Royal: Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany 1158-1186

Family in-fighting can be some of the most intricate and stressful situations imaginable.  Throw in titles, land, money and power and the problems only grow.  For the children of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, there could be no peace in the family as long as one brother was left with more of the above than the others.

In the Medieval era, inheritance laws weren't always so cut and dried.  Even if one son inherited the title and the lion's share of land, the others had to have something.  Their survival depended on it and the peace of the various family realms depended on it, because they would fight if they didn't get it.  And, they often brought allies and in-laws into the mix.  Henry and Eleanor had four sons who survived to adulthood.  It was understood that Henry, the oldest, would inherit England and Normandy.  Richard would inherit most of his mother's dominions, including Aquitaine and Poitou.  That would leave Geoffrey and John out if somebody didn't do something.  To that end, Henry II turned his attention to Brittany, where he had been at war on and off with the Duke, Conan IV.  If the name sounds Celtic, that's because Brittany did have Celtic origins.  Henry ultimate prevailed, forcing Conan to abdicate in favor of his own daughter, Constance, who was destined to marry Geoffrey.  Constance was turned over to Henry to be raised until she was old enough to be Geoffrey's wife.  They were married in July, 1181.  They would have three children, Arthur, Eleanor (whom we've met in a previous post) and Matilda.

However, none of the boys were satisfied with their lot of the family land.  Henry the Young King chafed at his father's heavy-handed control as he grew older.  He was insecure about Richard's ambitions.  Richard made no secret that he wouldn't be satisfied with just Aquitaine, he also wanted England, Normandy and Anjou.  Geoffrey wanted more than just Brittany and John felt left out altogether.  And, they had allies who could play on these fears and ambitions.  Namely, Louis VII of France and later his son, Phillip II Augustus.  As long as the Plantagenet boys were fighting their father or each other, they wouldn't be coming into French domains, or so the logic ran.  Geoffrey and Phillip were also tournament buddies and good friends, leading some to suppose that there was a physical side to their relationship.  Whether that was the case or not, we will never know.  However, rumors of their plotting and something more led to an even greater mystery.  How actually did Geoffrey die in 1186 at the age of 27?

He was in Paris for either one of two reasons.  Either he and Phillip were plotting against Henry II or Richard or both.  Or, he was there to compete in a tournament.  According to one story, Geoffrey was trampled to death in a tournament melee.  According to another story, Geoffrey and Phillip began quarreling about Normandy and Geoffrey threatened to lay waste to the province, including that part of it nominally under French control.  He began having chest pains and died soon after.  Some sources discount option B as a possible French invention, that God struck Geoffrey for insulting French honor, believing the tournament scenario more likely.  He was buried in the Cathedral at Notre Dame de Paris, where his half-sister Marie of Champagne established a chantry for prayers for his soul.  Sources discount the story that Phillip Augustus was so torn up he tried to throw himself into the burial vault.  Geoffrey's death with, at the time, no male heir was one less Plantagenet anyone had to worry about.  He left behind his wife Constance, who was pregnant with their son Arthur at the time.  More on this first of many young princes in the tower later.  During the French Revolution, in 1797, Geoffrey's skeleton was unearthed, revealing that he would've been about 5'6" tall.  So much for the tall, blonde Plantagenet myth.