Adela of Normandy: Difference between revisions
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{{other uses|Adela (disambiguation)}} |
{{other uses|Adela (disambiguation)}} |
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{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Adelaide of Normandy]], sister of [[William I of England]].}} |
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Adelaide of Normandy]], sister of [[William I of England]].}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} |
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{{Infobox royalty |
{{Infobox royalty |
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| name = Adela of Normandy |
| name = Adela of Normandy |
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| mother = [[Matilda of Flanders]] |
| mother = [[Matilda of Flanders]] |
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| birth_date = {{circa|1067}} |
| birth_date = {{circa|1067}} |
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| birth_place = [[ |
| birth_place = [[Duchy of Normandy]] |
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| death_date = 8 March {{Death year and age|1137|1067}} |
| death_date = 8 March {{Death year and age|1137|1067}} |
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| death_place = [[Marcigny]]-sur-Loire, France |
| death_place = [[Marcigny]]-sur-Loire, Kingdom of France |
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|}} |
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'''Adela of Normandy''', '''of Blois''', or '''of England''' (c. 1067 – 8 March 1137),<ref name = "Women and Gender">LoPrete, Kimberly. "Adela of Blois |
'''Adela of Normandy''', '''of Blois''', or '''of England''' (c. 1067 – 8 March 1137),<ref name = "Women and Gender">LoPrete, Kimberly. "Adela of Blois". ''Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia''. Ed. Margaret Schaus. New York: Routledge, 2006. 6–7.</ref> also known as {{nowrap|'''Saint Adela'''}} in [[Roman Catholicism]],<ref name="catholic.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1126|title=St. Adela|author=Catholic Online}}</ref> was a daughter of [[William the Conqueror]] and [[Matilda of Flanders]]. She later became the [[Counts of Blois|countess of Blois]], [[List of counts and dukes of Chartres|Chartres]], and [[Meaux]] by marriage to [[Stephen II of Blois]]. Her husband greatly benefited from the increased social status and prestige that came with a marriage into such a wealthy and powerful family. She was [[regent]] of Blois during the absence of her spouse in 1096–1100 and 1101–02, and during the minority of her son from 1102 until 1120.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.2307/4051390 |jstor=4051390 |title=The Anglo-Norman Card of Adela of Blois |year=1990 |last1=Loprete |first1=Kimberly A. |journal=Albion |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=569–589 }}</ref> Her marriage also laid the groundwork for a period of extended strife in the [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo Norman]] lands, Adela was the mother of King [[Stephen of England]] whose taking of the throne in preference to her niece [[Empress Matilda]] led to the civil war known as [[The Anarchy]]. |
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==Early life== |
== Early life == |
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{{Infobox saint|name=Adela of Normandy|death_date=1137|feast_day=24 February|honored_in=[[Catholicism]]|honorific_prefix=Saint}} |
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⚫ | It is generally believed that Adela was born between 1066 and 1070 after her father's accession to the [[England|English]] throne.<ref name="Women and Gender" /> She was the youngest daughter of William the Conqueror.<ref name=":0">Kimberly A. LoPrete. Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Lordship. University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc, pp. 7-.</ref> Her royal blood marked her as noble in the eyes of her peers. She was the favourite sister of King [[Henry I of England]] and they were probably the youngest children of the Conqueror.<ref name="Anglo-Norman Card">{{cite journal|last=LoPrete|first=Kimberly A.|title=The Anglo-Norman Card of Adela of Blois|journal=Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies|year=1990|volume=22|issue=4|pages=569–589|jstor=4051390|doi=10.2307/4051390}}</ref> Adela was a high-spirited and educated woman with a knowledge of [[Latin]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |pages=315–316 |editor-first1=John Carmi |editor-last1=Parsons |editor-first2=Bonnie |editor-last2=Wheeler }}</ref> As Adela's parents both travelled around Normandy, she likely spent much time at and was educated at a monastery, probably the [[Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Caen]]. She had three older brothers and one younger, and thus she would not inherit her father's honors; however her bloodline would be a valuable asset in marriage.<ref name=":1">Evergates, Theodore, and Kimberly A. LoPrete. "Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Leadership." Aristocratic Women in Medieval France, 1999, 8–43. Accessed 19 March 2018. Muse.</ref> |
