Constance of Normandy explained

Consort:yes
Succession:Duchess consort of Brittany
Reign:1086–1090
House:Normandy
Father:William the Conqueror
Mother:Matilda of Flanders
Birth Date:c. 1057/1061
Birth Place:Normandy
Death Date:13 August 1090
Burial Place:Église Saint-Melaine, Redon

Constance of Normandy (between 1057 and 1061 – 13 August 1090) was a Duchess of Brittany.

She was one of the nine children of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. She was born in Normandy, where her father was duke. William of Jumièges, the monk who chronicled the 1066 Norman conquest of England, names Constance second among the daughters of King William and Queen Matilda. No source indicates the order of birth of the couple's daughters, however.[1]

In 1086, Constance's father arranged a marriage between the duke of Brittany Alan Fergant and Constance, who was already nearly 30, to ensure peace at his Western border. Like her mother, Constance was an able administrator. William of Malmesbury, an early 12th century historian, wrote that her "severe and conservative manner" made Constance an unpopular duchess. According to his contemporary, Orderic Vitalis, however, Constance was caring, considerate, and well-liked by her subjects. William of Malmesbury alleges that her husband had their servants poison her. She died on 13 August 1090.

References

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Notes and References

  1. William I (known as William the Conqueror). David. Bates. David Bates (historian). 2004. 10.1093/ref:odnb/29448 . 978-0-19-861412-8 . 20 June 2018.