The four effigies

This entire trip evolved around the fact that Fontevaud, now a cultural center with a lovely hotel and restaurant was in the 12th century chosen as the burial place for the Kings of England and their families. At the time, the King of England was also Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, Poitiers and Duke of Aquitaine so while now it seems rather strange to go to France to see the burial sits of multiple English kings, in the 11th century this was actually close to the geographical center of the land they ruled over. Of course no one expected King John to so be so spectacularly poor a battle commander that 50 years after this decision was made, he lost almost all the French properties so that future Kings were buried on English soil. There are now four effigies visible at Fontevraud, each representing a larger than life figure.
First there is Henry II of England. The first Plantagent King, so named because his father Count Geoffrey of Anjou wore a planta geniste (some sort of flower) in his hat. While he lived, he was usually referred to as the Angevin king - for Anjou. The name Plantagenet actually did not start until Richard, the Third Duke of York adopted it to point out his ancestry and right to England's throne in the 15th century. (That did not exactly work out too well for him as he ended up with his head on a spike but his sons went on to become Edward IV and Richard III.) Henry is most known for his clash with Thomas Beckett "will no one rid me of this troublesome priest." But earlier in his reign he is credited with restoring royal authority to England and organizing laws leaving them more elaborate, professional and better documented. An able battle commander in his youth and middle age, his decision to keep power centralized with himself alienated his family and egged on by the French kings, resulted in his downfall. He died alone and broken at Chinon - more about that tomorrow - at age 56.

Eleanor his wife is largely known for being a royal rebel in the Middle Ages where her sex made that unique. As you saw in my earlier post, she was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, then Queen of France, back to being Duchess of Aquitaine and then became Queen of England - all before she was 30. She gave birth to a dynasty that would rule England until the end of the War of the Roses and then through marriage would rule into the Tudor reign. Most comfortable in southern France, she embraced the arts and poetry of her native region and made considerable contributions as a supporter of the arts, especially troubadour poetry and songs.

Richard the Lionhearted has become a legend - curiously enough an English one although he spent only 7 months of his time as King in England. He put down his first rebellion in Poitou at age 16, fought well in the failed Third Crusade against Saladin. He largely viewed the lands of his kingdoms as a treasury to support his army. He was made a co-ruler of Aquitaine with his mother as a teenager as he was never expected to become King. After the death of his two older brothers, he became the heir to the throne and spent much of his early adulthood fighting with his father over how much power he really should have and whether he could inherit all of this father's lands or needed to give some of them to his younger brother John. Legend has the two brothers loathing each other although he did regard John as his heir rather than the son of another brother Geoffrey. He died at Challus from an infected arrow wound after venturing too close to a sieged castle without his armor. He was 42 years old. His heart was buried in Rouen (see earlier posts) but his body was brought to Fontevaud.

Finally, there is Isabelle. Married at 12 to King John, she is often referred to as the Helen of the Middle Ages. John was besotted with her and he stole her from one of his political enemies. She bore John 5 children, including Henry III and Simon De Montfort's future wife, Eleanor. As John's crown had been lost when he died, she lent her young son her circlet so that he could be crowned. She promptly turned the Regency over the William Marshall and she returned to France. Soon, she married the son of the man she was supposed to marry before John entered the picture. Hugh de Lusignian as supposed to marry Issabell's daughter but preferred the mother, who apparently was still beautiful. She bore him 9 children. Not able to adopt to being Countess of Le Marche when she had been Queen of England, she conspired against the French King and fled to Fontevraud to claim sanctuary. She died there two years later, originally buried outside the church to expiate her sins but her son King Henry III visited her grace and insisted she be moved inside where she remains today-next to the brother in law she never met.