Adélaide de Maurienne
Encyclopedia
Adelaide of Savoy ( or Adelasia di Moriana, or Adèle de Maurienne) (1092 – 18 November 1154) was the second spouse but first Queen consort of Louis VI of France
.
and Gisela of Burgundy
, and niece of Pope Callixtus II
, who once visited her court in France. Her father died in 1103, and her mother married Renier I of Montferrat
as a second husband.
She became the second wife of Louis VI of France
(1081–1137), whom she married on 3 August 1115. They had eight children, the second of whom became Louis VII of France
. Adelaide was one of the most politically active of all France's medieval queens consort. Her name appears on 45 royal charters from the reign of Louis VI. During her tenure as queen, royal charters were dated with both her regnal year and that of the king. Among many other religious benefactions, she and Louis founded the monastery of St Peter's (Ste Pierre) at Montmartre, in the northern suburbs of Paris. She was reputed to be "ugly," but attentive and pious.
, with whom she had one child. She remained active in the French court and in religious activities.
Adélaide is one of two queens in a legend related by William Dugdale
. As the story goes, Queen Adélaide of France became enamoured of a young knight, William d'Albini
, at a joust. But he was already engaged to Adeliza of Louvain
and refused to become her lover. The jealous Adélaide lured him into the clutches of a hungry lion, but William ripped out the beast's tongue with his bare hands and thus killed it. This story is almost without a doubt apocryphal.
In 1153 she retired to the abbey of Montmartre
, which she had founded with Louis VII. She died there on 18 November 1154. She was buried in the cemetery of the Church of St. Pierre at Montmarte, but her tomb was destroyed during the Revolution.
Facinger, Marion F. "A Study of Medieval Queenship: Capetian France, 987-1237" Studies in Medieval and Renaissance History 5 (1968: 3-48.
Louis VI of France
Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
.
Biography
Adelaide was the daughter of Humbert II of SavoyHumbert II of Savoy
Umberto II, surnamed the Fat , was Count of Savoy from 1080 until his death in 1103. He was the son of Amadeus II of Savoy....
and Gisela of Burgundy
Gisela of Burgundy, Countess of Savoy
Gisela of Burgundy , was a Countess consort of Savoy and a Marchioness consort of Montferrat. She was the spouse of Humbert II Count of Savoy and later of Rainier I of Montferrat whom she married in 1105...
, and niece of Pope Callixtus II
Pope Callixtus II
Pope Calixtus II , born Guy de Vienne, the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy , was elected Pope on February 1, 1119, after the death of Pope Gelasius II . His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, which he was able to settle through the Concordat of Worms...
, who once visited her court in France. Her father died in 1103, and her mother married Renier I of Montferrat
Renier I of Montferrat
Renier or Rainier was the ruler of the state of Montferrat in north-west Italy from about 1100 to his death, and the first such to be identified in contemporary documents as Margrave of Montferrat....
as a second husband.
She became the second wife of Louis VI of France
Louis VI of France
Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
(1081–1137), whom she married on 3 August 1115. They had eight children, the second of whom became Louis VII of France
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
. Adelaide was one of the most politically active of all France's medieval queens consort. Her name appears on 45 royal charters from the reign of Louis VI. During her tenure as queen, royal charters were dated with both her regnal year and that of the king. Among many other religious benefactions, she and Louis founded the monastery of St Peter's (Ste Pierre) at Montmartre, in the northern suburbs of Paris. She was reputed to be "ugly," but attentive and pious.
Children
She and Louis had seven sons and one daughter:- Philip of FrancePhilip of France (1116-1131)Philip of France was the first son of Louis VI of France and his second wife Adélaide de Maurienne.The favourite son of his father as a child, Philip was enthroned alongside Louis VI as joint king in 1129...
(1116–1131) - Louis VIILouis VII of FranceLouis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
(1120–18 November 1180), King of France - HenryHenry of France (1121-1175)Henry of France , Bishop of Beauvais , then Archbishop of Reims , was the third son of Louis the Fat, King of France and his second wife Adélaide de Maurienne....
