Constance of Béarn
| Constance | |
|---|---|
|
suo jure Viscountess of Marsan Countess consort of Geneva |
|
| Spouse(s) | Alfonso, Prince of Aragon Henry of Almain Aymon II of Geneva |
| Noble family | Montcada |
| Father | Gaston VII, Viscount of Béarn |
| Mother | Martha of Marsan |
| Born | 1245-1255 |
| Died | 26 April 1310 |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Constance (died 1310) was suo jure Viscountess of Marsan as well as titular Countess of Bigorre, daughter of Gaston VII, Viscount of Béarn and his first wife Martha of Marsan. Constance inherited all of her titles from her mother and contended to inherit her father's Viscounty of Béarn. She was married three times during her lifetime, marrying into the royal families of Aragon, Castile and England. "
Constance was born between 1245 and 1255, she had three sisters: Margaret, Martha and Guilemette. No exact birth dates are known for any of the sisters, all were born between 1245 and 1255 but Constance was most probably the eldest because she inherited Martha's estates when she died. The heiress would have been a well sought after bride.
When Constance was in her early teenage years, she travelled to Aragon and married at Calatayud on March 23, 1260 to Infante Alfonso, son and heir of James I of Aragon. The marriage only lasted three days, Alfonso died on March 26.
In 1266, Constance was betrothed to Infante Manuel of Castile, who was son of Ferdinand III of Castile. Manuel's first wife, Constance's one-time sister-in-law Constance of Aragon had died, so Manuel was seeking remarriage. A marriage contract was signed at Seville, with Constance's sister Guilemette being betrothed to Manuel's son Alfonso. However, nothing came of the arrangements and so neither couple married.
A third marriage contract was drawn up in 1268, for Constance to marry Henry of Almain, a grandson of King John of England. She travelled to England the following year and the couple were married at Windsor Castle on 5 May 1269. This second marriage was also brief, Henry repudiated Constance the following year and then died himself in 1271.
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Wikipedia