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Article

French

ID: <

10.4000/abpo.4349

>

·

DOI: <

10.4000/abpo.4349

>

Where these data come from
The duchess Constance of Brittany and the government inherited at the end of the 14th century

Abstract

At the end of the twelfth century, the duchy of Brittany was deeply involved in the conflict between the Plantagenets and the Capetians. Henry II, King of England, integrated the duchy to his area of influence initially by supporting Duke Conan IV’s reconquest of the duchy, and then by marrying the duke’s heiress, Constance, to his own son, Geoffroy. When the latter died in 1186, Constance was pregnant with a son who was born in 1187. During about fifteen years, Constance effectively ruled the duchy alone. Yet, by which authority she governed was never made explicit. Was she acting as the heiress of her father, as the widow of her dead husband, or as the mother of the young heir? If extant sources fail to provide an answer to this question, the duchess’ behaviour gives us some elements of explanation. Constance, Duchess of Brittany, was part of a dynasty that she sought to perpetuate, despite the repeated attempts by the English and French kings to limit her authority.

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