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Adela married [[Stephen II, Count of Blois|Stephen Henry]], son and heir to the [[count of Blois]], between 1080 and 1083, around her fifteenth birthday. They were married at [[Chartres Cathedral]].<ref name=":1" /> This marriage created a strong familial alliance, linking the two most powerful families in Northern France.<ref name=":0" /> Stephen was nearly twenty years her senior.<ref name="Women and Gender" /> During the fifteen years of their marriage, they had six or eight children who survived infancy.<ref name=":1" /> |
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⚫ | It is generally believed that Adela was born between 1066 and 1070 after her father's accession to the [[England|English]] throne.<ref name="Women and Gender" /> Her royal blood marked her as noble in the eyes of her peers. She was the |
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Stephen inherited Blois, Chartres, and Meaux upon his father's death in 1089, as well as lands and right in parts of Berry and Burgundy.<ref name="Familial Alliances">LoPrete, Kimberly A. "Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Lordship." Aristocratic Women in Medieval France. Ed. Theodore Evergates. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1999. 15.</ref> The Thibaudian dynasty had other possessions east of Paris, and by the end of Adela's life these were coalescing into the county of Champagne. While Theobald IV takes most of the credit for the emergence of that principality, Adela helped lay its foundations.<ref name="Daniel. 1134">Daniel Power, [https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-abstract/CXXVI/523/1498/673178?redirectedFrom=fulltext Review of: "Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy (C.1050–1134), by William M. Aird Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (C.1067–1137), by Kimberley LoPrete {{!}} The English Historical Review {{!}} Oxford Academic"]. OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2011.</ref> Adela and her husband had a relationship based on trust and mutual respect, if not affection, and they made decisions together.<ref name="Evergates, Theodore 1999">Evergates, Theodore, and Kimberly A. LoPrete. "Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Leadership." Aristocratic Women in Medieval France, 1999, 8–43. Accessed 19 March 2018.</ref> She swore, for instance, to bind herself and her husband to protect the [[List of bishops of Chartres|bishop of Chartres]], then in a dispute with the king of France.<ref name="Evergates, Theodore 1999" /> |
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==First regency== |
== First regency == |
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Stephen-Henry joined the [[First Crusade]] in 1096, along with his brother-in-law [[Robert Curthose]]. Stephen's letters to Adela form a uniquely intimate insight into the experiences of the Crusade's leaders<ref>{{cite web |
Stephen-Henry joined the [[First Crusade]] in 1096, along with his brother-in-law [[Robert Curthose]]. Adela acted as regent for her husband during his extended absence as a leader of the [[First Crusade]] (1095–1098)<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> as well as during his second expedition in 1101. Stephen's letters to Adela form a uniquely intimate insight into the experiences of the Crusade's leaders<ref>{{cite web |title=A letter from Count Stephen of Blois (03/1098) |url=http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/79.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221000437/https://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/79.html |archive-date=21 December 2016 |access-date=22 April 2013}}</ref> and show that he trusted Adela to rule as regent while he was on crusade.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> |
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Adela |
Adela's regency included granting charters such as the right to build new churches to monks, as well as other charters. Adela also worked with [[Ivo of Chartres]] at various points, exchanging letters throughout her regency<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/woman/21.html#letterslist|title=Adela, countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux|access-date=8 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220213027/https://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/woman/21.html#letterslist|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> to discuss matters such as the control of misbehaving nuns and larger issues such as disputes about sworn oaths.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> While regent, Adela would continue to tour their lands, settling disputes, promoting economic growth, and even commanding knights to go to battle with the king.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> This role was not unique, however, as during the crusades it was common for [[noble women]] to take upon themselves the duties of their male counterparts.<ref>Natasha Hodgson (2011) Nobility, women and historical narratives of the crusades and the Latin east, Al-Masāq, 17:1, 61–85, DOI: 10.1080/0950311042000328589</ref> |
