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Birth:          5 Jan 1209 Winchester Castle, Winchester, England
Death:          2 Apr 1272 

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard,_1st_Earl_of_Cornwall
Richard (5 January 1209[1] – 2 April 1272), second son of John, King of England, was 
the nominal Count of Poitou (1225-1243),[2] Earl of Cornwall (from 1225) and King of 
Germany (from 1257). He was one of the wealthiest men in Europe and joined the 
Barons' Crusade, where he achieved success as a negotiator for the release of 
prisoners and assisted with the building of the citadel in Ascalon.
Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

He was born 5 January 1209 at Winchester Castle, the second son of John, King of 
England and Isabella of Angoulême. He was made High Sheriff of Berkshire at the age 
of only eight, was styled Count of Poitou from 1225 and in the same year, at the age 
of sixteen, his brother King Henry III gave him Cornwall as a birthday present, making 
him High Sheriff of Cornwall. Richard's revenues from Cornwall helped make him one 
of the wealthiest men in Europe. Though he campaigned on King Henry's behalf in 
Poitou and Brittany, and served as regent three times, relations were often strained 
between the brothers in the early years of Henry's reign. Richard rebelled against him 
three times, and had to be bought off with lavish gifts.

In 1225 Richard traded with Gervase de Tintagel, swapping the land of Merthen 
(originally part of the manor of Winnianton) for Tintagel Castle.[3] It has been 
suggested that a castle was built on the site by Richard in 1233 to establish a 
connection with the Arthurian legends that were associated by Geoffrey of Monmouth 
with the area. The castle was built in a more old-fashioned style for the time to make it 
appear more ancient. Richard hoped that, in this way, he could gain the Cornish 
people's trust, since they were suspicious of outsiders. The castle itself held no real 
strategic value.[citation needed]

The dating to the period of Richard has superseded Ralegh Radford's interpretation 
which attributed the earliest elements of the castle to Earl Reginald de Dunstanville 
and later elements to Earl Richard.[4] Sidney Toy, however, has suggested an earlier 
period of construction for the castle.[5]

Marriage to Isabel, 1231–40[edit]

In March 1231 he married Isabel Marshal, the wealthy widow of the Earl of Gloucester, 
much to the displeasure of his brother King Henry, who feared the Marshal family 
because they were rich, influential, and often opposed to him. Richard became 
stepfather to Isabel's six children from her first husband. In that same year he acquired 
his main residence, Wallingford Castle in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), and spent much 
money on developing it. He had other favoured properties at Marlow and Cippenham in 
Buckinghamshire. Isabel and Richard had four children, of whom only their son, Henry 
of Almain, survived to adulthood. Richard opposed Simon de Montfort, and rose in 
rebellion in 1238 to protest against the marriage of his sister, Eleanor, to Simon. Once 
again he was placated with rich gifts. When Isabel was on her deathbed in 1240, she 
asked to be buried next to her first husband at Tewkesbury, but Richard had her 
interred at Beaulieu Abbey instead. As a pious gesture, however, he sent her heart to 
Tewkesbury.
On Crusade and marriage to Sanchia, 1240–43[edit]

Later that year Richard departed for the Holy Land, leading the second host of 
crusaders to arrive during the Barons' Crusade. He fought no battles but managed to 
negotiate for the release of prisoners (most notably Amaury VI of Montfort) and the 
burials of crusaders killed at a battle in Gaza in November 1239. He also refortified 
Ascalon, which had been demolished by Saladin. On his return from the Holy Land, 
Richard visited his sister Isabella, the empress of Frederick II.

After the birth of Prince Edward in 1239, provisions were made in case of the king's 
death, which favoured the Queen and her Savoyard relatives and excluded Richard. 
To keep him from becoming discontented King Henry and Queen Eleanor brought up 
the idea of a marriage with Eleanor's sister Sanchia shortly after his return on 28 
January 1242.[citation needed] On his journey to the Holy Land, Richard had met her 
in Provence, where he was warmly welcomed by her father Raymond Berenger IV and 
had fallen in love with this beautiful girl.[7] Richard and Sanchia (whom the English 
called Cynthia) married at Westminster in November 1243.

