Marguerite de Sablé
Encyclopedia
Marguerite de Sablé, Dame de Sablé (c.1179- after June 1238), was a French noblewoman and one of the wealthiest heiresses in the counties of Anjou
and Maine
. She was the eldest daughter of Robert de Sablé
, and the wife of William des Roches
, Seneschal of Anjou
, who two years after his marriage to Marguerite became one of the greatest barons in Anjou and Maine, her considerable inheritance having passed to him upon her father's death in 1193.
, and Clémence de Mayenne (died before 1209). Her paternal grandparents were Robert III de Sablé and Hersende, and her maternal grandparents were Geoffroy, Seigneur de Mayenne and Isabelle de Meulan
(died 10 May 1220), daughter of Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester
, Count of Meulan, and Agnès de Montfort. Marguerite had a brother Robert who died as a child, and a younger sister, Philippa, wife of Geoffroy Marteau. Her maternal uncle was Juhel III de Mayenne (1168- 12 April 1220), a celebrated Crusader
.
Her father was a Grand Master of the Knights Templar
(1191–1193), and Lord of Cyprus
(1191–1192); he was also a wealthy and powerful Angevin baron and landowner. Upon his death in the Holy Land
on 23 September 1193, the lordships and lands, mostly in the River Sarthe valley passed to Marguerite, making her one of the wealthiest heiresses in Anjou and Maine. However, her honours and vast landholdings went to her husband, whom she had married two years earlier.
in the service of the Angevin
kings of England and King Philip II of France
. He was the son of Baudoin des Roches and Alix de Châtellerault. His first wife, Philippa had died childless. Upon the death of her father in 1193, Marguerite, being the eldest daughter had consequently succeeded him. She brought to William the lordships of Sablé, La Suze, Briollay, Mayet, Loupeland, Genneteil, Precigné, and the Norman manor of Agon; this made him one of the greatest barons in Anjou and Maine.
Together William and Marguerite had three children:
William died on 15 July 1222. The Sablé barony and hereditary seneschalship passed on to Amaury I de Craon, husband of Jeanne, the eldest daughter of William and Marguerite.
Marguerite died sometime after June 1238, and she was buried in Perray-aux-Nonnains.
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
and Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. She was the eldest daughter of Robert de Sablé
Robert de Sablé
Robert de Sablé was the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1191 to 1193 and Lord of Cyprus from 1191 to 1192.- Personal life :No exact record of his birth date exists, but it is believed he was relatively old at the time of his death. He was born to a respected military family in Anjou and...
, and the wife of William des Roches
William des Roches
William des Roches , seneschal of Anjou, was a knight in the service of the Angevin Kings of England, and King Philip II of France after 1202. Guillaume was born somewhere in Anjou, most likely at Longué-Jumelles....
, Seneschal of Anjou
Seneschal of Anjou
A seneschal was an officer of an aristocratic household assigned to manage the domestic affairs of the lord...
, who two years after his marriage to Marguerite became one of the greatest barons in Anjou and Maine, her considerable inheritance having passed to him upon her father's death in 1193.
Family
Marguerite was born in about 1179, the eldest daughter of Robert de SabléRobert de Sablé
Robert de Sablé was the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1191 to 1193 and Lord of Cyprus from 1191 to 1192.- Personal life :No exact record of his birth date exists, but it is believed he was relatively old at the time of his death. He was born to a respected military family in Anjou and...
, and Clémence de Mayenne (died before 1209). Her paternal grandparents were Robert III de Sablé and Hersende, and her maternal grandparents were Geoffroy, Seigneur de Mayenne and Isabelle de Meulan
Isabelle de Meulan
Isabelle de Meulan, Dame de Mayenne, Dame de Craon was a French noblewoman, being the daughter of Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester, Count of Meulan. Isabelle married twice; firstly to Geoffroy, Seigneur de Mayenne, and secondly to Maurice II, Sire de Craon...
