Alphonso, Earl of Chester

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Depiction from the Alphonsus plaster of his coat of arms and the coat of arms of his fiancée Margarite, daughter of the Count of Holland Florens V (Holland) .

Alphonso (born November 24, 1273 in Bayonne , France , † August 14 or 19, 1284 in Windsor Castle ) was an English king's son. From 1274 until his death he was heir apparent to the King of England .

origin

Alphonso was the eighth or ninth child and probably the third son of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile . He was born in south-west France on the return trip of the crusade his parents set out on in 1270. He was named after his maternal uncle, King Alfonso X of Castile , who was his godfather.

Life

His parents returned to England in August 1274, and after the death of his older brother Henry in October 1274, Alphonso, the eldest surviving son, became the next heir to the throne. He grew up in his own household with his siblings, while his parents had little contact with their children, as was customary in the families of the English nobility in the Middle Ages. The royal children's household was not lavish, but Alphonso owned a toy castle with a siege engine . Alphonso was betrothed to Margarite, a daughter of Count Florens V of Holland . However, he died shortly before the planned wedding. The Alphonso Psalter was named after him, an elaborately designed psalter that was started for him, but was simplified after his death and is now in the British Library . Alphonso died just a few months after the birth of his brother Eduard . Since he was then the only living son of the king, Alphonso's death was received with dismay. Nonetheless, his parents let their nephew Heinrich von der Bretagne, who died a month later, celebrate far more spiritual offices than for their son. Alphonso was buried in the grave of his aunt Catherine, who died as a child, in Westminster Abbey , where several other royal children who died as children were also buried.

The name "Earl of Chester"

Allegedly, Alphonso is said to have been made Earl of Chester in 1284 , but there is no evidence for this. This assumption and thus the use of this name for him probably dates back to the 17th century. He has been called that since then because Edward III. in 1338 made the county of Chester one of England's greatest benefices , alongside the Duchy of Cornwall . The county has since served as a rule for the eldest son of the King of England. Alphonso is only called " Lord Alphonso" by his contemporaries , and at the time of his death he was still too young for that time to be provided with his own Apanage.

literature

  • Handbook of British Chronology, Second Edition, 421
  • Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy, Alison Weir, 83

Web link

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cracroft's Peerage: The Early House of Plantagenet (1154-1327). Retrieved October 12, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 127
  3. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 127
  4. ^ British Library: Alphonso Psalter. Retrieved October 12, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 126
  6. ↑ Westminster Abbey: Katherine Daughter of Henry III. Retrieved August 23, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Cracroft's Peerage: The Early House of Plantagenet (1154-1327). Retrieved October 12, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 127
personal data
SURNAME Alphonso, Earl of Chester
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Heir to the throne of King Edward I of England
DATE OF BIRTH November 24, 1273
PLACE OF BIRTH Bayonne , France
DATE OF DEATH August 14, 1284 or August 19, 1284
Place of death Windsor Castle , England