Alice de la Roche
Encyclopedia
Alice de la Roche, Lady of Beirut, Regent of Beirut (died 1282) was the wife of John II of Ibelin
, Lord of Beirut, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
. She was a daughter of Guy I, Lord of Athens
. Alice is sometimes referred to as Alice of Athens. Alice was Regent of Beirut for her daughter Queen Isabella of Cyprus, during the latter's absence in Cyprus
.
-sur-l'Ongon, Lord of Athens (1205–1263), and his wife, who was the daughter of Hugues de Bruyeres, Lord of Karytaina by an unnamed woman of the noble House of Villehardouin. Her paternal grandfather was Othon I de la Roche-sur-l'Ongon, Lord of Athens. Her father Guy was created Duke of Athens in 1260 by King Louis IX of France
.
Alice had two brothers and three younger sisters:
, Lord of Beirut and Eschiva de Montfaucon de Montbéliard. He was the grandson of John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut
and Melisende of Arsuf
. In 1260, he led a massive raid alongside the Knights Templars into Galilee
. John and the Templars were defeated near Tiberias by the Turcomen
. John was taken prisoner and later ransomed.
John and Alice had two daughters:
During her daughter Isabella's absence in Cyprus, from 1274–1277, Alice was Regent
of Beirut.
Their numerous descendants included Anne de Lusignan, King Charles VIII of France
, Anne of France
and Mary, Queen of Scots.
In 1308, her nephew Guy II, Duke of Athens died without heirs. Alice's daughter Eschive claimed the dukedom, but lost to Walter V of Brienne
, the son of Alice's sister Isabella.
John II of Beirut
John of Ibelin , often called John II, was the Lord of Beirut from 1254, named after his grandfather John I, the famous "Old Lord of Beirut"...
, Lord of Beirut, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
. She was a daughter of Guy I, Lord of Athens
Guy I de la Roche
Guy I de la Roche was the Duke of Athens , the nephew and successor of the first duke Otto. After the conquest of Thebes, Otto gave half the city in lordship to Guy....
. Alice is sometimes referred to as Alice of Athens. Alice was Regent of Beirut for her daughter Queen Isabella of Cyprus, during the latter's absence in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
Family
Alice was born on an unknown date. She was one of six children of Guy I de la RocheGuy I de la Roche
Guy I de la Roche was the Duke of Athens , the nephew and successor of the first duke Otto. After the conquest of Thebes, Otto gave half the city in lordship to Guy....
-sur-l'Ongon, Lord of Athens (1205–1263), and his wife, who was the daughter of Hugues de Bruyeres, Lord of Karytaina by an unnamed woman of the noble House of Villehardouin. Her paternal grandfather was Othon I de la Roche-sur-l'Ongon, Lord of Athens. Her father Guy was created Duke of Athens in 1260 by King Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
.
Alice had two brothers and three younger sisters:
- John I de la RocheJohn I de la RocheJohn I de la Roche succeeded his father, Guy I, as Duke of Athens in 1263. He was cultured and chivalrous, spoke fluent Greek, and read Herodotus.In 1275, John, with 300 knights, relieved Neopatras, blockaded by a Byzantine mercenary army...
, Duke of Athens (died 1280), succeeded his father as Duke in 1263. He died unmarried and childless. - William de la Roche (died 1287), Duke of Athens, married Helena Angelina Comnena, by whom he had one son, Guy II, Duke of AthensGuy II de la RocheGuy II de la Roche was the Duke of Athens from 1287, the last duke of his family. He succeeded as a minor on the death of his father, William I, at a time when the duchy of Athens had exceeded the Principality of Achaea in wealth, power, and importance.Guy was originally under the tutorship and...
. - Marguerite de la Roche (died after 1293), married Henry I, Count of Vaudémont.
- Isabella de la Roche, married firstly, Geoffroy de Bruyeres, Lord of Karytaina. She married secondly, Hugh of BrienneHugh of BrienneHugh de Candie, Count of Brienne and Lecce was the second surviving son of Count Walter IV of Brienne and Marie de Lusignan of Cyprus....
, Count of Brienne and LecceLecceLecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...
, by whom she had a son, Walter of BrienneWalter V of BrienneGautier or Walter V of Brienne was born in Brienne-le-Château, Aube, Champagne, France. He was the son of Hugh de Candie des Brienne, known as Hugh of Brienne, Count of Brienne and Lecce, and Isabella de la Roche, daughter of Guy I of la Roche, Duke of Athens...
