[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Favorite Fictional/Historical Couples

[Ebony Elizabeth Thomas]

I wrote:

> > 3) Simon de Montfort and Eleanor Plantagenet (daughter of Prince
>John
> > from the Robin Hood legends, historical figures)

And Dai responded:

>Quick question; I thought King John's daughter Eleanor married
>Llewellyn ab Iowerth (when she was about 12 naturally). They were
>happily married for many years until she had a fling with William de
>Braose (who Llewellyn promtly hanged before forgiving Eleanor). Who
>was Simon de Montfort? Am I thinking of the right Eleanor? I think
>the Eleanor who married Llewellyn was a random illegitimate offshoot
>of one of John's random affairs (before he married Isabelle), is the
>Eleanor to whom you refer a legitimate daughter from the union with
>Isabelle?

You're mixing up Eleanors, I think... easily done!  There was almost an 
Eleanor in every generation of that section of the Plantagenet family tree, 
I think.  :)

OK--this is oversimplifying a LOT... and I'm far too lazy to look it up...

King John (of the Robin Hood legends; son of Henry the Conqueror and Eleanor 
of Aquitaine) had five legitimate children that I can think of offhand:  
Henry III--Richard, Duke of Cornwall, Isabel(la?), Joanna, and Eleanor.  I 
believe that the mother of all five children was Isabella of Angouleme.

Eleanor Plantagenet married William Marshal as a child.  Marshal was much 
older than she was.  Marshal died.  Eleanor (now here my memory gets fuzzy), 
I think, took a vow of perpetual widowhood.  Simon de Montfort came to 
England, bumped heads with Henry, etc.  Events like the Provisions of Oxford 
and the Battle of Lewes are associated with this guy.

Needless to say, Henry III didn't like the bloke much.  The last thing he 
wanted was him marrying his kid sister.

Well, Simon did.  Got a dispensation from the Pope and swept her off her 
feet.  Historical legend states that it was indeed a love match... there's 
ballads and stuff written about it... when Simon was defeated (darn it, what 
BATTLE was that?) Eleanor refused a royal pardon and lived out the rest of 
her life with Simon's family in France.

Eleanor and Simon had 6-7 kids.  I know the two oldest sons are Henry and 
Simon.  They also had a daughter named Eleanor.

It was their daughter, Eleanor de Montfort, who married Llewellyn.  
Llewellyn and Simon had one thing in common--they both didn't care much for 
Henry.

I fell in love with the Eleanor Plantagenet/Simon de Montfort story from 
reading historical fiction as a teen.  I've read two novels about it, and 
subsequently did some research.  All three Eleanors above were legit.

Disclaimer:  I'm an American.

All the best,

Ebs (who *loves* the name Eleanor)


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Ebony AKA AngieJ
(H/H Special Agent, First Class)

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