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The Count of Blois returned to France in 1100 bringing with him several cartloads of maps, jewels and other treasures, which he deposited at Chartres. According to [[Orderic Vitalis]], when Stephen-Henry abandoned the First Crusade returning to France in ignominy, "Adela constantly berated him, even during their love-making", urging him to return to the Holy Land.<ref name="Daniel. 1134"/> He was under an obligation to the pope for agreements made years earlier and returned to Antioch to participate in the [[crusade of 1101]]. |
The Count of Blois returned to France in 1100 bringing with him several cartloads of maps, jewels, and other treasures, which he deposited at Chartres. According to [[Orderic Vitalis]], when Stephen-Henry abandoned the First Crusade returning to France in ignominy, "Adela constantly berated him, even during their love-making", urging him to return to the Holy Land.<ref name="Daniel. 1134"/> He was under an obligation to the pope for agreements made years earlier and returned to Antioch to participate in the [[crusade of 1101]]. Ultimately, he was killed in a last stand after the [[Battle of Ramla (1102)|Battle of Ramla]] in 1102.<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 115.</ref> The image of Adela persuading her ease-loving husband to redeem his reputation through action has proved popular with historians attempting to account for the crusader motivations.<ref name="Daniel. 1134"/> |
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==Second regency== |
== Second regency == |
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Adela continued to act as regent after her husband's death and through her son Thibaud's early rule until her retirement in 1120.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> Even after Thibaud came of age and no longer needed a regent, Adela continued to issue charters and act as co-ruler of many parts of their land. Adela did not secure a marriage alliance for Thibaud, who did not get married until after Adela's retirement, which helped to maintain her power and influence over both her son and her lands.<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |page=322 |editor-first1=John Carmi |editor-last1=Parsons |editor-first2=Bonnie |editor-last2=Wheeler }}</ref> |
Adela continued to act as regent after her husband's death and through her son Thibaud's early rule until her retirement in 1120.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> Even after Thibaud came of age and no longer needed a regent, Adela continued to issue charters and act as co-ruler of many parts of their land. Adela did not secure a marriage alliance for Thibaud, who did not get married until after Adela's retirement, which helped to maintain her power and influence over both her son and her lands.<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |page=322 |editor-first1=John Carmi |editor-last1=Parsons |editor-first2=Bonnie |editor-last2=Wheeler }}</ref> |
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Adela, a devout Benedictine sympathizer, employed several high-ranking tutors to educate her children.<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 | |
Adela, a devout Benedictine sympathizer, employed several high-ranking tutors to educate her children.<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |pages=318–319 |editor-first1=John Carmi |editor-last1=Parsons |editor-first2=Bonnie |editor-last2=Wheeler }}</ref> Her youngest son, Henry, was conceived during the single year Stephen was in France between crusading duties. At two years of age Henry was pledged to the Church at Cluny Abbey, Saône-et-Loire, France, as an oblate child, that is, he was dedicated to the service of God, according to medieval practice. Henry went on to be appointed Abbot of Glastonbury and Bishop of Winchester. In that capacity, he sponsored hundreds of constructions including bridges, canals, palaces, forts, castles, and whole villages. In addition, Bishop Henry built dozens of abbeys and chapels and sponsored books including the treasured [[Winchester Bible]]. |
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In 1105, after [[St Anselm]] visited her during a sickness, she was responsible for communicating the archbishop's earnestness in threatening [[excommunication]] to her brother [[Henry I of England|Henry I]]. Orderic Vitalis praises her as a "''wise and spirited woman''" who ably governed her husband's estates and her own.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> Adela's power and interests are reflected in letters collected, they demonstrate her religiosity and intellect. In one such letter to the public from 1104, Adela gifts a monastery a portion of land with all the wildlife inhabiting it, but she reserves the power to pass judgment upon crimes committed in the area. She also makes sure to mark her place as a woman, tying herself to not only her late husband but her sons.<ref>"A Letter from Adela." A Letter from Adela | Epistolae. Accessed 26 April 2018. https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/letter/25996.html.</ref> |
