Three daughters of Eleanor of Aquitaine

On 1150, Eleanor of Aquitaine dies after giving birth to twin daughters, named Alix and Eleanor, after her husband had tried his best to save his own marriage with his first wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, dying at a young age, the people near her would feel sad about her but they know that her marriage with Louis VII would have ended in an annulment had Eleanor survived.

Marie, Eleanor's first daughter is crowned as the Duchess of Aquitaine, Gascony, and Countess of Poitou and betrothed to Geoffrey Fitzempress instead of the earlier proposed marriage between Marie and Henry Fitzempress, Marie of France is sent to the Bishop of Bordeaux for her own education, the marriage alliance between Aquitaine and Anjou will guarantee the win of Henry Fitzempress against Stephen of England.

Due to Eleanor and Louis’ issues with the House of Champagne, Constance of France is married off to Theobald V of Blois while Henry I of Champagne is married to Elizabeth of Vermandois, this would be also the reason for the later marriage between Louis VII and Adela of Champagne, the marriage between the Capetians and the Kin of Eleanor to the House of Champagne was done due to the issues started by the marriage of Alice of Aquitaine with Ralph of Vermandois.

After the death of Eleanor of Aquitaine, after he established the succession of Marie, Duchess of Aquitaine, Louis VII would remarry to Constance of Castile, daughter of Berengaria of Castile and Alfonso VII of Leon, the marriage between Constance and Louis was not successful as Constance would give birth to two daughters, namely, Margaret and Alys before dying after the birth of Alys in 1160 and he arranged another marriage with Adela of Champagne.

Constance of Castile would help Maria, Duchess of Aquitaine secure her own borders with the Spanish Kingdoms as the Duchess of Aquitaine as her marriage secured an alliance with Castile which would be continued by the marriage of her younger sister, Eleanor to Constance’s nephew, Alfonso.

On 1160, Louis VII would remarry to Adela of Champagne weeks after the death of Constance of Castile, Adela of Champagne is a daughter of Theobald II of Champagne and Matilda of Carinthia and Adela of Champagne would guarantee the birth of a son to Louis VII, as Adela of Champagne have given birth to a son in 1164 named Philip and later a daughter named Agnes in 1171.

Compared to Louis VII’s other wives, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Constance of Castile, it would be Adela of Champagne who would be able to outlive her husband for decades and the one who would have a son and she would be an influence to her son, Philip II of France in his own reign and she would help him to be an efficient King of France and she would guide Philip II during his own reign.

There were rumors that Henry II of Normandy was planning to marry Eleanor of Aquitaine himself after Eleanor divorced Louis VII and Henry II had expressed interest in marrying Marie of France before the death of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

After Eleanor of Aquitaine died, he petitioned a marriage between Marie and himself, but instead, Henry II and Louis VII decided that a marriage between the brother of Henry II, Geoffrey and Marie instead as Henry II did not want to part with the County of Anjou once he becomes the King of England himself and this marriage was a compensation for Geoffrey not receiving the lands that their father wanted to leave to him.

There is another woman that Henry II wanted to marry and that would be Isabella of Champagne who was married to the heir of Sicily, he married Isabella of Champagne in 1152 after his failed suite and betrothal to Maria, Duchess of Aquitaine.

The betrothal between Geoffroy and Marie was confirmed as the Duchy of Aquitaine would give forces to Henry II of Normandy which helped his win against King Stephen of England and King Stephen making Henry II of Normandy as his heir and Henry II of Normandy would inherit England in 1154.

On 1159, Maria, Duchess of Aquitaine would marry her betrothed Geoffrey Fitzempress, she took time to marry her betrothed and she would bring her full blood sisters, Alix and Eleanor with her and helped arranged their betrothals and later marriages, after the birth of her son William in 1166, Maria was said to have been pragmatic and focused on the relations of her duchy and was very much fertile that she would have four surviving children, namely, William(1166), Sybilla(1172), Marie(1174), and Baldwin(1178).

Maria, Duchess of Aquitaine would focus on maintaining the relations of her duchy and the surrounding principalities and would arrange the betrothal and later marriage of Douce, titular Countess of Provence to her son William and shelter her in Aquitaine to taunt the count of Toulouse, Raymond V.

Maria, Duchess of Aquitaine would die in 1198 and the Duchy of Aquitaine would be ruled by her son, William XI of Aquitaine afterwards.

Philip I, Duke of Flanders would propose a betrothal between him and Alice of Flanders but due to the Marie of France wanting to secure the Duchy of Aquitaine the betrothal would be delayed to 1166 and the marriage would happen in 1167, the King of France would have him temporarily shift his betrothal to Eleanor but that would change in 1166, when Marie of France had a son named William which allowed Alix to be betrothed to Philip I, Duke of Flanders and later marry him on 1167.

Alix would have three surviving children with Philip I, Duke of Flanders, namely, Thierry II of Flanders(1168), Marie(1172), and Isabelle(1174).

After the death of Philip I, Duke of Flanders, Alix would take the veil in Fontravraud in 1191 and die in 1199.

After the betrothal between Eleanor of France and Philip I of Flanders was cancelled in favor of her sister, Alix, it would be decided in 1168, for Eleanor to marry Alfonso VIII of Castile, the two would marry in 1170 and she would provide her husband with many children and she would maintain good relations between France and Castile as long as she were living and she would secure the borders of Aquitaine and its neighbor Navarre and Castile, she would be a queen that would share the influence from Southern France to Castile.

The surviving children of Eleanor of France with Alfonso VIII of Castile were Berengaria (1174), Urraca(1180), Blanca(1182), Ferdinand(1186), and Henry(1194).

Eleanor of France, Queen of Castile would die in 1214.

On 1160, Isabella de Warenne would give birth to a posthumous daughter of her father William of Blois, the Count of Boulogne, the daughter would be named as Alice, with the birth a daughter, Alice de Warrene was the heiress to Boulogne and Surrey but this would change at the remarriage of Alice de Warrene to Hamelin of Anjou which was arranged by Henry II of England which would displace Alice from the succession of the children of Hamelin.[1]

Hamelin of Anjou would sire four surviving children named Willliam(1166), Ela, Isabel, Marie, and Suzanne.

Alice de Warrene, the Countess of Boulonge’s hand would be sought by the Kings of France and the Kings of England for their heirs but with the Kings of England’s heir, Henry but this would change as the heir of Henry II is betrothed to Margaret of France due to the Norman Vexin and Henry II would prevent a possible marriage of Alice de Warrene to Philip II of France by betrothing her to Henry of Swabia along with the betrothal of his daughter, Isabella(Elizabeth) to Frederick of Swabia, the eldest son of Frederick Barbarossa, apparently Frederick Barbarossa interested in Alice de Warrene as she is the descendant of rulers the Kingdom of Arles.

1. The abduction of Marie de Boulogne does not happen and she would stay as a nun, which erases her OTL daughters, who would marry Henry I of Brabant here?...

Isabella of Champagne would marry Henry II of England on 1152, when he was the duke of Normandy before he became the King of England and would bear a son named William in 1153 who would die in 1156 a few years after the victory of Henry II against King Stephen in 1154 wherein he was made the heir of King Stephen.

Isabella of Champagne would bear the following children to Henry II of England, after his victory against King Stephen and they are Henry(1155), Matilda(1156), Richard(1157), Geoffrey(1158), Isabella(1162), Joanna(1164), and John(1166).

Isabella of Champagne would support Henry II of England against Thomas Becket which would strengthen his own rule in England.