John II, Duke of Brittany

John II

Duke of Brittany
Reign	8 October 1286 – 18 November 1305
Predecessor	John I
Successor	Arthur II

Born	3/4 January 1239
Died	18 November 1305(1305-11-18) (aged 66) Lyon
Burial	Notre-Dame des Carmes
Spouse	Beatrice of England
Issue	Arthur II, Duke of Brittany John, 1st Earl of Richmond Marie, Countess of Saint Pol Peter, Viscount of Leon Blanche, Countess of Artois Eleanor of Brittany, Abbess of Fontevrault
House	House of Dreux
Father	John I, Duke of Brittany
Mother	Blanche of Navarre
Religion	Roman Catholicism

John II (Breton: Yann, French: Jean; 1239 – 18 November 1305) reigned as Duke of Brittany from 1268 until his death, and was also Earl of Richmond in the Peerage of England. He took part in two crusades prior to his accession to the ducal throne. As a duke, John was involved in the conflicts between the kings of France and England. He was crushed to death in an accident during the celebrations of a papal coronation.

Family and crusades

John was the eldest son of John I of Brittany and Blanche of Navarre. On 22 January 1260, he married Beatrice, a daughter of King Henry III of England.^[1] John was very close to his brother-in-law, the future King Edward I. In 1271, he accompanied Edward to the Ninth Crusade, meeting there with his father and King Louis IX of France. Louis succumbed to an illness in Tunis, and John's father returned to Brittany. John, however, followed Edward to Palestine. The crusade ended the following year, having achieved little. In 1285, John took part in the Aragonese Crusade at the side of King Philip III of France.^[2]

Reign

Upon the death of his father on 8 October 1286, John ascended the throne of Brittany, inheriting also the Earldom of Richmond in the Peerage of England. His namesake son governed Guyenne in the name of his uncle, King Edward, when King Philip IV of France decided to confiscate it in May 1294. John assisted his brother-in-law in the ensuing conflict, but suffered only defeats. When the English army sought to recover by plundering the Breton Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre in 1296, however, John abandoned Edward's cause. In response, Edward deprived him of the earldom. John proceeded to ally himself with the French, arranging a marriage between his grandson John and King Philip's cousin Isabella of Valois. Philip then raised him into the Peerage of France in September 1297.^[2]

Last years and accidental death

From 1294 until 1304, John assisted the King of France in his campaign against Count Guy of Flanders, taking part in the decisive Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle.^[2] Following King Philip's victory, in 1305, John travelled to Lyon to attend the coronation of Pope Clement V. John was leading the Pope's horse through the crowd during the celebrations. So many spectators had piled atop the walls that one of them crumbled and collapsed on top of the Duke. He died four days later, on 18 November.^[2]^[3] His body was placed in a lead coffin and sent down the Loire. He was buried on 16 December in the Carmelite convent he had founded in Ploërmel.^[2]

Issue

John and Beatrice had six children, several of whom were raised at the court of their uncle King Edward.

Arthur II, Duke of Brittany (1262–1312)
John, Earl of Richmond (c.1266–1334)
Marie, wife of Guy III of Châtillon (1268–1339)^[4]
Peter, Viscount of Leon (1269–1312)
Blanche, wife of Philip of Artois (1271–1327)
Eleanor of Brittany, Abbess of Fontevrault (1275–1342)

Ancestry

Ancestors of John II, Duke of Brittany

16. Robert I of Dreux

8. Robert II of Dreux

17. Agnes de Baudemont

4. Peter I, Duke of Brittany

18. Raoul I de Coucy

9. Yolande de Coucy

19. Agnes of Hainaut

2. John I, Duke of Brittany

20. Guillaume, Viscount of Thouars

10. Guy of Thouars

5. Alix of Thouars

22. Conan IV, Duke of Brittany

11. Constance, Duchess of Brittany

23. Margaret of Huntingdon

1. John II, Duke of Brittany

24. Henry I of Champagne

12. Theobald III, Count of Champagne

25. Marie of France

6. Theobald I of Navarre

26. Sancho VI of Navarre

13. Blanche of Navarre, Countess of Champagne

27. Sancha of Castile

3. Blanche of Navarre

28. Humbert II of Beaujeu

14. Guichard IV, Sire of Beaujeu

29. Agnes of Thiers

7. Agnes of Beaujeu

30. Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut

15. Sybille of Flanders

31. Margaret I, Countess of Flanders

References

↑ Scott L. Waugh, The Lordship of England: Royal Wardships and Marriages in English Society and Politics, 1217-1327, (Princeton University Press, 1988), 179.
1 2 3 4 5 Le Moyne de La Borderie, Arthur (1906), Histoire de Bretagne, J. Plihon et L. Hommay, pp. 359–381
↑ Nicolas Cheetham, Keepers of the Keys, (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1982), 152.
↑ Instructional Images and the Life of St. Eustace, Judith K. Golden, Insights and Interpretations, ed. Colum Hourihane, (Princeton University Press, 2002),73.

Regnal titles
John II, Duke of Brittany House of Dreux Cadet branch of the Capetian Dynasty Born: 1239 Died: 18 November 1305
Preceded by John I	Duke of Brittany 1286–1305	Succeeded by Arthur II
Peerage of England
Preceded by John	Earl of Richmond 1268–1305	Vacant Forfeited Title next held by John of Brittany

Rulers of Brittany

Early monarchs

c. 578–907	Waroch Saint Judicaël Alain II Hir Morman Wihomarc Nominoe Erispoe Salomon Pascweten Gurvand Judicael Alan I Gourmaëlon

Viking Occupation

c. 907–938	Hroflr Rognvaldr Incon

House of Nantes

938–958	Alan II (938–952) Drogo (952–958) Hoël I (960–981) Guerech (981–988) Alan (III) (988–990)

House of Rennes

958–1072	Conan I (990–992)) Geoffrey I (992–1008) Alan III (1008–1040) Odo I (1008–1034) Conan II (1040–1066) Hawise (1066–1072) with Hoel II (1066–1072)

House of Cornouaille

1072–1156	Alan IV (1072–1112) Conan III (1112–1148) Bertha (1148–1156) with Odo II (1148–1156)

House of Penthièvre

1156–1196	Conan IV (1156–1166) Constance (1166–1201) with Geoffrey II (1181–1186), later Guy of Thouars (1199–1201)

House of Plantagenet

1196–1203	Arthur I (1196–1203)

House of Thouars

1203–1221	Alix (1203–1221) with Peter I (1213–1221)

House of Dreux

1221–1341	John I (1221–1286) John II (1286–1305) Arthur II (1305–1312) John III (1312–1341)

War of the Breton Succession

1341–1365	Joan (1341–1364) with Charles I (1341–1364) disputed by John of Montfort (1341–1345) and John IV (1345–1365)

Montfort of Brittany

1365–1514	John IV (1365–1399) John V (1399–1442) Francis I (1442–1450) Peter II (1450–1457) Arthur III (1457–1458) Francis II (1458–1488) Anne (1488–1514)

House of Valois

1514–1547	Claude (1514–1524) Francis III (1524–1536) Henry (1536–1547)

Courtesy title

1547–present	Louis de France (1704–1705) Louis de France (1707–1712) Francis de Bourbon (1973–1984)

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 52047107 GND: 100947735

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