In 1105, after [[St Anselm]] visited her during a sickness, she was responsible for communicating the archbishop's earnestness in threatening [[excommunication]] to her brother [[Henry I of England|Henry I]]. Orderic Vitalis praises her as a "''wise and spirited woman''" who ably governed her husband's estates and her own.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> Adela's power and interests are reflected in letters collected, they demonstrate her religiosity and intellect. In one such letter to the public from 1104, Adela gifts a monastery a portion of land with all the wildlife inhabiting it, but she reserves the power to pass judgment upon crimes committed in the area. She also makes sure to mark her place as a woman, tying herself to not only her late husband but her sons.<ref>"A Letter from Adela." A Letter from Adela | Epistolae. Accessed 26 April 2018. https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/letter/25996.html.</ref> |
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Adela quarrelled with her eldest son William and despite his previously being named heir-designate,<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 111.</ref> she appointed his younger brother Theobald to replace him as heir in 1107. Another son, Stephen of Blois, moved to London in 1111 to join the court of his uncle, King Henry I (Beauclerc), and became his favorite. Upon Beauclerc's death in Normandy (1135), Stephen seized the English throne from Holy Roman Empress Dowager Matilda, King Henry I's daughter, whom the monarch had named as his successor. This started a protracted civil war in England that lasted nearly twenty years. |
Adela quarrelled with her eldest son William and despite his previously being named heir-designate,<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 111.</ref> she appointed his younger brother Theobald to replace him as heir in 1107. Another son, Stephen of Blois, moved to London in 1111 to join the court of his uncle, King Henry I (Beauclerc), and became his favorite. Upon Beauclerc's death in Normandy (1135), Stephen seized the English throne from Holy Roman Empress Dowager Matilda, King Henry I's daughter, whom the monarch had named as his successor. This started a protracted civil war in England that lasted nearly twenty years. |
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==Retirement== |
==Retirement== |
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Adela retired to [[Marcigny |
Adela retired to the monastery at [[Marcigny]], in 1120, where she became a [[nun]]. Though she might have considered retiring to a monastery in Normandy where members of her family, including sisters and nieces, may have already been living, Adela was drawn to and chose the larger, more prestigious monastery at Marcigny near her son Henry at [[Cluny Abbey]].<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 408–411</ref> Adela might have served as [[abbess]] of the community, though this is not certain.<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 412.</ref> She continued to interact and communicate with her children and the ecclesiastical leaders of lands that she had once ruled, maintaining her influence over the region.<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 412–418.</ref> In one instance, Adela sent letters to both her son Thibaud<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/77.html |title=''Women's Biography: Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux'' |access-date=23 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608224235/http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/77.html |archive-date=8 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Geoffrey, bishop of Chartres, reminding them of her settlement of a monastic case.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/76.html|title=A letter from Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux (1133–37)|access-date=23 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221000327/https://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/letter/76.html|archive-date=21 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In these letters she reminds her son how his father and she felt about alms gifting to monasteries.<ref>A Letter from Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux (1133–37)." A Letter from Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux (1133–37) | Epistolae. Accessed 26 April 2018. https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/letter/77.html.</ref> |