(died 10 May 1220), daughter of Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester
Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester
Waleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, 1st Earl of Worcester , was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth de Vermandois, and the twin brother of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester...
, Count of Meulan, and Agnès de Montfort. Marguerite had a brother Robert who died as a child, and a younger sister, Philippa, wife of Geoffroy Marteau. Her maternal uncle was Juhel III de Mayenne (1168- 12 April 1220), a celebrated Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
.
Her father was a Grand Master of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
(1191–1193), and Lord of 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...
(1191–1192); he was also a wealthy and powerful Angevin baron and landowner. Upon his death in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
on 23 September 1193, the lordships and lands, mostly in the River Sarthe valley passed to Marguerite, making her one of the wealthiest heiresses in Anjou and Maine. However, her honours and vast landholdings went to her husband, whom she had married two years earlier.
Marriage and issue
In 1191, Marguerite became the second wife of William des Roches, Seneschal of Anjou; a knight during the Third CrusadeThird Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
in the service of the Angevin
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
kings of England and King Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
. He was the son of Baudoin des Roches and Alix de Châtellerault. His first wife, Philippa had died childless. Upon the death of her father in 1193, Marguerite, being the eldest daughter had consequently succeeded him. She brought to William the lordships of Sablé, La Suze, Briollay, Mayet, Loupeland, Genneteil, Precigné, and the Norman manor of Agon; this made him one of the greatest barons in Anjou and Maine.
Together William and Marguerite had three children:
- Robert des Roches ( died 1204)
- Jeanne des RochesJeanne des RochesJeanne des Roches, Dame de Sablé, de La Suze, de Briollay, de Mayet, de Loupeland, de Chateauneuf-sur-Sarte, de Genneteil, de Precigné, de Agon, and de Craon was a wealthy French noblewoman and heiress. She was also the suo jure seneschal of Anjou, which she had inherited from her father,...
(c.1195- 28 September 1238), married Amaury I, Sire de CraonCraon familyThe Craon family was a French noble house, known to date back to the 11th century. Its most famous member is Pierre de Craon, and its last representative governed Burgundy for a time under Louis XI, after the death of Charles le Téméraire. When the Craon family died out, the Beauvau family took...
, by whom she had issue including a son Maurice IV de Craon, Sire de Craon (1213–1250), who married Isabelle de Lusignan, a half-sister of King Henry III of EnglandHenry III of EnglandHenry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
; and two daughters, Jeanne, and IsabelleIsabelle de CraonIsabelle de Craon, Dame de Fougères , was a French noblewoman, being the daughter of Amaury I, Sire de Craon, a wealthy baron who was the possessor of many lordships in Anjou and Maine...
(born 1212), wife of Raoul III, Sire de FougèresJeanne de FougèresJeanne de Fougères, suo jure Lady of Fougères, Countess of La Marche and Angoulême , was a Breton noblewoman and heiress. She was the wife of Hugh XII of Lusignan, Count of La Marche and Count of Angoulême...
. - Clémence des Roches (died after September 1259), married firstly Theobald VI, Count of BloisTheobald VI, Count of BloisTheobald VI of Blois was count of Blois and Clermont-en-Beauvaisis from 1205 to 1218.He was son of Louis I of Blois and Catherine of Clermont....
; and secondly Geoffrey VI, Viscount de Chateaudun, by whom she had issue, including a daughter, Jeanne, Dame de ChateaudunJeanne, Dame de ChateaudunJeanne, Dame de Chateaudun was a French heiress and the wife of two French noblemen Jean I de Montfort, and Jean de Brienne, Grand Butler of France.- Family :...
William died on 15 July 1222. The Sablé barony and hereditary seneschalship passed on to Amaury I de Craon, husband of Jeanne, the eldest daughter of William and Marguerite.
Marguerite died sometime after June 1238, and she was buried in Perray-aux-Nonnains.