Yolande de Dreux

Yolande of Dreux was born on 20 March 1263 and became a sovereign Countess of Montfort from 1311 until 1322. Her first marriage to Alexander III made her Queen of Scotland, and her second marriage to Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, made her Duchess of Brittany. She was the offspring of Robert IV, Count of Dreux, and Beatrice, Countess of Montfort, and through her father, she was a descendant of King Louis VI of France, connecting her to the Capetian dynasty.

Yolande’s marriage to Alexander III was part of a strategic alliance to secure an heir for Scotland and to affirm Scottish independence from England. After Alexander’s death, she declared her pregnancy but the outcome was unclear, with possibilities ranging from a miscarriage to the child being stillborn. Yolande continued to manage her Scottish affairs until her death on 2 August 1330 at the convent of Port-Royal des Champs. Her county of Montfort was inherited by her son John, who later became involved in the Breton War of Succession.