Beatriz (Avis) Holand (abt. 1382 - 1439)

Born about 1382 in Portugal

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas FitzAlan KG — married 26 Nov 1405 in Lambeth, Surrey, England

Died 23 Oct 1439 at about age 57 in Bordeaux, France

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Beatrice Avis was a member of the aristocracy in Europe.

Biography

Beatrice (Beatriz) was an illegitimate daughter of João I, King of Portugal, and Ines Perez. ^[1] Since 1386, her father had been allied to England as John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster attempted to enforce his claim to the title King of Castile and Leon in right of his second wife Constance of Castile, whom he had married in 1371. To seal this alliance Lancaster gave João his daughter Philippa as his second wife. In 1404, Lancaster's son Henry had seized the English throne as Henry IV, and to confirm their alliance, he arranged a marriage between João's daughter Beatriz and his second cousin Thomas FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel. ^[2] The marriage was conducted in Lisbon by proxy in April 1405 and in October the bride left for England, where it was solemnized. ^[3] The union had no issue.

In 1415, Thomas FitzAlan died, leaving Beatrice with a great concern over her dower rights. His Will ^[4] apparently left her no other bequests. The Crown, following Inquisitions in 1415 and 1416 ^[5] ordered the distribution of his estate to his various heirs, always adding the stipulation "saving to Beatrice, late the wife of Thomas, her reasonable dower". ^[6] The widowed countess made numerous petitions on this account, which the Crown viewed favorably. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Nonetheless, in 1421, she made another petition to the king in Parliament:

To the king our most sovereign lord, Beatrice, who was the wife of Thomas, formerly earl of Arundel, and who was born and engendered in the land of Portugal, humbly requests that, whereas the said former earl, after the marriage between him and the said supplicant had been celebrated, was seised of various castles, lands, tenements and possessions in England and in Wales: that is, of some in his demesne in fee simple, and others in his demesne in fee tail; and after the death of the said former earl, some of those who were heirs and land-tenants to the same late earl deprived the said supplicant of her reasonable dower from the aforesaid castles, lands, tenements and possessions, claiming that the said supplicant is not dowable, because she was born and engendered in the said land of Portugal; to the great injury of the said supplicant. ^[10]

She was then officially naturalized by Act of Parliament: "1421 Beatrice, widow of Thomas earl of Arundel; native of Portugal (By Act of Parliament, 9 Hy. V.)" ^[11]

On 20 January 1433, she married, as his second wife, John Holand, Earl of Huntington and later Duke of Exeter. This marriage also had no issue. ^[12] The countess died at Bordeaux on 23 October 1439, and her body was taken for burial to Arundel Sussex to lie with her first husband the Earl of Arundel. ^{[13] [14]}

The Duke of Exeter then remarried. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), vol. II, page 190-195. Thomas Arundel
2. ↑ "Rymer's Foedera with Syllabus: January-June 1404." Rymer's Foedera Volume 8. Ed. Thomas Rymer. London: Apud Joannem Neulme, 1739-1745. 345-363. British History Online. Web. 2 February 2024. Feb. 16
3. ↑ History of Parliament Online: Babelake, alias Wyndsore, John HOP
4. ↑ Nichols, Testamenta Vetusta, Vol 1, p. 186. London: Nichols & Son, 1826. p. 186
5. ↑ Kirby, J. L. "Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry V, Entries 654-699." Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Volume 20, Henry V. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1995. 207-219. British History Online. Web. 28 January 2024. #654: Thomas, Earl of Arundel
6. ↑ Calendar of the Fine Rolls - 4 Henry V, Membrane 19, pp. 162-7. July 25 1416. p. 162
7. ↑ Calendar of the Patent Rolls - 1 Henry V - Part 1. p. 413 January 18 1416. January 18
8. ↑ "Close Rolls, Henry V: April 1416." Calendar of Close Rolls, Henry V: Volume 1, 1413-1419. Ed. A E Stamp. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1929. 300-305. British History Online. Web. 29 January 2024. April 10, Westminster
9. ↑ Calendar of Patent Rolls - 1 Henry V - Part 1. p. 400 p. 400
10. ↑ "Henry V: May 1421." Parliament Rolls of Medieval England. Eds. Chris Given-Wilson, Paul Brand, Seymour Phillips, Mark Ormrod, Geoffrey Martin, Anne Curry, and Rosemary Horrox. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2005. British History Online. Web. 2 February 2024. 1421
11. ↑ Shaw, William Arthur. Letters of Denization and Acts of Naturalization in England and Ireland, 1603-1700, The Huguenot Society of London, 1911, Vol. 18, Page iv.
12. ↑ Cokayne, GE. The Complete Peerage, Vol. 1, pp. 244-246. London : The St. Catherine Press, ltd., 1910. p. 244
13. ↑ Baggs, A P, and H M Warne. "Arundel." A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 5 Part 1, Arundel Rape: South-Western Part, Including Arundel. Ed. T P Hudson. London: Victoria County History, 1997. 10-101. British History Online. Web. 3 February 2024. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol5/pt1/pp10-101 Monuments]
14. ↑ The London Dead Tomb

• Cawley, Charles. Entry for John de Holand, "Medieval Lands": A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families © by Charles Cawley, hosted by Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG). See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands.
• Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2013 (volume II, pages 538-539 EXETER 11; volume II, page 613 FITZALAN 12.vii). See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
• Wikipedia: Beatrice, Countess of Arundel - NOTE: The Wikipedia article (as of 14 April 2020) presents this Beatrice and the other Beatrice as the same person (married four times - Arundel, Talbot, Holand, and Fettiplace - instead of two each). From the profile for the other Beatrice (Pinto-8):
  • See this article for a good explanation: http://www.berkshirehistory.com/articles/fettiplace_monument.html
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography... no link given prior to 14 April 2020, at which time the following articles were found:
  • (2004, September 23). Fitzalan, Thomas, fifth earl of Arundel and tenth earl of Surrey (1381–1415). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 14 Apr. 2020, from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-1010340.
  • Griffiths, R. (2008, January 03). Holland [Holand], John, first duke of Exeter (1395–1447), soldier and magnate. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 14 Apr. 2020, from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-13530.