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Later that same year, her daughter [[Lucia-Mahaut]] drowned in the wreck of the ''[[White Ship]]'' alongside her husband. Adela lived long enough to see her son Stephen on the English throne, though any response she may have had to this development has been lost.<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 416.</ref> She likely took pride in the ascension of her youngest child, Henry of Blois, to the bishopric of Winchester in 1129.<ref name="Anglo-Norman Card" /> |
Later that same year, her daughter [[Lucia-Mahaut]] drowned in the wreck of the ''[[White Ship]]'' alongside her husband. Adela lived long enough to see her son Stephen on the English throne, though any response she may have had to this development has been lost.<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 416.</ref> She likely took pride in the ascension of her youngest child, Henry of Blois, to the bishopric of Winchester in 1129.<ref name="Anglo-Norman Card" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux|url=https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/woman/21.html |website=Epistolae|publisher=Columbia University|access-date=27 September 2016}}</ref> After her death in 1137 at Marcigny, prayers were offered at a number of churches that she had endowed personally or had recognized at some point during her life.<ref>LoPrete, Kimberly, ''Adela of Blois''. Four Courts Press, Dublin. 417–418.</ref> Her money, influence, and entry into the monastery resulted in her reputation for holiness. She was later to be [[canonized]] and declared a [[saint]] of the Catholic Church.<ref>Patron Saint Stories, Stories of Patron Saints for Baptismal Names. Accessed 24 April 2018. https://www.patronsaintstories.com/adela.</ref> |
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==Issue== |
==Issue== |
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*[[Theobald II, Count of Champagne]]<ref>{{cite book |title=France in the Making, 943-1180 |first=Jean |last=Dunbabin |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1985 |page=390 }}</ref> |
*[[Theobald II, Count of Champagne]]<ref>{{cite book |title=France in the Making, 943-1180 |first=Jean |last=Dunbabin |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1985 |page=390 }}</ref> |
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*Odo of Blois |
*Odo of Blois |
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* Adela, married [[Milo II of Montlhéry]]{{efn|Kimberly A. LoPrete states Milo bigamously married an unnamed daughter of Adela, but the marriage was annulled.<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 | |
* Adela, married [[Milo II of Montlhéry]]{{efn|Kimberly A. LoPrete states Milo bigamously married an unnamed daughter of Adela, but the marriage was annulled.<ref name="LoPrete 2013 323–324">{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |pages=323–324 |editor-first1=John Carmi |editor-last1=Parsons |editor-first2=Bonnie |editor-last2=Wheeler }}</ref>}} |
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*[[Stephen, King of England]] |
*[[Stephen, King of England]] |
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*Lucia-Mahaut, married [[Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester]]. Both drowned on 25 November 1120 in the ''[[White Ship]]'' disaster. |
*Lucia-Mahaut, married [[Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester]]. Both drowned on 25 November 1120 in the ''[[White Ship]]'' disaster. |
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*[[Henry of Blois|Henry, Bishop of Winchester]] (1096–1171), an [[oblate]] child raised at [[Cluny Abbey]] in Saône-et-Loire, France<ref>{{cite web|last1=Senette|first1=Douglas John|title=A Cluniac Prelate: Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester (1129–1171)|url=https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A27491|website=Tulane University Digital Library|access-date=27 September 2016}}</ref> |
*[[Henry of Blois|Henry, Bishop of Winchester]] (1096–1171), an [[oblate]] child raised at [[Cluny Abbey]] in Saône-et-Loire, France<ref>{{cite web|last1=Senette|first1=Douglas John|title=A Cluniac Prelate: Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester (1129–1171)|url=https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A27491|website=Tulane University Digital Library|access-date=27 September 2016}}</ref> |
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*[[Eleanor of Champagne]] |
*[[Eleanor of Champagne]] |
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Some of the daughters may have been step-daughters of Adela, rather than biological children. It is known that Adela had five biological sons and may have had three or more daughters,<ref name="Women and Gender" /> though not all of the daughters were necessarily Adela's biological children.<ref>{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 | |