, who in turn married Jeanne de Châtillon and had issue, and a daughter, Agnes of Brienne, wife of John, Count of Joigny. Mary, Queen of Scots, and Queen consort Elizabeth WoodvilleElizabeth WoodvilleElizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
and her siblings were among Isabella's many descendants. - Catherine de la Roche, married Carlo di Lagonessa, Seneschal of Sicily.
Marriage and issue
In 1249/1250, Alice married John II of Ibelin, Lord of Beirut, the son of Balian of IbelinBalian of Beirut
Balian of Ibelin was the Lord of Beirut, the second of his family, from 1236, and a son of the famous "Old Lord" John of Ibelin, by his second wife Melisende of Arsuf. From his father he assumed the leadership of the nobility in the War of the Lombards, fought against the agents of the Emperor...
, Lord of Beirut and Eschiva de Montfaucon de Montbéliard. He was the grandson of John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut
John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut
John of Ibelin , called the Old Lord of Beirut, was a powerful crusader noble in the 13th century, one of the best known representatives of the influential Ibelin family...
and Melisende of Arsuf
Melisende of Arsuf
Melisende of Arsuf, Sovereign Dame of Arsuf, Lady of Beirut , was an heiress, and the second wife of the powerful Crusader noble John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut who led the opposition to Emperor Frederick II when he tried to impose Imperial authority in the kingdom of Jerusalem and the...
. In 1260, he led a massive raid alongside the Knights Templars into Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
. John and the Templars were defeated near Tiberias by the Turcomen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
. John was taken prisoner and later ransomed.
John and Alice had two daughters:
- Isabella of Ibelin, Lady of Beirut, Queen of Cyprus (1252- 1282/November 1283), married firstly King Hugh II of CyprusHugh II of CyprusHugh II of Cyprus was king of Cyprus and, from the age of 5 years, also Regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem....
, secondly Haymo Léstrange, and thirdly, Guillaume Bervais. All three marriages were childless. - Eschive of IbelinEschive d'IbelinEschive d'Ibelin may refer to:* Eschive d'Ibelin , queen-consort of Cyprus* Eschive d'Ibelin , lady of Beirut* Eschive d'Ibelin, daughter of Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus...
, Lady of Beirut (1253–1312), married firstly, in 1274, Humphrey de MontfortHumphrey of Montfort (died 1284)Humphrey of Montfort was a nobleman of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.Humphrey was the second son of Philip of Montfort, Lord of Tyre by his second wife Maria of Antioch-Armenia, Lady of Toron....
, Lord of Tyre, by whom she had four children, including Rupen de Montfort; she married secondly in 1291, Guy of Lusignan, Constable of Cyprus, by whom she had two children, King Hugh IV of CyprusHugh IV of CyprusHugh IV of Cyprus was King of Cyprus from 31 March 1324 to his abdication, on 24 November 1358 and, nominally, King of Jerusalem, as Hugh II, until his death...
, and Isabelle de Lusignan. Upon the death of her sister Isabella, who died without issue, Eschive inherited the lordship of Beirut. She unsuccessfully claimed the dukedom of Athens by right of her mother.
During her daughter Isabella's absence in Cyprus, from 1274–1277, Alice was Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Beirut.
Legacy
Alice of Athens, Lady of Beirut, Regent of Beirut died in 1282. Her husband John had died in 1264.Their numerous descendants included Anne de Lusignan, King Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
, Anne of France
Anne of France
Anne of France was the eldest daughter of Louis XI of France and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy. Anne was the sister of King Charles VIII of France, for whom she acted as regent during his minority; and of Joan of France, who was briefly queen consort to Louis XII...
and Mary, Queen of Scots.
In 1308, her nephew Guy II, Duke of Athens died without heirs. Alice's daughter Eschive claimed the dukedom, but lost to Walter V of Brienne
Walter V of Brienne
Gautier or Walter V of Brienne was born in Brienne-le-Château, Aube, Champagne, France. He was the son of Hugh de Candie des Brienne, known as Hugh of Brienne, Count of Brienne and Lecce, and Isabella de la Roche, daughter of Guy I of la Roche, Duke of Athens...
, the son of Alice's sister Isabella.