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The Death of the Lioness

This TL Idea came from a gameplay of Crusader Kings II..


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I
On the early part of 1188, King Henry II of England starts to show signs of recovery from his own sickness in the stomach, he became well and was able to meet his own wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine who secretly wanted him to die in order to regain her own freedom, Eleanor of Aquitaine was surprised that her husband has recovered from his illness which would deprive her of her possible freedom.

Henry II found out a few days later that Eleanor of Aquitaine is planning to poison him so he decided to have her confined in the Tower of Corfe.

Henry II decided that he would marry Matilda of Saxony, his grand daughter to another rival of the French King, he would carry his Grand Daughter Matilda, his son, John Lackland, his sister in law Alice of Aquitaine and his wife Eleanor to Normandy in a trip to the channel in order to show in a summon for King Philippe Auguste for his own homage.

The ship was able to come into France just a day after embarking to England due to them choosing to land in Calais, from Calais they drove the carriage to Normandy and came to the summon with Philippe Auguste and also he made the negotiation for an alliance with Hugh III of Burgundy by a marriage of one of his daughters or grand daughters to Hugh III, he chose his young and fertile and eldest grand daughter for this marriage alliance, Philippe Auguste allowed this marriage to happen, saying that this would be for the good of the realm.

For Eleanor of Aquitaine and John they would follow Henry II and did not know yet of his plans and Henry II decided to annul the betrothal between John and his cousin Isabella and decided to marry John to the Heiress of Boulougne, Ida, a grand daughter of Stephen of Blois, the enemy of his dead mother, Matilda, Henry told his intensions to marry to John and Eleanor regarding a future marriage between Ida and John

On this point since Eleanor is no longer a threat to him and given him heirs, he decided that he would marry the young Alice of France, Henry II would repudiate his wife Eleanor and requested for annulment saying that he and Eleanor are related in forbidden degrees of consanguinity like her earlier husband, the pope, Pope Clement III did grant the annulment between Eleanor and Henry II, weeks after the annulment, Henry II married Alice of France which surprised the two surviving sons of Eleanor of Aquitaine but it did not surprise Eleanor herself, the two had gone sour lately due to his infatuation with Alice of France which resulted in a son which is the reason why Richard was not able marry her and Eleanor decided to marry Berengaria of Navarre to Richard, a woman that Eleanor had known of earlier.

The marriage between Henry II and Alys of France, Countess of Vexin was made a secret.

In the case of the two surviving sons of Eleanor with Henry II, they were surprised on the annulment of his father with their mother so they chose to side with their mother, Eleanor and Richard accepted the woman she wanted him to be with because earlier he had liked her.

Previously, before Richard had already met Berengaria in a previous visit in Navarre.

Richard married Berengaria of Navarre in Tudela while Henry II is arranging the entorouge of Princess Matilda of Saxony, Matilda of Saxony would leave Henry II behind on a carriage to Paris, she is accompanied by an illegitimate son of Henry II named William of Longspee in order to guarantee her safe arrival.

The marriage between Richard and Berengaria was a secret one and nobody knew about the marriage when they married in Tudela on the early part of 1189.

Just after the marriage between Richard and Berengaria was made public and the departure of Matilda of , Eleanor of Aquitaine made an attempt at the life of the Henry II and his new wife Alice of Vexin and attacked them and for this reason a war happened between Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine was defeated in the battle and was sent into a tower in Chinon where in she died in 1190 due to malnutrition, she was buried in Fontravraud in Anjou, a place where she requested to be buried.



Matilda of Saxony

Matilda of Saxony, Born as the eldest descendant of the Duke of Saxony Henry the Lion and Matilda, daughter of King Henry II. The name received after her grandmother by her father. After her father was Emperor expelled from the territory of the empire, the family took refuge in England at the court of King Henry. In the yard of her grandfather Richenza adopted the name of her mother Matilda. Several times he considered about her possible marriage. Plantagenet has had no free daughters or sisters to marry, the game was Scottish and Hungarian king.

The betrothal between Matilda and the heir to the Duke of Burgundy was made on the latter part of 1188 and later, Matilda is married off to Eudes, son of Hugh III of Burgundy who has a policy against Philippe Auguste on the early part of 1189, since there is no daughter of Henry II can be married off for an alliance against the King of France yet.

On 1189, Her retinue would travel from Normandy to Paris where in she meets Philippe Auguste who is currently married to Isabella of Hainault where in she stayed for a few days and went on to her cousin, Henry II of Champagne and finally to the court of Hugh III of Burgundy where she is married to Eudes in a church in Dijon.

Years After the marriage of Eudes of Burgundy with Matilda Richeza of Saxony, Duchess of Burgundy or Duchess Mahaut of Burgundy on his own reign, the policies of Eudes II of Burgundy would be neutral between the Capetians and the Angevins.

Eudes II of Burgundy m. Mahaut Richeza of Saxony(a)
1a. Hugh of Burgundy b. 1193
2a. Eleonore of Burgundy b.1195
3a. Eudes of Burgundy b. 1196
4a. Charles of Burgundy b. 1198
5a. Matilda of Burgundy b. 1200
6a. Richeza of Burgundy b. 1202
7a. Louis of Burgundy b. 1205
8a. Alice of Burgundy b. 1207

To be continued...

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