Beatrice of Savoy Facts for Kids

For other uses, see Beatrice of Savoy (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Beatrice of Savoy

Countess consort of Provence
Tenure	December 1220 – 19 August 1245

Born	1198 in Château du Menuet
Died	1267 (aged 68–69) in Château du Menuet
Spouse	Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
Issue	Margaret, Queen of France Eleanor, Queen of England Sanchia, Queen of Germany Beatrice, Queen of Sicily
House	Savoy
Father	Thomas I of Savoy
Mother	Margaret of Geneva

Beatrice of Savoy (born around 1198, died around 1267) was an important noblewoman. She became the Countess of Provence when she married Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence. She also helped rule her home country, Savoy, for a short time in 1264 when her brother was away.

Beatrice's Early Life
Becoming Countess of Provence
Life as a Dowager Countess
Beatrice's Children
Her Four Royal Daughters
Images for kids
See also

Beatrice's Early Life

Beatrice was the daughter of Thomas I of Savoy and Margaret of Geneva. She was one of many children, the tenth of fourteen, born to her parents.

Becoming Countess of Provence

Beatrice married Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence in December 1220. People thought she was very clever and beautiful. She and Ramon had four daughters who all grew up and married kings! Their only son, Raymond, sadly died when he was very young.

In 1242, Beatrice's brother, Peter, went to Provence. He helped arrange the marriage of Beatrice's daughter, Sanchia, to Richard, who was the brother of the English king. Another brother, Philip, then took Beatrice and Sanchia to England in 1243. There, they met King Henry III and Queen Eleanor. The king was very happy and gave many gifts to his new relatives.

In November 1243, Beatrice and Sanchia traveled to England for the wedding. This marriage made the English royal family stronger. Beatrice also helped King Henry III pay off some debts for his sister, Eleanor, and her husband, Simon de Montfort. In 1244, Beatrice helped her husband get a loan from King Henry. She offered five castles in Provence as a promise to pay it back.

Life as a Dowager Countess

When Ramon Berenguer died in 1245, he left Provence to his youngest daughter, also named Beatrice. His wife, Beatrice of Savoy, was allowed to use the income from Provence for the rest of her life. This made her youngest daughter a very desirable bride in Europe. Many powerful rulers wanted to marry her.

Beatrice of Savoy quickly took her daughter to a safe castle in Aix. She gained the trust of the local people and asked the Pope for protection. In December 1245, the Pope, King Louis IX of France, and his family met in secret. They decided that King Louis's youngest brother, Charles of Anjou, would marry Beatrice of Provence. Both mother and daughter were happy with this choice.

However, Provence would not automatically become part of France. It was agreed that if Charles and Beatrice had children, the county would go to them. If they had no children, it would go to Sanchia of Provence. If Sanchia had no heirs, it would go to the King of Aragon. King Henry III of England was not happy about this. He said he hadn't received all the money promised for his wife, Eleanor, who was also Beatrice's daughter. He also still held the castles in Provence as a guarantee for the loan.

When Charles took control of Provence in 1246, he did not respect Beatrice's rights. She asked for help from others to protect her position. The people of Marseille, Avignon, and Arles also resisted Charles's rule. In 1248, Charles tried to make peace with Beatrice so he could join his brother's crusade. They agreed to a temporary peace.

In 1248, Beatrice traveled back to England with her brother, Thomas, to visit their family.

In 1254, King Louis IX of France returned from his crusade through Provence. Beatrice asked him to help settle her dispute with Charles permanently. Queen Margaret of France, Beatrice's daughter, also joined the request. Beatrice then traveled with them to Paris. Later that year, King Henry III and Queen Eleanor were invited to Paris. All four of Beatrice's daughters joined their mother there for Christmas.

The good relationships among the four sisters helped improve the friendship between the French and English kings. This led to the Treaty of Paris in 1259, which settled many disagreements. Beatrice and all her daughters were part of these important discussions. While the family was still together, King Louis IX convinced Beatrice to give up her claims in Provence. In return, she would receive a large payment each year. Charles also paid back the loan King Henry had made to the previous count.

In 1262, Beatrice was involved in family talks to try and make peace between King Henry and Simon de Montfort again. When King Henry was captured in 1264, Beatrice's brother, Peter II, Count of Savoy, led his army to help free the king. He left Beatrice in charge of Savoy while he was away.

Beatrice lived longer than her third daughter, Sanchia. She also almost outlived her youngest daughter, Beatrice, who died a few months after her mother. Beatrice of Savoy passed away around 1265 or 1267.