Alphonso, Earl of Chester

Alphonso (* November 24, 1273 in Bayonne, France, † August 19 1284 in Windsor Castle) was the ninth child of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. He was about a decade heir of the King of England.

Biography

Alphonso was born in Bayonne in Gascony. They named it after his maternal uncle, Alfonso X of Castile, who was his godfather. Alphonso's older brothers died early. John, the eldest son of Edward I died in 1271 with only five years, one year before he took office. His second eldest brother Henry, who acted after the coronation of his father as the first heir to the throne, died in 1274 at the age of seven years. As the third- oldest son Alphonso was therefore for a period of ten years to the heir to the throne.

During those ten years, his father was a lot of traveling in Wales, but he prepared his son on the later expected adoption of the royal title before. So he married him already in 1281 the daughter of the rival Count Florens V. of Holland. Alphonso died in Windsor, when he was ten years old; possibly from tuberculosis. This happened shortly after the birth of his younger brother, the future Edward II. Through this brother was Alphonso's death the only male heir of Edward I. Alphonso was buried in Westminster Abbey.

The term " Earl of Chester "

Alphonso is indeed called Earl of Chester, but there is no historical basis for that Alphonso was ever actually officially appointed Earl of Chester. In the literature, the year 1284 is given as the appointment year in most cases. This assumption, and thus the use of the term for it probably dates from the 17th century. They call him since so because Edward III. in 1338 the county of Chester made ​​it one of the largest benefice of England, next to the Duchy of Cornwall. The county has since been inherited by the eldest son and heir of the king of England. No historical source confirmed, however, that already his third oldest son of Edward I was such a title. Only one important act was noted in the writings of the royal chancery. Furthermore, Alphonso is never mentioned in the chronicles of the housekeeper of his parents, Earl of Chester. We wrote about him in it exclusively as "the Lord Alphonso ". This suggests that he was known during his lifetime, probably under a different title.

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