ELEANOR of PROVENCE verch RAYMOND V

Queen Consort of King Henry III of England

BIRTH: Abt 1223 in St. Maime, Aix_en_Provence, France
DEATH: 25 Jun 1291 in Amesbury, England
FATHER: Raymond V BERENGER ap ALPHONSO II - BIRTH: Abt 1195 in Aix-En-Provence, France
MOTHER: Beatrice De SAVOIE verch THOMAS I De Masurienne
BIRTH: Abt 1201 in Chambrey, Savoy, France
MARRIAGE: Henry III PLANTAGENET ap John I LACKLAND
BIRTH: 01 Oct 1207 in Winchester Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, England
CHILDREN:
1. Edward I ap HENRY III PLANTAGENET - BIRTH: 17 Jun 1239 in Westminster, Middlesex, England
2. Margaret verch HENRY III PLANTAGENET - BIRTH: 1240 in ? Westminster, Middlesex, England
3. Beatrice of England verch HENRY III PLANTAGENET
BIRTH: 25 Jun 1242 in Bordeaux, Gascogne, France
4. Edmund Crouchback ap HENRY III PLANTAGENET - BIRTH: 16 Jan 1244 in London, England
5. Katherine verch HENRY III PLANTAGENET - BIRTH: 1253 DEATH: 3 May 1257

Eleanor was the daughter of Ramond Berenger, County of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy. She was known for her beauty. When she arrived in England for her marriage she was described by Matthew Parris as being '"Jamque duodennem" (presently twelve)'. She was only 12 years old when she married Henry III on 14 Jan 1236. She had never before met or seen Henry prior to their marriage.
Henry and Eleanor had five children. Their last Katherine died at 4 years of age. She may have had a degenerative disease which left her mute. Her parents were devastated with grief.
Eleanor was Henry's confidant and Henry found postions of power and wealth for her many cousins which created friction with the English barons. She was a vigorous and incisive woman and had much influence on her husband. During the ascendancy of Simon de Montfort in 1264-65, Eleanor raised mercenaries in France for her husband's cause. She was sent to a convent in 1286 but was sometimes consulted by her son, Edward I.
Henry died in 1272 and their son Edward became King. She stayed in England as Dowager Queen and raised several of her grandchildren. She founded Guildford priory in memory of her grandson Henry who died in her care in 1274.

Eleanor died in 1291 in Amesbury, England.

SOURCE:

"Encyclopedia.com"

Canadian Journal of History - Eleanor of Provence: Queenship in Thirteenth Century England

Margaret Howell, Eleanor of Provence: Queenship in Thirteenth-century England, 1997 -
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Provence"

Picture of Eleanor: This image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a
copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. This photograph of the work is also in the public domain in
the United States

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