Constance of Brittany
| Constance | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Brittany | |
| Reign | 1166–1201 |
| Predecessor | Conan IV |
| Successor | Arthur I |
| Co-rulers |
Geoffrey II (1181-1186) Arthur I (1196-1201) Guy of Thouars (1199-1201) |
| Born | circa 1161 |
| Died | circa 5 September 1201 Nantes |
| Burial | Villeneuve Abbey, Nantes |
| Spouse |
Geoffrey II (m. 1181; dec. 1186) Ranulph de Blondeville, Earl of Chester (m. 1188; ann. 1198) Guy of Thouars (m. 1199) |
| Issue |
Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany Matilda of Brittany Arthur I, Duke of Brittany Alix, Duchess of Brittany Catherine of Thouars |
| House | House of Penthièvre |
| Father | Conan IV, Duke of Brittany |
| Mother | Margaret of Huntingdon |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Constance (Breton: Konstanza; 1161 – c. 5 September 1201) was Duchess of Brittany from 1166 to her death in 1201 and Countess of Richmond from 1171 to 1201. Constance was the daughter of Duke Conan IV by his wife, Margaret of Huntingdon, a sister of the Scottish kings Malcolm IV and William I.
Constance's father Conan IV had reunited the Duchy of Brittany in wars with Henry II of England. After the wars with Henry II, Conan IV faced rebellions from some Breton nobles. He appealed to Henry II for assistance in putting down those rebellions.
In 1166, Henry invaded Brittany in order to punish the local barons' revolt. In order to gain complete control over the duchy, he forced Conan IV into abdicating in Constance’s favor and betrothing her to his fourth legitimate son Geoffrey. Five-year-old Constance succeeded him as Duchess of Brittany.
In February 1171, Conan IV died. Although her daughter was the heiress of the Earldom of Richmond, she did not enter her inheritance until 1183/1184.
In 1181, twenty-year-old Constance was forced into marriage with Geoffrey. On August 19, 1186, Geoffrey was trampled to death in a riding accident during a tournament in Paris. Constance thereafter became the effective ruler of Brittany.
However, on 3 February 1188, Henry II of England arranged for Constance to marry Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, one of the most powerful earls in England. Though Ranulf used, not consistently, the style Duke of Brittany, he never had the control of the duchy, and is not known to have played an important role there, and the Bretons, as well as Constance, never acknowledged him as Duke jure uxoris, and excluded him from the government of the Duchy.
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