Blanche of Brittany


Blanche of Brittany was a daughter of John II, Duke of Brittany, and his wife Beatrice of England. She is also known as Blanche de Dreux. Through her mother she was the granddaughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.

Marriage and issue

Blanche was married in Paris sometime after November 1281 to Philip of Artois, who was the son of Robert II of Artois and Amice de Courtenay. The couple had seven children, they were:
Blanche's husband served under his father at the Battle of Furnes, where he was wounded. He never recovered, and died of the effects over a year later. His premature death led to a legal battle later, when Artois was left to his sister Mahaut rather than his son Robert. Robert was never the proper Count of Artois, on Mahaut's death Artois passed to her daughter, Joan II, Countess of Burgundy.
Blanche's daughter Margaret was the mother of Philip III of Navarre who was married to Joan II of Navarre. Her sister, Marie was married to Guy IV, Count of Saint-Pol.
Blanche died on 19 March 1327 at the Chateau de Bois-de-Vincennes, and was buried in the now-demolished church of the Couvent des Jacobins in Paris.

Ancestry