| Yolande of Dreux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Countess of Montfort | |
| Reign | 1311–1322 |
| Predecessor | Beatrice |
| Successor | John II |
| Queen consort of Alba (Scotland) | |
| Tenure | 1285–1286 |
| Duchess consort of Brittany | |
| Tenure | 1305–1312 |
| Born | 20 March 1263 |
| Died | 2 August 1330(1330-08-02) (aged 67) |
| Spouse | Alexander III of Scotland Arthur II, Duke of Brittany |
| Issue more... | John of Montfort |
| House | Dreux |
| Father | Robert IV, Count of Dreux |
| Mother | Beatrice, Countess of Montfort |
Yolande of Dreux (20 March 1263 – 2 August 1330[1]) was thecountess of Montfort-l'Amaury from 1311 until 1322. Between 1285 and 1286, she wasQueen of Scotland through her first marriage toAlexander III of Scotland. Through her second marriage toArthur II, Duke of Brittany, she wasDuchess of Brittany.
She was the daughter ofRobert IV,Count of Dreux, andBeatrice, Countess of Montfort.[2] Her father was apatrilineal descendant of KingLouis VI of France, making her a member of a cadet branch of theCapetian dynasty with powerful connections.
In 1281, King Alexander III of Scotland lost his son David and two other children in the two following years, leaving his granddaughter,Margaret, Maid of Norway, as his heir presumptive. He needed to remarry to have a new heir to the throne. Yolande was daughter of the stepdaughter of Jean de Brienne, the second spouse of king Alexander's mother, queen dowager Marie de Coucy, and considered a suitable match. Yolande was related to her husband, Alexander III, through shared ancestry in the French noble houses ofCoucy and Dreux. In addition to providing an heir for theKingdom of Scotland, Alexander's marriage to Yolande represented a move to distance Alexander from his neighbourEdward I of England and to emphasize Scottish independence from England.
An embassy was sent from Scotland in February 1285 and returned with Yolande in the company of her brother John. The marriage was celebrated on 15 October 1285 atJedburgh Abbey, attended by a great many nobles of France and Scotland.[2]
Alexander died on either 18 March or 19 March 1286, after falling from his horse, while riding from his court atEdinburgh to join Yolande atKinghorn. Following his death, queen Dowager Yolande moved to Stirling Castle and declared that she was pregnant. TheGuardians of Scotland were elected by a parliament held atScone, on 2 April or 28 April 1286 and swore to govern the kingdom until Alexander's declared heir Margaret of Norway arrived to take the throne or Yolande gave birth to a child who would be preferred over Margaret.
It is unclear what happened to her pregnancy; most likely she had amiscarriage, although by one account the Guardians gathered atClackmannan onSaint Catherine's Day (25 November 1286) to witness the birth, but the child wasstillborn, and tradition says the baby was buried at Cambuskenneth. It is also possible she had aphantom pregnancy, and according to one dubious English account she was faking pregnancy.[3] After the queen dowager's pregnancy did not result in a living child, the council began preparations for Margaret of Norway to be taken to Scotland as their new sovereign.
Queen Dowager Yolande remained in Scotland for a couple of years supported by her dower provisions and living possibly at Stirling Castle: it is known that she was still in Scotland at least as late as in 1288. At some point, she returned to France.
In May 1294, Yolande marriedArthur II, Duke of Brittany.[4] Together they had at least six children. Arthur died in 1312, being succeeded by his sonJohn III, Duke of Brittany.
Yolande succeeded her mother assuo jure Countess of Montfort in 1311. She continued to manage her Scottish affairs: as late as shortly before her death, she is noted to have sent a knight to Scotland to see to her dower lands.
Yolande died on 2 August 1330 in the convent of Port-Royal des Champs outside of Paris.[5] Her county of Montfort passed to her son John, who would later fight for his claim to his father's duchy in theBreton War of Succession.
Yolande and Arthur had at least six children:
Necrologe de l'abbaie de Port-Royal-des-Champs
Yolande of Dreux, Queen of Scotland Cadet branch of theCapetian dynasty Born: 1263 Died: 2 August 1330 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Countess of Montfort 1311–1322 withArthur (1311–1312) | Succeeded by |
| Royal titles | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Margaret of England | Queen consort of Scotland 1285–1286 | Vacant Title next held by Elizabeth de Burgh |
| Vacant Title last held by Blanche of Navarre | Duchess consort of Brittany 1305–1312 | Succeeded by |