Alix of France (July/August 1150 – 1197/1198) was countess consort of Blois by marriage to Theobald V, Count of Blois. She served as regent of Blois during Theobald's absence from in 1190–1191, and during the minority of their son Louis from 1191 until 1197. She was the daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII of France.
| Alix of France | |
|---|---|
| Born | July/August 1150 |
| Died | 1197/98 (aged 46–48) |
| Spouse | Theobald V, Count of Blois (m. 1164, died 1191) |
| Issue more... | Louis I, Count of Blois Margaret, Countess of Blois |
| House | Capet |
| Father | Louis VII of France |
| Mother | Eleanor of Aquitaine |
Life
editHer parents' second child and daughter, [1] Alix was named after her aunt Petronilla of Aquitaine, known as "Alix". The birth of yet another daughter instead of a desperately needed son was the final nail in the coffin of Eleanor and Louis's marriage, which was annulled on 21 March 1152, when Alix was not 2 years old. She and Marie retained their legitimacy, and custody of the girls was awarded to the king. Eleanor married Henry, Duke of Normandy, just eight weeks later on 18 May.
Countess of Blois
editIn 1164, at age 14, Alix married Theobald, [2] who had previously attempted to abduct Alix's mother to force her into a marriage with him. Her sister Marie married Theobald's brother Henry I, Count of Champagne.
Alix died in 1197/98.
Issue
editAlix and Theobald had seven children:
- Theobald (died 1187)[3]
- Louis I, Count of Blois[2]
- Henry (died 1185)[3]
- Philip (died 1202)[3]
- Margaret, Countess of Blois (d. aft. 1230), who married (1) Otto I, Count of Burgundy; (2) Gauthier II, Seigneur of Avesnes [2]
- Isabelle of Chartres[4]
- Alix, Abbess of Fontevrault[2]
References
edit- ^ Kelly 1991, p. 126.
- ^ a b c d Berman 2018, p. 75.
- ^ a b c Armstrong-Partida 2005, p. 79.
- ^ Livingstone 2010, p. 237.
Sources
edit- Armstrong-Partida, Michelle (2005). "Mothers and Daughters as Lords: The Countesses of Blois and Chartres". Medieval Prosopography. 26: 77–107.
- Berman, Constance Hoffman (2018). The White Nuns: Cistercian Abbeys for Women in Medieval France. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Kelly, Amy Ruth (1991). Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings. Harvard University Press.
- Livingstone, Amy (2010). Out of Love for My Kin: Aristocratic Family Life in the Lands of the Loire, 1000–1200. Cornell University Press.