by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Alfonso as portrayed in an early 14th-century genealogical roll of the Kings of England; Credit – Wikipedia

If Alfonso had survived his father Edward I, King of England, England would have had a King Alfonso. Alfonso, Earl of Chester was born on November 24, 1273, in Bayonne, Duchy of Gascony, now in France. His parents were taking a break in the Duchy of Gascony before returning to England, which they had left in 1270 to participate in the 9th Crusade or Lord Edward’s Crusade in the Holy Land. Alfonso was named for his mother’s half-brother King Alfonso X of Castile and León. Queen Eleanor persuaded her half-brother to come to Gascony to serve as godfather at Alfonso’s baptism. Alfonso’s paternal grandparents were Henry III, King of England and Eleanor of Provence. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand III, King of Castile and Toledo and King of León, and Galicia and his second wife Jeanne, Countess of Ponthieu and Aumale in her own right.

Alfonso was the third son and the ninth of the 14 – 16 children of Edward I, King of England and Eleanor of Castile, the first of his two wives. At the time of his birth, Alfonso was the second surviving son as his eldest brother John had died in 1271. In 1274, Alfonso’s elder brother Henry died, leaving Alfonso as the only son of King Edward I. He was the heir apparent to the English throne throughout his short life. There is no evidence that Alfonso was formally created Earl of Chester, although he was styled as Earl of Chester.

Alfonso’s parents had 14 – 16 children but only five daughters and one son survived to adulthood. The eleven siblings of Alfonso listed below were those who were named and survived infancy for at least a couple of months. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth. For instance, Alfonso’s sister Joan was born in Acre (now in Israel) while her parents were on crusade and was called Joan of Acre.

• Katherine of England (born and died 1264), died in infancy
• Joan of England (born and died 1265), died in infancy
• John of England (1266 – 1271), died in childhood
• Henry of England (1268 – 1274), died in childhood
• Eleanor of England (1269 – 1298), married Henri III, Count of Bar, had one son and one daughter
• Joan of Acre (1272 – 1307), married (1) Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester, had four children (2) Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron Monthermer, had four children
• Margaret of England (1275 – after 1333), married John II, Duke of Brabant, had one son
• Berengaria of England (1276 – 1278), died in childhood
• Mary of Woodstock (1279 – 1332), a Benedictine nun in Amesbury, Wiltshire
• Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1282 – 1316), married (1) John I, Count of Holland, no children (2) Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, 3rd Earl of Essex, had ten children
• King Edward II of England (1284 – 1327), married Isabella of France, had four children

Early fourteenth-century manuscript showing Alfonso’s parents King Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile; Credit – Wikipedia

Alfonso’s parents Edward and Eleanor had a loving marriage and were inseparable throughout their married life. King Edward I is one of the few English kings of this time period to apparently be faithful to his wife. Eleanor accompanied her husband on crusade and other military campaigns. Because his parents were often away, Alfonso had his own household. In 1281, Alfonso was betrothed to Margaret of Holland, the daughter of Floris V, Count of Holland and Beatrice of Flanders.

South Ambulatory of Westminster Abbey, to the right of the main altar, where Alfonso is buried

On August 19, 1284, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Alfonso died at the age of ten. He was interred in the south ambulatory between the Chapel of Edward the Confessor and the Chapel of St. Benedict, to the right of the main altar at Westminster Abbey in London, England. Alfonso’s fiancée Margaret died the following year. On April 25, 1284, four months before Alfonso’s death, Queen Eleanor gave birth to her last child, a son, the future King Edward II who succeeded his father King Edward in 1307.

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Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Alphonso, Earl of Chester – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonso,_Earl_of_Chester> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2013. Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-28-1290-death-of-eleanor-of-castile-first-wife-of-king-edward-i-of-england/> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Edward I of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-i-of-england/> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Alphonse d’Angleterre — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_d%27Angleterre> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Jones, Dan, 2012. The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
• Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Альфонсо, граф Честер — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%84%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BE,_%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84_%D0%A7%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80> [Accessed 9 October 2022].
• Williamson, David, 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.