Some of the daughters may have been step-daughters of Adela, rather than biological children. It is known that Adela had five biological sons and may have had three or more daughters,<ref name="Women and Gender" /> though not all of the daughters were necessarily Adela's biological children.<ref name="LoPrete 2013 323–324">{{cite book |title=Medieval Mothering |chapter=Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess |first=Kimberly A. |last=LoPrete |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |pages=323–324 |editor-first1=John Carmi |editor-last1=Parsons |editor-first2=Bonnie |editor-last2=Wheeler }}</ref> The daughters are not mentioned by name during their youth, only appearing when they reached marriageable age and played an important part in building alliances.<ref name="Familial Alliances" /> |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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Adela is a saint in the Roman Catholic church. Her feast day is 24 February.<ref name="catholic.org"/> She was deeply religious and supported scholars and poets. Throughout her life she generously endowed various abbeys and churches, helping to expand and preserve the culture and art of her time. |
Adela is a saint in the Roman Catholic church. Her feast day is 24 February.<ref name="catholic.org"/> She was deeply religious and supported scholars and poets. Throughout her life she generously endowed various abbeys and churches, helping to expand and preserve the culture and art of her time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.patronsaintstories.com/adela|title = Saint Adela}}</ref> |
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=== In fiction === |
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Adela was portrayed by [[Nike Arrighi]] in the two-part [[BBC]] TV play ''Conquest'' (1966), about her father's conquest of England, part of the series ''[[Theatre 625]]''. |
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===In art=== |
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Adela is a featured figure on [[Judy Chicago]]'s installation piece ''[[The Dinner Party]]'', being represented as one of the 999 names on the ''[[List of women in the Heritage Floor|Heritage Floor]].''<ref name="AdelaBM">{{cite web | year=2007 | title=Adela of Blois | work=Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor: Adela of Blois | publisher=[[Brooklyn Museum]] | url=http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/adela_of_blois.php | access-date=15 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="C121">Chicago, 121.</ref> |
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==Ancestry== |
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{{ahnentafel |
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|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=<ref>{{cite book |author=Carpenter, David |author-link=David Carpenter (historian) |title=The Struggle for Mastery: The Penguin History of Britain 1066–1284 |publisher=Penguin |location=New York |year=2004 |isbn=0-14-014824-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/struggleformaste00davi/page/531 531–532] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/struggleformaste00davi/page/531 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Green | first = Judith | year = 2009 | title = Henry I: King of England and Duke of Normandy | publisher = Cambridge University Press | location= Cambridge, UK | isbn = 978-0-521-74452-2 | page=322}}</ref> |
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|1= 1. '''Adela of Normandy''' |
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|2= 2. [[William the Conqueror|William I of England]] |
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|3= 3. [[Matilda of Flanders]] |
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|4= 4. [[Robert I, Duke of Normandy]] |
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|5= 5. [[Herleva]] |
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|6= 6. [[Baldwin V, Count of Flanders]] |
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|7= 7. [[Adela of France, Countess of Flanders|Adela of France]] |
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|8= 8. [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy]] |
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|9= 9. [[Judith of Brittany]] |
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|10= 10. [[Fulbert of Falaise]] |
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|12= 12. [[Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders]] |
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|13= 13. Ogive of Luxembourg |
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==Further reading== |
==Further reading== |
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*Evergates, Theodore, ed. ''Aristocratic Women in Medieval France''. Philadelphia: [[University of Pennsylvania Press]] (1999). {{ISBN|0-8122-3503-7}} |
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*Chicago, Judy. ''The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation''. London: Merrell (2007). {{ISBN|1-85894-370-1}} |
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* |
*Parsons, John and Bonnie Wheeler. ''Medieval Mothering (New Middle Ages)''. New York: [[Routledge]] (1999). {{ISBN|0-8153-3665-9}} |
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*LoPrete, Kimberly. ''Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137)''. Dublin: Four Courts Press (2007). {{ISBN|}} |
