Catherine of Thouars
Catherine of Thouars was the daughter of Constance, suo jure Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Richmond, and her third husband Guy of Thouars. She was the first wife of Andrew III, Baron of Vitré.
| Catherine of Thouars | |
|---|---|
| Baroness consort of Vitré | |
| Born | 1201 |
| Died | 1237/1240 |
| Spouse | Andrew III, Baron of Vitré |
| Issue | Philippa, Baroness of Vitré Eustachie of Vitré Alix of Vitré |
| House | Thouars |
| Father | Guy of Thouars |
| Mother | Constance, Duchess of Brittany |
Family
Catherine was the second daughter of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, and Guy of Thouars. Her mother died soon after she was born. Catherine had a twin sister, Margaret, and their mother might have died because of a difficult delivery[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] After her mother's death, her father married Eustachie of Chemillé, and had two sons, Peter and Thomas.
Catherine was the younger half-sister of Eleanor, Matilda and Arthur, Constance and Geoffrey of England's children, the sister of Alix and Margaret, and the elder half-sister of Peter and Thomas of Chemillé, Guy and Eustachie of Chemillé's sons.
Union and issue
In 1212, Catherine married Andrew III, Baron of Vitré, whose father Andrew II had been Constance's ally. They had three children:
- Philippa of Vitré, who married Guy VII, Lord of Laval;
- Eustachie, who married Geoffrey I Botherel, Lord of Quintin;
- Alix, who married Fulk of Mathefelon (c. 1200 † c. 1269), Lord of Azay.
Portrayals in literature
Catherine of Thouars is a secondary character in the novel Le Poids d’une couronne (légende bretonne) (1867-1868) by Gabrielle d’Étampes and is mentioned in the novel Dans l’Ombre du Passé (2020) by Léa Chaillou, where it is revealed that the heroine's sister is named after her.
References
- Chaillou, Léa (2017). On Constance of Brittany's Family. Published in Foundations volume 9, 2017, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, pp 35-46).
- Margaret is named as Constance and Guy's daughter by historians Dom Morice, Dom Charles Taillandiers, Prudence-Guillaume de Roujoux and Arthur Le Moyne de La Borderie.
- Pierre-Hyacinthe Morice, Histoire ecclésiastique et civile de Bretagne, Tome premier, p. 129 and 150
- Charles Taillandier, Histoire ecclésiastique et civile de Bretagne, Tome second, p. IX
- Prudence Guillaume de Roujoux, Histoire des rois et des ducs de Bretagne, Tome second, p. 231
- Margaret is mentioned, though not named, as Constance and Guy's daughter by historians Pierre Daru and François Manet.
- Pierre Daru, Histoire de Bretagne, Tome premier, p. 407
- François Manet, Histoire de la Petite-Bretagne, ou Bretagne Armorique, depuis ses premiers habitans connus, Tome second, p. 308