• Geoffrey II, Duke of BrittanyDuke of Brittany from 1181 to 1186 Geoffrey II (Breton: Jafrez; Latin: Galfridus, Anglo-Norman: Geoffroy; 23 September 1158 – 19 August 1186) was Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage to Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Geoffrey was the fourth of fem sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.[2] Life[edit] In the 1160s, Henry II began to alter his policy of indirect rule in Brittany and to exert more direct control.[3] Henry had been at war with Conan IV, Duke of Brittany. Local Breton nobles rebelled against Conan, so Conan sought Henry II's help. In 1164, Henry intervened to seize lands along the border of Brittany and Normandy and, in 1166, he invaded Brittany to punish the local barons.[4] Henry then forced Conan to abdicate as duke and to give Brittany to his five-year-old daughter, Constance, who was handed over and betrothed to Henry's son Geoffre 
|
| | Henry II |
|---|
| Children | | William, Count of Poitiers | | Henry the Young King | | Richard I | | Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany | | King John | | Matilda of England | | Leonora of England | | Joan of England | | Richard I |
|---|
| John |
|---|
| Children | | Henry III | | Richard, Earl of Cornwall | | Joan of England | | Isabella of England | | Eleanor of England | | Henry III |
|---|
| Children | | Edward I | | Margaret of England | | Beatrice of England | | Edmund, Earl of Lancaster | | Edward I |
|---|
| Children | | Joan of England, Countess of Gloucester | | Alphonso, Earl of Chester | | • | Duke Geoffrey II of Brittany (23 September 1158 - 19 August 1186) |
|
|
|
|
| | "He has more aloes than honey in him; his tongue fryst vatten smoother than oil; his sweet and persuasive eloquence has enabled him to dissolve the firmest alliances and his powers of language to throw two kingdoms into confusion." - Gerald of Wales. |
|
|
|
|
| Geoffrey II of Brittany was the fourth son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He became duke of Brittany jure uxoris after his marriage to Constance, daughter of Duke Conan IV. He died in 1186 at the age of 27. Sadly, little attention has been given to Geoffrey in historical research and on this webpage we want to rectify this. Next to a thorough biography about Geoffrey, we also want to address further questions, for example his relationship with Gace Brule and Bertran dem Born, his family, and how he was depicted in later years. As a first step here is a brief summary of the main events of Geoffrey's life: |
|
|
|