Return of Poitiers, a French/Crusader timeline

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Children of Eleanor of Aquitaine d. 1157

With Louis VII

Marie of France, Duchess of Aquitaine and Princess of Antioch b. 1145 m. Bohemond III of Antioch

Alix of France b. 1151 m. William, Count of Dieppe

With Henry II of England

William b. 1153 d. 1156

Henry b. 1155 d. 1157

Matilda b. 1156 m. Henry the Lion

Eleanor b. 1157 m. Alfonso VIII of Castile



Children of Louis VII

With Eleanor of Aquitaine

Marie, Duchess of Aquitaine b. 1145 m. Bohemond III of Antioch

Alice of France b. 1151 m. William, Count of Dieppe

With Constance of Castile

Margaret of France b. 1158 m. Alfonso VIII of Castile

Alice of France b. 1160 m. William I of Brittany

With Adela/Alice of Champagne

Philip II b. 1164 m. Isabella of Hainaut

Agnes b. 1170 m. Alexios II of Byzantine Empire



On 1157, trying to have a son, Eleanor of Aquitaine would die after giving birth to two sons that would not survive childhood, she would be survived by two daughters, Marie and Alix from her first two marriages and two daughters, Matilda and Eleanor from her second marriage.

Marie of France would assume the rulership of Aquitaine and Poitou and a marriage with Bohemond III of Antioch, the line of the former rulers of Aquitaine and Poitou would be arranged, while Alix would be betrothed to William of Diepe.

Henry II of England would remarry fast to Constance of Brittany who would produce further children for himself and would not consider a marriage to the new duchess of Aquitaine as she is his Stepdaughter.

 

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On 1158, when Maria of Aquitaine(Marie of France) is enthroned many would want to marry her and she was betrothed to the Duke of Champagne, she would break the betrothal of the Count of Champagne with her and her sister to the Count of Blois and allied with her stepfather as well and she would reject offers from the other parts of France for her hand, she would seek her Dynastic cousins from the mother side for her match in Antioch instead and left her sister, Alix to William, Count of Dieppe to create a further alliance with her stepfather, Henry II of England.
William, Count of Dieppe would be endowed and given off the county of Tourraine after the marriage with Alix of France by Henry II himself in 1166.
She would enter a marriage with the Count of Antioch Bohemond III on 1160, he is three years her junior and returned to the Duchy of Aquitaine in 1163 when the marriage was consummated and the marriage would have produced the following children.

She would die on 1182 and succeeded by her son, William XI of Aquitaine



Children of Marie of France, Duchess of Aquitaine with Bohemond III of Antioch


William XI of Aquitaine b. 1166 married to Berengaria of Navarre

Eleanor of Poitiers b. 1172 married to Eudes, Count of Burgundy

Marie of Poitiers b. 1174 married to Peter II of Aragon

Bohemond IV of Antioch 1179 married to Isabella of Jerusalem

 

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Constance of Brittany would give birth to the needed heirs to Henry II of England but Henry II had lost the resources of his first wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine but having a dispensation for Marie, Duchess of Aquitaine, daughter of his first wife was impossible for him as he had married his mother but instead, he had his brother William of Diepe marry Alice of France, his first wife’s second daughter from her first marriage, she would marry Henry II on 1159.

Constance of Brittany wanted to marry a king so she was very dutiful and gave birth to two sons, Richard(1163) and John(1164) and a daughter, Joanna(1162).

 

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On 1180, Louis VII, was seen to be a successful king as the Angevin Empire that he feared to exist never really materialized but he would have seen an existence of a mighty vassal in the South in his daughter Marie of France as the Duchess of Aquitaine and the English controlled lands of Anjou and Normandy in the north and his son, Philip II would inherit these lands, he was also successful in having the two Alices of Dreux married to Henry II of Champagne and Theobald V of Blois, neutralizing their influence in France, however, the Royal lands have remained small and the old status quo in France was restored and that was important to him.

On 1179, Louis VII would arrange a betrothal between Isabella of Hainaut the Eldest child of Margaret I of Flanders and Philip II of France, his own son with the dowry of Artois.

 

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The House of Poitiers and the House of Plantagenet would remain allies while Maria, Duchess of Aquitaine was alive and the alliance would falter after Duchess Maria died on 1182 and the Duke of Aquitaine focus on its independence and wanted his younger sister be the one betrothed to the King of Aragon to end the alliance of Aragon and House of Toulouse and the alliance worked as well.

The House of Poitiers and England would separate their ways at this point and Henry II would send his son, Richard and arrange a marriage with Alice of France, which would not happen as the King would choose William of Brittany over him.

The death of Duchess Maria is the end of the alliance between Aquitaine and Anjou

~Anonymous Chronicler

 

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Messenger

Maria, Duchess of Aquitaine is dead and so is the alliance between England and Aquitaine my sire has ended as the new Duke of Aquitaine, William XI seems to be more loyal to the King of France himself and has allies in the South.

Henry II

My son, Richard can marry Alice of France.

Messenger

I am sorry but Alice of France is already affianced to the Duke of Brittany himself.

Henry II

That is unfortunate but we will find a way for peace between France and England to happen, we have no choice regarding Aquitaine as the daughters of Maria of Aquitaine are in forbidden affinity degrees and could be easily annulled and they are already betrothed.