| Alphonso | |
|---|---|
 Alphonso as portrayed in an early-14th-century genealogical roll of thekings of England | |
| Born | 24 November 1273 Bayonne,Gascony,France |
| Died | 19 August 1284 (aged 10) Windsor Castle,Berkshire,England |
| Burial | 26 August 1284 Westminster Abbey,London, England |
| House | Plantagenet |
| Father | Edward I of England |
| Mother | Eleanor of Castile |
Alphonso orAlfonso (24 November 1273 – 19 August 1284), also calledAlphonsus andAlphonse and styledEarl of Chester, was anheir apparent to the English throne who never became king.[1]
Alphonso was the ninth child of KingEdward I of England and hisCastilian wifeEleanor. He was born inBayonne,Gascony, a duchy claimed by his maternal uncle KingAlphonso X of Castile until his parents' marriage in 1254. Edward and Eleanor's friendship with the King of Castile was also confirmed when they named their son in his honour, a "remarkable choice" given the name's rarity in England. Queen Eleanor even persuaded her brother to travel to Gascony and serve asgodfather at the young prince's baptism.[1]
Alphonso's eldest brother, John, had died in 1271; the death of another older brother,Henry, in 1274, made Alphonso the couple's only son up until the last months of his life.[2] As his parents were often required to travel, Alphonso had a household of his own. Queen Eleanor was nevertheless invested in the upbringing of her son, who even had a Spanish cook.[1]
At the age of ten, Alphonso was engaged to Margaret, daughter ofFloris V, Count of Holland. An opulentpsalter was being prepared for the marriage when he fell ill[2] and died a few months before the wedding was to take place. The king and queen greeted the death of their son with deep sadness; at the same time, the historianMichael Prestwich noted that in memory of the king's nephew, Henry of Brittany, who died a month later, Edward and Eleanor ordered more masses than in memory of their son.
TheAlphonso Psalter, now in theBritish Library, was completed a decade later when his sisterElizabeth married Margaret's brother,John I, Count of Holland, making the pairing of arms again appropriate.[3]
Alphonso's death atWindsor occurred shortly after the birth of his younger brotherEdward, who became the oldest surviving male heir of Edward I. Alphonso was interred in The Confessor's Chapel atWestminster Abbey, although the exact location is unknown. His heart, however, was buried at the priory ofBlackfriars, London (now destroyed).
As heirs apparent to the throne, both Alphonso and Edward bore the arms of the kingdom,differenced by alabelazure.[4]
| Ancestors of Alphonso, Earl of Chester[5] |
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