Yolande of Dreux, Queen of Scotland
| Yolande of Dreux | |
|---|---|
Yolande of Dreux
|
|
| Countess of Montfort | |
| Tenure | 1311–1322 |
| Predecessor | Beatrice |
| Successor | John II |
| Queen Consort of Scotland | |
| Tenure | 1285–1286 |
| Born | 1263 |
| Died | 2 August 1322 |
| Spouse |
Alexander III of Scotland Arthur II, Duke of Brittany |
| Issue more... |
John of Montfort |
| House | Capetian House of Dreux |
| Father | Robert IV, Count of Dreux |
| Mother | Beatrice, Countess of Montfort |
Yolande of Dreux (1263 – 2 August 1322) was a sovereign Countess of Montfort from 1311 until 1322. Through her first marriage to Alexander III of Scotland, Yolande became Queen consort of the Kingdom of Scotland. Through her second marriage to Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, she became Duchess Consort of Brittany.
She was the daughter of Robert IV, Count of Dreux, and Beatrice, Countess of Montfort. Her father was a patrilineal descendant of King Louis VI of France, making her a member of a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty with powerful connections.
In 1281, king Alexander III of Scotland lost his son David and two other children in the two following years, leaving his granddaughter Princess Margaret of Norway his only heir. He was in need to remarry to have a new heir to the throne. Yolande was the stepdaughter of Jean de Brienne, the second spouse of king Alexander's mother, queen dowager Marie de Coucy, and considered a suitable match. Yolande was related to her husband Alexander III, through shared ancestry in the French noble houses of Coucy and Dreux. In addition to providing an heir for the Kingdom of Scotland, Alexander's marriage to Yolande represented a move to distance Alexander from his neighbour Edward I of England, and to emphasize Scottish independence from England.
An embassy was sent from Scotland in February of 1285, and returned with Yolande in the company of her brother Jean. The marriage was celebrated on 15 October 1285 at Jedburgh Abbey, attended by a great many nobles of France and Scotland.
Alexander died on either 18 March or 19 March 1286, after falling from his horse, while riding from his court at Edinburgh to join Yolande at Kinghorn. Following his death, queen dowager Yolande moved to Stirling Castle and declared that she was pregnant. The Guardians of Scotland were elected by a parliament held at Scone, Perth and Kinross on 2 April or 28 April 1286 and swore to govern the kingdom until Alexander's declared heir princess Margaret of Norway arrived to take the throne, or Yolande gave birth to a son, in which case her son would be preferred over Margaret. If Yolande gave birth to a daughter, however, Margaret would be preferred over the infant princess.
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