Marie of Brabant, Queen of France facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marie of Brabant
Detail of Marie in the Meliacin ou le Cheval de fust, c. 1285
Queen consort of France
Tenure	21 August 1274 – 5 October 1285
Coronation	24 June 1275
Born	13 May 1254 Leuven, Brabant, Holy Roman Empire
Died	12 January 1322(1322-01-12) (aged 67) Les Mureaux, France
Burial	Cordeliers Convent, Paris
Spouse	Philip III of France
Issue	Louis, Count of Évreux Blanche, Duchess of Austria Margaret, Queen of England
House	House of Reginar
Father	Henry III, Duke of Brabant
Mother	Adelaide of Burgundy

Marie of Brabant (born May 13, 1254 – died January 12, 1322) was a Queen of France. She became queen in 1274 and served until 1285. She was the second wife of King Philip III. Marie was born in Leuven, a city in a region called Brabant. Her parents were Henry III, Duke of Brabant, and Adelaide of Burgundy.

Becoming Queen of France

The royal symbol of Marie as Queen of France.

Marie married King Philip III of France on August 21, 1274. Philip had been married before, but his first wife had passed away. From his first marriage, Philip already had three sons: Louis, Philip, and Charles.

At the French court, King Philip's mother, Margaret of Provence, had a lot of influence. Also, a trusted advisor named Pierre de la Broce was very close to the King. Marie was not from France, so she was quite different from others at court.

In 1276, Marie's stepson Louis passed away. There were some rumors and talk about how he died. Marie was one of the people mentioned in these rumors. Later, Pierre de la Broce was also suspected and faced serious consequences.

Life as Queen Dowager

After King Philip III died in 1285, Marie was no longer the reigning queen. She became known as the Queen Dowager. This meant she lost some of her direct political power. She then focused on raising her three children with Philip. These children were Louis (born 1276), Blanche (born 1278), and Margaret (who later became Queen of England).

Marie's stepson, Philip IV, became the new King of France. He was crowned on January 6, 1286.

Marie continued to play an important role in some matters. In 1294, she helped negotiate peace between England and France. She worked with Joan I of Navarre and Blanche of Artois to talk with Edmund Crouchback, who was the younger brother of the English King Edward I of England.

Marie lived a long life. She saw her stepson Philip IV rule, and she even outlived all of her own children. She passed away in 1322 at the age of 67. She had been living in a monastery near Meulan in France since 1316. Marie was buried in the Cordeliers Convent in Paris, not in the usual royal burial place. The church where she was buried was later rebuilt after a fire.

See also

• Marie of Brabant (disambiguation)