This marriage tied him closely to the royal party. Eleanor and Sanchia's youngest sister 
Beatrice would marry Charles I of Naples, while their oldest sister Margaret had 
married Louis IX of France. The marriages of the kings of France and England, and 
their two brothers to the four sisters from Provence improved the relationship between 
the two countries, which led up to the Treaty of Paris.[8]

Poitou and Sicily[edit]

Richard was appointed count of Poitou some time before August 1225.[9] However, 
Richard's claims to Gascony and Poitou were never more than nominal, and in 1241 
King Louis IX of France invested his own brother Alphonse with Poitou. Moreover, 
Richard and Henry's mother, Isabella of Angoulême, claimed to have been insulted by 
the French queen. They were encouraged to recover Poitou by their stepfather, Hugh 
X of Lusignan, but the expedition turned into a military fiasco after Lusignan betrayed 
them.[10] Richard conceded Poitou around December 1243.[9]

The pope offered Richard the crown of Sicily, but according to Matthew Paris he 
responded to the extortionate price by saying, "You might as well say, 'I make you a 
present of the moon – step up to the sky and take it down.'"[11] Instead, his brother 
King Henry purchased the kingdom for his own son Edmund.

Elected King of Germany, 1256[edit]

Although Richard was elected in 1256 as King of Germany by four of the seven 
German Electoral Princes (Cologne, Mainz, the Palatinate and Bohemia), his 
candidacy was opposed by Alfonso X of Castile who was elected by Saxony, 
Brandenburg and Trier. The pope and King Louis IX of France favoured Alfonso, but 
both were ultimately convinced by the powerful relatives of Richard's sister-in-law, 
Eleanor of Provence, to support Richard. Ottokar II of Bohemia, who at first voted for 
Richard but later elected Alfonso, eventually agreed to support the earl of Cornwall, 
thus establishing the required simple majority. So Richard had to bribe only four of 
them, but this came at a huge cost of 28,000 marks. On 27 May 1257 the archbishop 
of Cologne himself crowned Richard "King of the Romans" in Aachen;[12] however, 
like his lordships in Gascony and Poitou, his title never held much significance, and 
he made only four brief visits to Germany between 1257 and 1269.

Later life, death and successors[edit]
 
He founded Burnham Abbey in Buckinghamshire in 1263, and the Grashaus, Aachen in 
1266.

He joined King Henry in fighting against Simon de Montfort's rebels in the Second 
Barons' War (1264–67). After the shattering royalist defeat at the Battle of Lewes, 
Richard took refuge in a windmill, was discovered, and was imprisoned until 
September 1265.

In December 1271, he had a stroke. His right side was paralysed and he lost the 
ability to speak. On 2 April 1272, Richard died at Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire. 
He was buried next to his second wife Sanchia of Provence and Henry of Almain, his 
son by his first wife, at Hailes Abbey, which he had founded.

After his death, a power struggle ensued in Germany, which only ended in 1273 with 
the emergence of a new Roman King, Rudolph I of Habsburg, the first scion of a long-
lasting noble family to rule the empire. In Cornwall, Richard was succeeded by 
Edmund, son of his second wife Sanchia.

Marriages and legitimate progeny[edit]

Richard of Cornwall married three times:
He married his first wife Isabel Marshal, on 30 March 1231 at Fawley, 
Buckinghamshire. Her parents were William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel 
de Clare, daughter of Sir Richard "Strongbow" de Clare and Aoife MacMurrough.On 17 
January 1240, Isabel died giving birth at Berkhamsted Castle. She was buried at 
Beaulieu Abbey.Richard and Isabel had three sons and a daughter:[13]John of 
Cornwall (31 January 1232 – 22 September 1232), born and died at Marlow, 
Buckinghamshire, buried at Reading Abbey.
Isabel of Cornwall (c. 9 September 1233 – 6 October 1234), born and died at Marlow, 
Buckinghamshire, buried at Reading Abbey.
Henry of Cornwall (2 November 1235 – 13 March 1271) Henry of Almain, murdered by 
his cousins Guy and Simon de Montfort, buried at Hailes Abbey.
Nicholas of Cornwall (b. & d. 17 January 1240 at Berkhamsted Castle), died shortly 
after birth, buried at Beaulieu Abbey with his mother.
Sanchia of Provence (c.1225 – 9 Nov 1261) became Richard's second wife. Their 
wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on 23 November 1243. Her parents were 
Raymond, Count of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy. Richard and Sancha had two 
sons:[14]unnamed son (Jul 1246 - 15 Aug 1246).
Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall (c. 01 Jan 1250 – c. 25 Sep 1300), usually styled 
Edmund of Almain. Edmund married Margaret de Clare (1250 - shortly before Nov 
1312). Margaret's parents were Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and his second 
wife, Maud de Lacy, daughter of John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln. Edmund and 
Margaret had no children. Their marriage was dissolved in February 1294.
Beatrice of Falkenburg was Richard's third wife. They married on 16 June 1269 at 
Kaiserslautern, but had no children.[15] Beatrice's father was Dietrich I, Count of 
Falkenburg. She was about sixteen years old when she married, and was said to be 
one of the most beautiful women of her time.[citation needed] Beatrice died 17 
October 1277, and was buried before the high altar at the Church of the Grey Friars in 
Oxford.[15]
Mistress and illegitimate progeny[edit]

