Blanche (Artois) d'Artois (abt. 1248 - 1302)

Born about 1248 in Artois, France

Ancestors

Wife of Edmund (Plantagenet) Crouchback — married 29 Oct 1276 in Westminster, Middlesex, England

Descendants

Died 2 May 1302 at about age 54 in Paris, France

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Biography

BLANCHE OF ARTOIS, married (1st) ENRIQUE (or HENRI) I el Gordo, King of Navarre, Count Palatine of Champagne and Brie [see Blois 7]; (2nd) EDMUND OF ENGLAND, Knt., Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby [see Lancaster7].^[1]

Name and Titles

Blanche of Artois

Blanche d'Artois

Blanche Navarre

Queen consort of Navarre, Countess of Lancaster^[2]

Birth and Parentage

She was born 1248 in Arras, France,^{[citation needed]} the daughter of Matilda of Brabant and Robert I, Count of Artois.^[3]

Her father was Count of Artois from Sep 1216 - 9 Feb 1250 and her mother, Matilda of Brabant, was daughter of Henry II, Duke of Brabant.

First Marriage to Henry of Navarre

In 1269 she married first Henry I of Navarre, born 14 Jun 1237 in Compiegne, France. He died before 29 Oct 1275 in Paris. He was also Henry III of Champagne.

Blanche d'Artois was the queen consort of Navarre during her marriage to Henry I of Navarre.^[3]

This marriage was politically advantageous for Navarre, Blanche having been the niece of Louis IX of France. ^[3]

Together they had two children:

1. Theobald or Thibaut. He died in 1270 in a fall from a battlement at the castle of Estella
2. Joan I (or Jeanne) of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre and Queen consort of France

Regent of Navarre 1274-1284

After her husband Henry I of Navarre's death, she served as regent from 1274 to 1284 on behalf of her daughter, Joan I. Besides Navarre, she ruled the counties of Brie, Champagne, Troyes and Meaux. ^[3]

Marriage to Edmund Plantagenet

On 29 October 1276 Blanche married Edmund Crouchback in Westminster Abbey. In so doing she married into the English royal family, becoming the Countess of Lancaster. Edmund was also a widower. ^[3]

Another source gives the location of the wedding as Paris and the date as 3 February 1276. That same year Edmund became the Count of Champagne and Brie in France

Children of Edmund and Blanche

1. Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, b. abt 1278, died 22 Mar 1321.
2. Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, b. abt 1281 in Grismond Castle, Monmouthshire, Wales. He died 22 Sept 1345 in the Monastery of Cann, England.
3. John of Lancaster, seigneur of Beaufort (present day Montmorency, Aube, arrond. d’Arcis-sur-Aube, canton de Chavanges) and Nogent-l’Artaud (Aisne, arrond. de Château-Thierry, canton de Charly). He was born abt 1286 (or 1282) in England, and died about 1327.
4. Mary Plantagenet, b. England abt 1288 or 1284 and died about 1289.

Two other children are presently linked to these parents, but the relationship is not established:

Nicholas

John

Death and Burial

Blanche d'Artois died 2 May 1302^[3] in Paris and is buried in the Monoressea (Minoresses) Convent, Aldgate, London.^{[citation needed]}

Sources

1. ↑ Royal Ancestry, by Douglas Richardson. Vol. I pages 144, 395; Vol. III page 478
2. ↑ Ancestry link
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Wikipedia: Blanche of Artois

• Blanche of Artois at Wikipedia.org

• Royal Database, Camelot International. Note: [was] Good (Burke's old records) - no longer online; link is to capture by archive.org's Wayback Machine capture, which does not have the search function. ~ 15 September 2021

• http://www.thepeerage.com/p10254.htm#i102536

• Royalist Database, http://www.royalist.info

• Ancestry Links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
  • Royalty for Commoners