Ermengarde de Beaumont

Female 1170 - 1233  (~ 63 years)


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  • Name Ermengarde de Beaumont 
    Birth ~ 1170  [1
    Gender Female 
    Death 12 Feb 1233  Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Burial Balmerino Abbey, Fife, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I46751  The Hennessee Family
    Last Modified 25 Nov 2016 

    Father Sir Richard (Beaumont), I, Viscount of Beaumont-le-Vicomte   d. Aft 1199 
    Mother Lucie l'Aigle   d. Aft 1217 
    Marriage Bef 1177  [2
    Family ID F17754  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family William, I, King of the Scots,   b. ~ 1143, (Scotland) Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Dec 1214, Stirling, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 71 years) 
    Marriage 5 Sep 1186  Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    • Due to the terms of the Treaty of Falaise, Henry II had the right to choose William's bride. As a result, William married Ermengarde de Beaumont, a great-granddaughter of King Henry I of England, at Woodstock Palace in 1186. Edinburgh Castle was her dowry. The marriage was not very successful, and it was many years before she bore him an heir.

      Henry II of England forces William I to marry Ermengard, from a Norman family: and gives her Edinburgh Castle as a wedding present.
    Children 
     1. Alexander II, King of the Scots,   b. 24 Aug 1198, Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 6 Jul 1249, Kerrera, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 50 years)
    Family ID F17131  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 30 Apr 2023 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 5 Sep 1186 - Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 12 Feb 1233 - Scotland Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Balmerino Abbey, Fife, Scotland Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • Ermengarde de Beaumont (c. 1170 – 11 February 1233/1234) was Queen of Scotland as the wife of King William I. She is reported to have exerted influence over the affairs of state as queen, though the information of her is lacking in detail.

      Life

      Ermengarde was born c. 1170 to Richard I (fr), Viscount of Beaumont-le-Vicomte, Fresnay and Ste-Suzanne (died aft. 1199, bur. Etival), and wife (m. bef. 1177) Lucie de l'Aigle (fr) (died aft. 1217), daughter of Richard II de l'Aigle.[1] Her father was the son of Roscelin, Viscount of Beaumont (fr) (died ca. 1176) and wife (m. 1122) Constance or Maud FitzRoy, illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England.

      She married William I of Scotland at the royal chapel at Woodstock Palace near Oxford in England on 5 September 1186 by Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury. The marriage was arranged by King Henry of England, who was at the time the acknowledged overlord of Scotland: William considered her status beneath him, but agreed after Henry offered to pay for the entire wedding, land valued at 100 merks and 40 knight’s fees, and to return the castles that he had forfeited, one of them being Edinburgh.

      The chronicler Walter Bower described Ermengarde as ‘an extraordinary woman, gifted with a charming and witty eloquence’. Though William had many lovers before his marriage, he was reportedly never unfaithful to her after their wedding. The relatives of Ermengarde benefited from her status as Queen. She is recorded to have presided with the Bishop of St. Andrews over a complex court case. In 1207, there was a complaint by a canon that a royal chaplain obtained the bishopric of Glasgow by bribing the King and the Queen. Queen Ermengarde is credited with mediating a renegotiation of the 1209 treaty, probably due to her husband’s incapacity. Due to the illness of William, Ermengarde took over some of his duties during his later years, and there is evidence that she wielded considerable influence in public affairs. In 1212, she accompanied William with their children to King John of England to secure the succession of their son Alexander. Ermengarde was described as distraught and lethargic over her husband’s death in 1214.

      As Queen Dowager, she devoted her time to the foundation of a Cistercian abbey at Balmerino in Fife. It was completed in 1229, and she often visited it as a guest with her son Alexander. She stayed at the abbey many times.

      Children

      Margaret of Scotland (1193–1259). Married Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent.
      Isabella of Scotland (1195–1253). Married Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk.
      Alexander II of Scotland (1198–1249).
      Marjorie of Scotland (1200–1244). Married Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke.
      She died on 12 February 1233/1234, and was buried at St Edward of Balmerino Abbey, Fife.

      end [2]

  • Sources 
    1. [S9996] "William the Lion", biography, accessed & downloaded Saturday, November 19th, 2016 by David A. Hennessee, https://en.wik.

    2. [S10737] "Ermengarde de Beaumont" biography, was found, retrieved, uploaded and published March 23rd, 2017 by David A. Hennessee,.