Joan de Valletort[edit]

Richard had a mistress named Joan. Her origins are unknown,[16] but she was married 
to Ralph de Valletort (d. 1267),[17] feudal baron of Harberton, Devon[18] and feudal 
baron of Trematon, Cornwall; and later Sir Alexander Okeston of Modbury, Devon.[19]

With the Earl of Cornwall, Joan de Valletort had three sons, and two daughters:[20]
Philip of Cornwall, a priest.
Sir Richard of Cornwall, who received a grant from his half-brother Edmund, 2nd Earl 
of Cornwall, (d. 1300) in which he was called "brother". He married Joan FitzAlan, 
daughter of John FitzAlan, 6th Earl of Arundel, and by her had three sons and a 
daughter. He was slain by an arrow at the Siege of Berwick in 1296. His daughter, 
Joan of Cornwall, married Sir John Howard, from whom the Howard family, Dukes of 
Norfolk, are descended.[21]
Sir Walter of Cornwall, who received a grant of the royal manor of Brannel,[22] 
Cornwall, from his half-brother Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall (d. 1300) in which he was 
called "brother". He was the father of William de Cornwall and grandfather of John de 
Cornwall who married Margery Tregago, parents of Margaret de Cornwall who married 
David Hendower, from whom was descended Joan Tregarthin (d. 1583), wife of John 
Wadham (d.1578) of Edge, Branscombe.[23] The mural monument of Joan Tregarthin 
(d. 1583) in Branscombe Church, Devon, has an inscription referring to her as "a 
virtuous & antient gentlewoman descended of the antient house of Plantagenets 
sometime of Cornwall" and shows the arms of Tregarthin quartering the arms of the de 
Cornwall family of Brannel: A lion rampant in chief a label of three points a bordure 
engrailed bezantée.
Isabel of Cornwall, who received a grant from King Henry III in which she was called 
"niece".
Joan of Cornwall, who in 1283 received a grant from her half-brother Edmund, 2nd Earl 
of Cornwall (d.1300) in which she was called "sister".[24] Modbury was part of the 
Valletorts' feudal barony of Harberton and was granted to Sir Alexander Okeston, 
following his marriage to the Earl of Cornwall's mistress, Joan, widow of Ralph de 
Valletort, by Roger de Valletort, Ralph's brother.[25] The younger Joan married twice, 
firstly to Richard de Champernowne (2nd son of Sir Henry Champernowne of Clyst 
Champernowne, Devon), by whom she had a son, Richard de Champernowne, and 
secondly, Sir Peter de Fishacre, of Combe Fishacre and Coleton Fishacre, Devon,[26] 
by whom she had no issue. Her childless half-brother Sir James Okeston made her son 
or grandson Richard de Champernowne his heir.[27]

Parents
PLANTAGENET John "Lackland" (24 Dec 1166 - 19 Oct 1216)
DE TAILLEFER OF ANGOULEME Isabella (1188 - 31 May 1246)

Siblings
PLANTAGENET Henry III (1 Oct 1206 - 16 Nov 1272)
PLANTAGENET Richard (5 Jan 1209 - 2 Apr 1272)

Marriage To ----- Joan ()
    m.  

Notes


Children by ----- Joan 
CORNWALL Walter (1245 - )
DE OKESTON Joan (ABT 1258 - BEF 1319)

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