tower
at Pleshey
. In 1325, there were negotiations between England
and Castile
for Eleanor to be betrothed to Alphonso XI of Castile, but this fell through due to the dowry
.
Eleanor was reunited with her mother and in 1330 negotiations were made by her mother for her and her brother John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall
to marry a son and daughter of Philip VI of France
, however they fell through also.
, Reinoud II "the black" (English: Reginald), of the House of Wassenberg (born c. 1287), a marriage arranged by her mother's cousin Joan of Valois. The groom, quite dark of colour and character, was a widower with four daughters. He was known for having imprisoned his father for over six years.
As she sailed from Sandwich
, her wedding trousseau
included a wedding gown of Spanish cloth, caps, gloves, shoes, a bed, rare spices and loaves of sugar.
and bore her husband two sons:
. Her husband then tried to annul the marriage. Eleanor turned up in Court in Nijmegen to contest the annulment, and proceeded to strip down, proving she was no leper, and thus forcing her husband to take her back. He died from a fall from his horse on 12 October 1343.
Eleanor then helped rule with her nine-year-old son Reginald but they later quarreled over making peace with his younger brother and he confiscated her lands.
for help and was buried in Deventer
Abbey. Her tombstone had the simple inscription ELEANOR on it, however in England on the south side of Queen Philippa of Hainault
's tomb in Westminster Abbey
there is an image of her and her husband.
She was born at Woodstock Palace
Woodstock Palace
Woodstock Palace was a royal residence in the English town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire.Henry I of England built a hunting lodge here and in 1129 he built seven miles of walls to create the first enclosed park, where lions and leopards were kept. The lodge became a palace under Henry's grandson, Henry...
in Oxfordshire
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
to the king Edward II of England
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...
and queen Isabella of France
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...
. She was a younger sister of Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, and the second wife of Reginald II of Guelders
Reginald II of Guelders
Reginald II of Guelders , called "the Black" , was Count of Guelders, and from 1339 onwards Duke of Guelders, and Zutphen, in the Low Countries, from 1326 to 1343...
, "the Black".
Early life
The princess was named after her paternal grandmother, Eleanor of CastileEleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile was the first queen consort of Edward I of England. She was also Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279 until her death in 1290, succeeding her mother and ruling together with her husband.-Birth:...
. £333 was given for her churching
Churching of women
In Christian tradition the Churching of Women is the ceremony wherein a blessing is given to mothers after recovery from childbirth. The ceremony includes thanksgiving for the woman's survival of childbirth, and is performed even when the child is stillborn, or has died unbaptized.Although the...
by father. In 1324 she was taken into care by her cousin Eleanor de Clare
Eleanor de Clare
Eleanor de Clare was the wife of the powerful Hugh Despenser the younger. She was born in 1292 at Caerphilly in Glamorgan, Wales. She was the eldest daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and 7th Earl of Gloucester, and Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile; thus...
then sent to the care of Ralph de Mothermer and Isabella Hastings with her younger sister Joan of the Tower
Joan of The Tower
Joan of England , known as Joan of The Tower, was the first wife and Queen consort of king David II of Scotland.-Birth:...
at Pleshey
Pleshey
The village of Pleshey lies in Essex, England, just to the northwest of Chelmsford.William the Conqueror gave Pleshey, in the parish of High Easter to Geoffrey de Mandeville in appreciation of his services; Mandeville was one of William's battle commanders at the Battle of Hastings in 1066...
. In 1325, there were negotiations between England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
for Eleanor to be betrothed to Alphonso XI of Castile, but this fell through due to the dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
.
Eleanor was reunited with her mother and in 1330 negotiations were made by her mother for her and her brother John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall
John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall
John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall was the second son of Edward II of England and Isabella of France. He was heir to the English throne from the date of the abdication of his father to the birth of his nephew Edward of Woodstock .-Life:John was born in 1316 at Eltham Palace, Kent...
to marry a son and daughter of Philip VI of France
Philip VI of France
Philip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
, however they fell through also.
Marriage
In May 1332 Eleanor married the reigning Count of GueldersGuelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
, Reinoud II "the black" (English: Reginald), of the House of Wassenberg (born c. 1287), a marriage arranged by her mother's cousin Joan of Valois. The groom, quite dark of colour and character, was a widower with four daughters. He was known for having imprisoned his father for over six years.
As she sailed from Sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
, her wedding trousseau
Trousseau
Trousseau may refer to:*A dowry*The outfit of a bride, including the wedding dress or similar clothing*A name for the Bastardo grape in some regions*A white mutation of the Trousseau grape, known as Trousseau Gris...
included a wedding gown of Spanish cloth, caps, gloves, shoes, a bed, rare spices and loaves of sugar.
Children
She was well received in GueldersGuelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
and bore her husband two sons:
- Reinald III "the fat"Reginald III of GueldersReginald III of Guelders was Count, later Duke, of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1343 to 1361, and again in 1371. He was the son of Reginald II of Guelders and of Eleanor of Woodstock, daughter of Edward II of England....
(1334–1371) - Edward, Duke of GueldersEdward, Duke of GueldersEdward, Duke of Guelders , Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen was the youngest son of Rainald II of Guelders and his second wife, Eleanor of Woodstock, daughter of Edward II of England....
(1336–1371).
Leprosy accusations
Due to her unhappy childhood, Eleanor grew nervous and over-eager to please her husband, who tired of her and sent her from court (1338) by pretending she had leprosyLeprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
. Her husband then tried to annul the marriage. Eleanor turned up in Court in Nijmegen to contest the annulment, and proceeded to strip down, proving she was no leper, and thus forcing her husband to take her back. He died from a fall from his horse on 12 October 1343.
Eleanor then helped rule with her nine-year-old son Reginald but they later quarreled over making peace with his younger brother and he confiscated her lands.
Death and burial
On 22 April 1355, twelve years after she became a widow, Eleanor died in poverty in a Cistercian convent (continuity?) aged 36. She had been too proud to ask her brother Edward IIIEdward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
for help and was buried in Deventer
Deventer
Deventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...
Abbey. Her tombstone had the simple inscription ELEANOR on it, however in England on the south side of Queen Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...
's tomb in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
there is an image of her and her husband.