Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany

Common card · No. 323750

Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (c. 1184 – 10 August 1241), also known as Damsel of Brittany, Pearl of Brittany, or Beauty of Brittany, was the eldest daughter of Duke Geoffrey II and Duchess Constance of Brittany. Her father was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, and she was the niece of the English kings Richard I and John. As a potential threat to ascendency to the English throne, John imprisoned her in 1202 and she was held in captivity until her death. Like Empress Matilda and Elizabeth of York, Eleanor's claim to the English throne gained little support from the barons, under the expectation that the monarch should be male, despite legal provision for a female monarch. Some historians have commented that her imprisonment was "the most unjustifiable act of King John".

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