Sir Arthur I PLANTAGENET Duke of Brittany ²¹⁵⁷

   FamilySearch ID: GLT8-W9M
Find A Grave ID: 26789678

  General Notes:

LifeSketch
Arthur Plantagenet, Earl of Richmond was born on 29 March 1187 at Nantes, Bretagne, France. He was the son of Geoffrey II Plantagenet, Earl of Richmond and Constance de Bretagne, Duchesse de Bretagne. He died on 3 April 1203 at age 16 at Rouen, Caux, France, possibly murdered by King John.

He was buried at Notre Dames des Prés, Rouen, Caux, France
He was buried at Bec Abbey.

He gained the title of Duc de Bretagne on 29 March 1187. He gained the title of Earl of Richmond on 18 April 1199.

On his father's death, Arthur by the law of primogeniture should have succeeded to the English crown and the French King, Phillip II, upheld his claims, until John bought him over to a 'disgraceful' treaty. Arthur soon fell into his uncle's hands, and was imprisoned, first at Falaise, afterwards at Rouen, where, on 3 April 1203, he is supposed to have perished, either by assassination or by drowning in an attempt to escape. He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.

Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, was King John of England's teenage nephew, and a rival claimant to the throne of England. With the support of King Philip II of France, Arthur embarked on a campaign in Normandy against John in 1202, and Poitou revolted in support of Arthur. The Duke of Brittany besieged his grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in the Château de Mirebeau. John marched on Mirebeau, taking Arthur by surprise and capturing him on 1 August. From there Arthur was conveyed to Falaise where he was imprisoned in the castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Title of Nobility: Knight, in 1202,.
Knighted by King Philip II of France.

2. Captivity: Captured in the seige of Mirebeau, between 1 August 1202 and 3 April 1203, in Falaise, Calvados, Normandy, France.
King John I, Arthur's uncle, had him taken to Château de Falaise and held prisoner.
(Château de Falaise, Falaise, Normandy, France.)

Arthur married Marie OF FRANCE, daughter of King Philip II OF FRANCE of France and Agnes VON ANDECHS-MERANO. (Marie OF FRANCE was born about 1190 in , , , Europe ²¹⁵⁸ and died in , , , Europe ²¹⁵⁸.)