(1121–1175), Archbishop of ReimsArchbishop of ReimsThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750... - Hugues (b. c. 1122)
- RobertRobert I of DreuxRobert I of Dreux, nicknamed the Great , was the fifth son of Louis VI of France and Adélaide de Maurienne. Through his mother he was related to the Carolingians and to the Marquess William V of Montferrat.In 1137 he received the County of Dreux as an appanage from his father...
(c. 1123–11 October 1188), Count of Dreux - Constance (c. 1124–16 August 1176), married first Eustace IVEustace IV of BoulogneEustace IV was a Count of Boulogne and the son and heir of King Stephen of England. He became the Heir Apparent to his father's lands by the death of an elder brother before 1135, and inherited Boulogne through his mother, Matilda of Boulogne.In 1137, he did homage for Normandy to Louis VII of...
, Count of BoulogneCount of BoulogneThe county of Boulogne was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of a part of the present-day French département of the Pas-de-Calais , in parts of which there is still a Dutch-speaking minority....
and then Raymond V of ToulouseRaymond V of ToulouseRaymond V was count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194.He was the son of Alphonse-Jordan. When Alphonse died in the Holy Land in 1148, the county of Toulouse passed to his son Raymond, at the time 14 years old....
. - PhilipPhilip of France (1125-1161)Philip of France , Archdeacon of Paris, was a son of Louis the Fat, King of France and his second wife Adélaide de Maurienne....
(1125–1161), Bishop of Paris. not to be confused with his elder brother. - Peter (c. 1125–1183), married Elizabeth, Lady of CourtenayHouse of CourtenayThe House of Courtenay was an important dynasty in medieval France originating from the castle of Courtenay in the Gâtinais , going back to the 10th century. The dynasty descended from Athon, the first lord of Courtenay, apparently himself a descendant of the Counts of Sens and from Pharamond,...
Queen dowager
Afer Louis VI's death, Adélaide did not immediately retire to conventual life, as did most widowed queens of the time. Instead she married Matthieu I of MontmorencyMatthieu I of Montmorency
Matthieu Ier de Montmorency was lord of Montmorency, of Écouenof Marly-le-Roi, in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and Attichy. He was also Constable of France from 1138 to 1160 under Louis VII....
, with whom she had one child. She remained active in the French court and in religious activities.
Adélaide is one of two queens in a legend related by William Dugdale
William Dugdale
Sir William Dugdale was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject.-Life:...
. As the story goes, Queen Adélaide of France became enamoured of a young knight, William d'Albini
William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel
William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Lincoln and 1st Earl of Arundel , also known as William d'Albini, was son of William d'Aubigny, 'Pincerna' of Old Buckenham Castle in Norfolk, and Maud Bigod, daughter of Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk.-Marriage and Issue:The younger William was an important member...
, at a joust. But he was already engaged to Adeliza of Louvain
Adeliza of Louvain
Adeliza of Louvain, sometimes known in England as Adelicia of Louvain, also called Adela and Aleidis; was queen consort of the Kingdom of England from 1121 to 1135, the second wife of Henry I...
and refused to become her lover. The jealous Adélaide lured him into the clutches of a hungry lion, but William ripped out the beast's tongue with his bare hands and thus killed it. This story is almost without a doubt apocryphal.
In 1153 she retired to the abbey of Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
, which she had founded with Louis VII. She died there on 18 November 1154. She was buried in the cemetery of the Church of St. Pierre at Montmarte, but her tomb was destroyed during the Revolution.
Sources
- Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 101-24, 117-24, 135-26, 274A-25
- Nolan, Kathleen D. Capetian Women
Facinger, Marion F. "A Study of Medieval Queenship: Capetian France, 987-1237" Studies in Medieval and Renaissance History 5 (1968: 3-48.