About Eleanor of England:
Known for: daughter of King John of England and wife of Simon de Montfort
Dates: 1215 - April 13, 1275
Occupation: royalty
Also known as: Eleanor Plantagenet (retrospectively)
Background, Family:
- Mother: Isabella of Angouleme
- Father: John Lackland (king John of England)
- Siblings: see the biography of Eleanor's mother Isabella of Angouleme for a list of Eleanor's siblings and half-siblings. One sibling was her brother Henry, who ruled as Henry III of England.
Marriage, Children:
- husband: William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (married April 23, 1224 - 1231)
- husband: Simon de Montfort. 6th Earl of Leicester (married 1238 - 1265)
- children by Simon de Montfort:
- Henry de Montfort
- Simon the Younger de Montfort
- Amaury de Montfort, Canon of York
- Guy of Montfort, Count of Nola
- Joanna (died in early childhood)
- Richard de Montfort
- Eleanor de Montfort, Princess of Wales
More About Eleanor of England:
Eleanor of England was born just a year before her father died, and she never met her father. Her brother, Henry III, was able to prevent a takeover by the French King Philip II; William Marshall was key to this victory. Eleanor was married at age 9 to William Marshall's 34-year-old son and heir, also named William Marshall.
When her husband died seven years later, Eleanor had no children, and she took a vow of chastity, witnessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Simon de Montfort:
Seven years after she took that vow, Eleanor met Simon de Montfort and they decided to secretly marry in 1238, with the support of the king, her brother.
Because Eleanor had sworn a vow of chastity, their marriage was not accepted by the church without the Pope's approval. Simon went to Rome to obtain that approval.
Simon led a rebellion against Henry III in 1263-1264, taking power and ruling in place of the king. Simon de Montfort arranged for a new parliament that was elected directly, the first such parliament in Europe. A year later, at the Battle of Evesham, both Simon and his eldest son by Eleanor, Henry, were killed.
Eleanor in France:
To escape likely punishment by her brother, who regained power, Eleanor and her daughter, also Eleanor, went to France. There, she entered Montargis abbey and took the veil.
Eleanor of England lived at the abbey until 1275, when she died. She was buried at the abbey.
The Younger Eleanor:
Her daughter Eleanor was then married to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the Prince of Wales, to whom she had been promised before her mother took her to France. She arrived in Wales after a delay when she was captured and held by Edward I of England on her journey from France. She was the first person to hold the title Princess of Wales.
