Beatrice, Countess of Montfort explained

Beatrice de Montfort
suo jure Countess of Montfort-l'Amaury
Countess of Dreux
Countess of Braine
Birth Date:December 1248 – December 1249
Birth Place:France
Death Date:9 March 1312
Spouse:Robert IV, Count of Dreux, Braine and Montfort-l'Amaury
Issue:Marie of Dreux
Yolande of Dreux, Queen of Scotland
John II, Count of Dreux and Braine
Jeanne of Dreux, Countess of Braine
Beatrice of Dreux, Abbess of Port-Royal
Robert of Dreux, Seigneur of Chateau-du-Loire
Father:John I of Montfort
Mother:Jeanne, Dame de Chateaudun
Noble Family:House of Montfort

Beatrice de Montfort, Countess of Montfort-l'Amaury (December 1249 – 9 March 1312) was a ruling sovereign countess of Montfort from 1249 until 1312. She was also countess of Dreux by marriage to Robert IV, Count of Dreux. She was the ancestor of the Dukes of Brittany from the House of Montfort-Dreux which derived its name from her title.

Life

Beatrice was born sometime between December 1248 and 1249, the only child of John I of Montfort, Count of Dreux and Jeanne, Dame de Chateaudun.

Reign

In 1249, Beatrice's father died in Cyprus, while participating in the Seventh Crusade. Thus, Beatrice succeeded her father as ruling countess of Montfort at the age of about one year old.

In 1251, Jeanne married her second husband, John II of Brienne, Grand Butler of France. Jeanne and John had a daughter, Blanche de Brienne, Baroness Tingry (1252–1302); Blanche married William II de Fiennes, Baron of Tingry. Jeanne died sometime after 1252, leaving Beatrice and her half-sister Blanche as her co-heiresses.

Beatrice was married to Robert IV, Count of Dreux, Braine and Montfort-l'Amaury in 1260, when she was about eleven years old. He was the son of John I, Count of Dreux and Braine, and Marie de Bourbon. As was the custom for female rulers at this point in time, he became the co-ruler with Beatrice and Count of Montfort by right of his wife after their wedding.

Death

Beatrice died on 9 March 1312 at the age of around sixty-three. She was buried in the Abbaye de Haute-Bruyère.

Issue

Beatrice and Robert had:

Sources

. Michelle Bubenicek . Quand les femmes gouvernent: droit et politique au XIVe siècle:Yolande de Flandre, Droit et politique au XIV siecle . French . Ecole des Chartes . 2002 .

. Douglas Richardson . Kimball G. . Everingham . David . Faris . Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Royal Ancestry series . Genealogical Publishing Co. . 2004 .