The Disappearance of Arthur

In April 1203, a royal prince and heir vanished from Rouen at just the right moment for King John.

1199-1203

King Richard I 1189-1199 to King John 1199-1216

Introduction

Prince Arthur, Duke of Brittany, was a nephew of King Richard I who from an early age seemed destined to inherit the throne of England. When Richard died in 1199, however, Arthur was only twelve, and support from the French King, Philip II, served only to increase tensions with his uncle John.

by Clay Lane

IN 1190, as he crossed Europe with the Third Crusade, King Richard I conquered Sicily from its King, Tancred. On March 4th the following year, King Philip II of France witnessed an agreement whereby Richard’s nephew Arthur, Duke of Brittany, would marry one of Tancred’s daughters when he came of age (he was only four at the time), and inherit the English crown.*

It all came to nothing, however. In 1194 Sicily fell to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, and five years later the dying Richard named his brother John as heir in Arthur’s place.* It was a bitter blow for Philip: Arthur’s father Geoffrey had been a good friend, and the young Duke, now twelve, had pledged loyal service to him.*

Reluctantly, Philip signed the Treaty of Le Goulet in May 1200 and recognised John as Richard’s heir; he had already been handsomely compensated for relinquishing any claims on Brittany. But just two years later, the French king was backing Arthur in revolt.

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At this time Richard was unmarried, though he had an illegitimate son, Philip of Cognac, by an unknown mother. He married Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus on May 12th, 1191, but they never had any children and were rarely in the same place at the same time, owing to his travels and wars.

According to Charles Dickens, “His [John’s] pretty little nephew Arthur had the best claim to the throne”, but that was only the case in the law of Anjou. Richard and John were Angevin (i.e. from Anjou) kings, as their grandfather was Geoffrey ‘Plantagenet’, Count of Anjou (1113-1151); but in Norman law, which had prevailed in London since their great-great-grandfather William of Normandy’s conquest in 1066, John’s right was better.

Arthur’s father was Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, son of King Henry II of England, younger brother of Richard and elder brother of John. Geoffrey, a close ally of Philip of France, died aged 27 on August 19th, 1186; Arthur was born on March 29th, 1187.

Précis

When Richard I captured Sicily in 1191, he signed an agreement making his little nephew Arthur, Duke of Brittany, his heir. But when Richard lay dying in 1199, he changed his mind and gave the crown to his brother John, prompting Philip II of France, who favoured Arthur, to throw his weight behind a rebellion.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Whom did King Richard I appoint as his heir?

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Richard promised his throne to his nephew Arthur in 1191. Richard was mortally wounded by an arrow in 1199. He promised the throne to his brother John.

Clay Lane The Copybook