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*{{cite book |last=LoPrete |first=Kimberly A. |title=Adela of Blois, Countess and Lord |year=2007 |location=Dublin |publisher=Four Courts Press |ISBN=1-85182-563-0}}. |
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*LoPrete, Kimberly. "Adela of Blois and Ivo of Chartres: Piety, Politics and Peace in the Diocese of Chartres'." ''Anglo-Norman Studies'' xiv (1992): 131–152 |
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*Parsons, John and Bonnie Wheeler. ''Medieval Mothering (New Middle Ages)''. New York: Routledge (1999). {{ISBN|0-8153-3665-9}} |
|||
*Schaus, Margaret, ed. ''Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia''. New York: Routledge (2006). {{ISBN|0-415-96944-1}} |
*Schaus, Margaret, ed. ''Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia''. New York: Routledge (2006). {{ISBN|0-415-96944-1}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Commons category |
{{Commons category}} |
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*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110718093813/http://www.royalist.info/execute/tree?person=131 RoyaList Online interactive family tree]}} (en) |
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110718093813/http://www.royalist.info/execute/tree?person=131 RoyaList Online interactive family tree]}} (en) |
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20161220213027/https://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/woman/21.html ''Women's Biography: Adela, countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux''] |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161220213027/https://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/woman/21.html ''Women's Biography: Adela, countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux''] |
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Latest revision as of 14:01, 10 July 2024
Adela of Normandy | |
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![]() | |
Countess of Blois | |
Tenure | 1089 – 19 May 1102 |
Born | c. 1067 Duchy of Normandy |
Died | 8 March 1137 (aged 69–70) Marcigny-sur-Loire, Kingdom of France |
Spouse | Stephen II, Count of Blois |
Issue | William, Count of Sully Odo of Blois Theobald II, Count of Champagne Adela Stephen, King of England Lucia-Mahaut, Countess of Chester Philip of Blois, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne Agnes de Puiset Alix of Joigni Henry, Bishop of Winchester Eleanor, Countess of Vermandois |
House | Normandy |
Father | William the Conqueror |
Mother | Matilda of Flanders |
Adela of Normandy, of Blois, or of England (c. 1067 – 8 March 1137),[1] also known as Saint Adela in Roman Catholicism,[2] was a daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. She later became the countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux by marriage to Stephen II of Blois. Her husband greatly benefited from the increased social status and prestige that came with a marriage into such a wealthy and powerful family. She was regent of Blois during the absence of her spouse in 1096–1100 and 1101–02, and during the minority of her son from 1102 until 1120.[3] Her marriage also laid the groundwork for a period of extended strife in the Anglo Norman lands, Adela was the mother of King Stephen of England whose taking of the throne in preference to her niece Empress Matilda led to the civil war known as The Anarchy.
Early life
[edit]Saint Adela of Normandy | |
---|---|
Died | 1137 |
Honored in | Catholicism |
Feast | 24 February |
It is generally believed that Adela was born between 1066 and 1070 after her father's accession to the English throne.[1] She was the youngest daughter of William the Conqueror.[4] Her royal blood marked her as noble in the eyes of her peers. She was the favourite sister of King Henry I of England and they were probably the youngest children of the Conqueror.[5] Adela was a high-spirited and educated woman with a knowledge of Latin.[6] As Adela's parents both travelled around Normandy, she likely spent much time at and was educated at a monastery, probably the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Caen. She had three older brothers and one younger, and thus she would not inherit her father's honors; however her bloodline would be a valuable asset in marriage.[7]
Adela married Stephen Henry, son and heir to the count of Blois, between 1080 and 1083, around her fifteenth birthday. They were married at Chartres Cathedral.[7] This marriage created a strong familial alliance, linking the two most powerful families in Northern France.[4] Stephen was nearly twenty years her senior.[1] During the fifteen years of their marriage, they had six or eight children who survived infancy.[7]
