Maria of France, Countess of Dieppe and Poitou

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On February 28, 1155, Eleanor of Aquitaine would give birth to a daughter named Matilda who would be followed by another daughter in June of 1156 named Eleanor, the end of 1156, William the son of Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine would die which would prompt Henry to try again to have a son with Eleanor of Aquitaine which would result in another daughter named Joanna in September 8, 1157.

The birth of the last daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of Aquitaine would be the nail in the brief marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II would repudiate Eleanor and request for the annulment of the marriage with Eleanor, the annulment between Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II was welcomed by the first husband of Eleanor, Louis VII as Marie of France would inherit Aquitaine as the result of the annulment, custody of the daughters of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine would remain to Henry II of England after the annulment.

The reason for the annulment would be the consanguinity between Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England, after the annulment was finalized in the end of 1158, Eleanor of Aquitaine would inform Louis VII about her idea to marry Marie of France to William of Anjou, the third son of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey of Anjou and the second son who is still alive, the idea would be fine to Louis VII as they are less of a threat to the King of the Franks compared to the second marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine which was done without any consultation to the French King.

Henry II would remarry to Constance of Penthievre in 1159, a bride that his brother William had set his sights upon.

The French King would have Elizabeth of Vermandois marry Henry of Champagne in 1159 and Alix of France would marry Theobald V of Blois, and the marriage of Henry of Champagne with Elizabeth of Vermandois would cause Champagne and Blois to pass to another Royal House as Henry wanted to keep the marriage with Elizabeth to end the issues of the House of Blois with the House of Vermandois.



Children of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII

Marie, Countess of Dieppe and Poitou b. 1145

Alix, Countess of Blois b. 1150

Children of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II

William b. 1153 d. 1156

Matilda b. 1155[1]

Eleanor b. 1156

Jeanne b. 1157[1]

1. The POD of this timeline is that Henry the Young King and Richard the Lionheart are born female which causes the annulment with Eleanor of Aquitaine

 

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After the marriage of Marie of France with William Fitzempress, William Fitzempress was invested of the County of Poitou by Eleanor of Aquitaine herself for his wife, Marie of France who was expected to inherit Aquitaine herself after the marriage.

During her life Marie is a patron of Troubadors and Trouveres in Poitou as Poitou spoke two languages which are Provencal and French.

Marie of France and William, Count of Dieppe and Poitou would have two sons, Geoffrey(1170) and Fulk(1178) and three daughters, Eleanor(1172), Maria(1178), and Scholastica(1183).

Marie of France would never inherit Aquitaine as she would die in 1183 which would have meant that the inheritance of Aquitaine would pass to her son, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Poitou who would inherit the Duchy of Aquitaine on the death of his grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1204.

 

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Despite Joanna being the cause of annulment of Eleanor of Aquitaine with Henry II, she would be married to William II of Sicily in 1170 which would reinvigorate the line of the Kings of Sicily, and her giving birth to issue would mean that Constance of Sicily would be allowed to marry and she would be married to Bela III of Hungary as his second wife after the death of his first wife Agnes of Chatilion.

On 1169 her hand was requested by William II of Sicily and she would embark to Sicily in 1170 to marry William II of Sicily as her hand was demanded by the King of Sicily, she was escorted by her uncle, William to Saint Gilles where her entourage was met by the representatives of the Kingdom of Sicily and safely arrived in Palermo in 1171, she would have been very much happy of this marriage as she has seen it as better than the matches of her full sisters Matilda and Eleanor as Matilda had married Henry the Lion of Saxony and Eleanor had married Alfonso VIII of Castile.

Joanna of England would have felt badly about being the cause of the annulment of her parents but she would be able to revitalize the line of the Kingdom of Sicily by giving her husband, William II of Sicily, children who can succeed him and her marriage with William II would affect both Sicily and Hungary as her having children with William II would allow Constance to marry Bela III of Hungary.

Jeanne of England would give birth to the following children, Eleanor of Sicily(1175), Maria of Sicily(1177), Bohemond of Sicily(1180), and Henry of Sicily(1183), the marriage would create an alliance between the Kingdom of Sicily and England until her death in 1199.

 

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On 1159, Henry II of England would marry Constance of Penthievre, he decided to pick her after his brother, William was eyeing a marriage with Constance of Penthievre, the marriage with Constance of Penthievre would result in children for Henry II of England that he wanted compared to his first marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Constance of Penthievre would bear two sons with Henry II of England who would be named Henry(1161) and John(1166), and a daughter named Bertha(1163), which would survive to adulthood and can succeed him as the King of England, Constance of Penthievre’s sister Enoguen would marry Alan III of Rohan.

Constance of Penthievre would support Henry II of England against Thomas Becket who would be supported by his liege in the continental lands, Louis VII, Constance of Penthievre would be a contrast to Eleanor of Aquitaine, his first wife.

After the birth of the two sons of Henry II, Louis VII and Henry II would have Alys of France, the daughter of Constance of Castile and Louis VII affianced to his son, Henry, who he would make as the junior king of England, Henry II is happy that he has a wife that supports him compared to his previous wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.