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Alphonso, Earl of Chester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| English Royalty |
|---|
| House of Plantagenet |
 Armorial of Plantagenet |
| Edward I |
| Joan, Countess of Gloucester |
| Alphonso, Earl of Chester |
| Edward II |
| Thomas, Earl of Norfolk |
| Edmund, Earl of Kent |
Alphonso (24 November 1273 – 19 August 1284) was the ninth child of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. During his lifetime, he was first in line to the throne.
Alphonso was born at Bayonne, in Gascony, and named after his maternal uncle, King Alfonso X of Castile, who was his godfather. Alphonso died at Windsor, aged ten, shortly after the birth of his younger brother (later Edward II of England). His death left his brother as the only surviving male heir of Edward I. Alphonso was interred at Westminster Abbey.
The belief that Alphonso was created earl of Chester is without contemporary foundation. That belief apparently originated in the 17th century because Edward III in 1338 formally made the earldom of Chester one of the honors (along with the duchy of Cornwall) borne by eldest sons and heirs-apparent of the kings of England. There is no record evidence whatever that Edward I gave his son that title. Such an important act would have been noted in the records of the royal Chancery. Furthermore in the records of the households of Alphonso's parents, he is never called "earl of Chester," only "the Lord Alphonso," proving that in his lifetime, he was known by no other title.