Fontevraud, a double monastery of nuns and monks ruled by an abbess, is the Angevin family's church: Henry II was buried here in 1189 and Richard in 1199, beside his sister Joan, and Eleanor of Aquitaine makes it her home.
The abbess heads an order with priories across France and in England, and is lady of the village at the abbey's gate.
Who holds it
- Name
- Matilda of Bohemia (Mathilde III)
- Title
- Abbess of Fontevraud, head of the order
- Since
- 1194
- Confidence
- medium
Abbess from 1194 to 1207 by French Wikipedia's list; formerly prioress of Wariville. Her predecessors received Henry II's body (Abbess Gillette, 1189) and a relic of the True Cross from Richard (Abbess Matilda of Flanders, 1189-1194). French Wikipedia warns that some lists of these abbesses conflict.
What it holds
- Fontevraud: the abbey and its village
- Head of an order of dependent priories in France and England (Amesbury was founded from here in 1177)
How it was acquired
Founded about 1101 by Robert of Arbrissel; enriched by the counts of Anjou and the Angevin kings.
How things stand that morning
Held, under Eleanor's protection.
Wealth
Royal gifts, the rents of its priories, and the endowments of the Angevin tombs.
Threats
- The Angevin succession war in Anjou and Poitou
- The death of its great patroness, Eleanor, now about 76
Advocates and rivals
The Angevin family, its patrons; the bishops of Poitiers.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- January to April 1200 (dates approximate)Eleanor crosses the Pyrenees to Castile to fetch a granddaughter for Prince Louis; she brings Blanche back north and retires to Fontevraud after Easter.Depends on: Eleanor's health and the Franco-Angevin talks that lead to Le Goulet; the marriage is a term of the treaty. Stopped by: Her illness or capture on the road, or a breakdown of the peace.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The abbess comes from French Wikipedia's list; the Angevin burials and Eleanor's 1200 journey are from general knowledge, since the abbey's main articles could not be read (the fetches were rate-limited).
On the map: Only the abbey's village is drawn; its priories are not.
Primary sources for Angevin lands
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. Read online
- Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
- Chronicles of the Churches of Anjou (Saint-Aubin, Saint-Serge, Saint-Florent and others), Various (monks of Angers and the Loire) (11th to 13th centuries; the Saint-Aubin annals run to the 1220s). The Angevin houses' own annals of the succession crisis in their city: Arthur received at Angers in 1199 with Constance and the Breton and Angevin barons, John's counter-moves, the defection of William des Roches and the Angevin lords to John, and the peace of 1200 that left Arthur John's vassal. Read online
- The Great Chronicle of Tours, Anonymous (a canon of Saint-Martin of Tours) (about 1227). The Loire valley's view of the Angevin succession. Read online
- Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
- English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
14 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.