| Eleanor of Woodstock | |
|---|---|
 A "portrait" probably representing Eleanor at prayer, in the illustration for the Hours of the Holy Spirit in the Taymouth Hours (London, BL MS Yates Thompson 13, fol. 18r) | |
| Duchess consort of Guelders | |
| Tenure | 1332 – 12 October 1343 |
| Born | 18 June 1318 Woodstock,Oxfordshire |
| Died | 22 April 1355 (aged 36) |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Reginald III, Duke of Guelders Edward, Duke of Guelders |
| House | Plantagenet |
| Father | Edward II of England |
| Mother | Isabella of France |
Eleanor of Woodstock (18 June 1318 – 22 April 1355) was an Englishprincess and the duchess ofGuelders and countess ofZutphen by marriage toReginald II of Guelders. She wasregent as the guardian of their minor sonReginald III from 1343 until 1344. She was a younger sister ofEdward III of England.
Eleanor was born on 18 June 1318,[1] atWoodstock Palace inOxfordshire to KingEdward II of England andIsabella of France.[2][3] Eleanor was named after her paternal grandmother,Eleanor of Castile.[4] £333 was given for herchurching by her father. In 1324 she was taken into care by her cousinEleanor de Clare then sent to the care ofRalph de Monthermer andIsabella Hastings with her younger sisterJoan of the Tower atPleshey. In 1325, there were negotiations betweenEngland andCastile for Eleanor to be betrothed toAlphonso XI of Castile, but this fell through due to thedowry.[5]
In early 1328 Eleanor's new sister-in-law, Philippa of Hainaut, wife of Edward III, became Eleanor's guardian.[6] In 1329, during the minority government, negotiations were underway for a match between Eleanor and the futureJohn II of France;[7] the following year the prospective bridegroom wasPeter, son ofAlfonso IV of Aragon, but these negotiations fell through also.[8]
In May 1332 Eleanor married thecount of Guelders andZutphen, Reinoud II "the black" (English: Reginald), of the House of Wassenberg (born c. 1287), a marriage arranged by her brother, Edward III, and her mother's cousinJoan of Valois.[9] The groom, quite dark of colour and according to chronicles, also of character, was a widower with four daughters. He was known for, among other things, having imprisoned his father for over six years.
As Eleanor sailed fromSandwich, her weddingtrousseau included a wedding gown of Spanish cloth, caps, gloves, shoes, a bed, rare spices and loaves of sugar. She was well received inGuelders.
According to legend, she was sent from court in 1338 under the pretext that she hadleprosy.[10] Her husband was reportedly under the influence of the priest Jan Moliart, who had been active in her exile and the false pretense of her alleged leprosy.[10] During her supposed exile, she is said to have stayed in Deventer; she does appear to have been active as the protector of the Franciscan Friars, and a financier of their new church.[11]
Again according to legend, her husband tried toannul the marriage. Although there is no firm evidence to support this story, which finds parallels in the legends surrounding numerous other royal women, Eleanor turned up in Court inNijmegen to contest the annulment, and proceeded to strip down, proving she was no leper, and thus forcing her husband to take her back.[6] He died from a fall from his horse on 12 October 1343.
Following her husband's death, Eleanor became the regent of Guelders for her nine-year-old son Reginald. Having assumed power, she had her old enemy Jan Moliart arrested and imprisoned.[11] Her regency was formally recognised, but she was forced to confront a relative of her late husband, Jan van Valkenburg, who demanded his right to share the regency with her.[11] The situation was soon so difficult that, according to some accounts, she was forced to resign her post of regency, and her son was formally declared of legal majority and therefore of no need of a regency at the age of eleven in 1344.
After her resignation she formally retired under the title Lady of Veluwe (after the name of her dowry), and spent much of her time acting as a benefactor of convents, particular the beggar convents such as the Order of Saint Clare.[12]
During the 1350s, she and Reginald came in conflict over making peace with his younger brother Edward, and he confiscated her lands.
On 22 April 1355, twelve years after she became a widow, Eleanor died at age 36.[13] According to legend, she had been too proud to ask her brotherEdward III for help and was buried in the Franciscan church inDeventer. Her tombstone had the simple inscription ELEANOR on it; however, in England, on the south side ofPhilippa of Hainault's tomb inWestminster Abbey there is an image of her and her husband.
Eleanor had two sons:
| Ancestors of Eleanor of Woodstock[15] |
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