Stephen inherited Blois, Chartres, and Meaux upon his father's death in 1089, as well as lands and right in parts of Berry and Burgundy.[8] The Thibaudian dynasty had other possessions east of Paris, and by the end of Adela's life these were coalescing into the county of Champagne. While Theobald IV takes most of the credit for the emergence of that principality, Adela helped lay its foundations.[9] Adela and her husband had a relationship based on trust and mutual respect, if not affection, and they made decisions together.[10] She swore, for instance, to bind herself and her husband to protect the bishop of Chartres, then in a dispute with the king of France.[10]
First regency
[edit]Stephen-Henry joined the First Crusade in 1096, along with his brother-in-law Robert Curthose. Adela acted as regent for her husband during his extended absence as a leader of the First Crusade (1095–1098)[8] as well as during his second expedition in 1101. Stephen's letters to Adela form a uniquely intimate insight into the experiences of the Crusade's leaders[11] and show that he trusted Adela to rule as regent while he was on crusade.[8]
Adela's regency included granting charters such as the right to build new churches to monks, as well as other charters. Adela also worked with Ivo of Chartres at various points, exchanging letters throughout her regency[12] to discuss matters such as the control of misbehaving nuns and larger issues such as disputes about sworn oaths.[8] While regent, Adela would continue to tour their lands, settling disputes, promoting economic growth, and even commanding knights to go to battle with the king.[8] This role was not unique, however, as during the crusades it was common for noble women to take upon themselves the duties of their male counterparts.[13]
The Count of Blois returned to France in 1100 bringing with him several cartloads of maps, jewels, and other treasures, which he deposited at Chartres. According to Orderic Vitalis, when Stephen-Henry abandoned the First Crusade returning to France in ignominy, "Adela constantly berated him, even during their love-making", urging him to return to the Holy Land.[9] He was under an obligation to the pope for agreements made years earlier and returned to Antioch to participate in the crusade of 1101. Ultimately, he was killed in a last stand after the Battle of Ramla in 1102.[14] The image of Adela persuading her ease-loving husband to redeem his reputation through action has proved popular with historians attempting to account for the crusader motivations.[9]
Second regency
[edit]Adela continued to act as regent after her husband's death and through her son Thibaud's early rule until her retirement in 1120.[8] Even after Thibaud came of age and no longer needed a regent, Adela continued to issue charters and act as co-ruler of many parts of their land. Adela did not secure a marriage alliance for Thibaud, who did not get married until after Adela's retirement, which helped to maintain her power and influence over both her son and her lands.[15]
Adela, a devout Benedictine sympathizer, employed several high-ranking tutors to educate her children.[16] Her youngest son, Henry, was conceived during the single year Stephen was in France between crusading duties. At two years of age Henry was pledged to the Church at Cluny Abbey, Saône-et-Loire, France, as an oblate child, that is, he was dedicated to the service of God, according to medieval practice. Henry went on to be appointed Abbot of Glastonbury and Bishop of Winchester. In that capacity, he sponsored hundreds of constructions including bridges, canals, palaces, forts, castles, and whole villages. In addition, Bishop Henry built dozens of abbeys and chapels and sponsored books including the treasured Winchester Bible.
In 1105, after St Anselm visited her during a sickness, she was responsible for communicating the archbishop's earnestness in threatening excommunication to her brother Henry I. Orderic Vitalis praises her as a "wise and spirited woman" who ably governed her husband's estates and her own.[8] Adela's power and interests are reflected in letters collected, they demonstrate her religiosity and intellect. In one such letter to the public from 1104, Adela gifts a monastery a portion of land with all the wildlife inhabiting it, but she reserves the power to pass judgment upon crimes committed in the area. She also makes sure to mark her place as a woman, tying herself to not only her late husband but her sons.[17]
Adela quarrelled with her eldest son William and despite his previously being named heir-designate,[18] she appointed his younger brother Theobald to replace him as heir in 1107. Another son, Stephen of Blois, moved to London in 1111 to join the court of his uncle, King Henry I (Beauclerc), and became his favorite. Upon Beauclerc's death in Normandy (1135), Stephen seized the English throne from Holy Roman Empress Dowager Matilda, King Henry I's daughter, whom the monarch had named as his successor. This started a protracted civil war in England that lasted nearly twenty years.
Retirement
[edit]Adela retired to the monastery at Marcigny, in 1120, where she became a nun. Though she might have considered retiring to a monastery in Normandy where members of her family, including sisters and nieces, may have already been living, Adela was drawn to and chose the larger, more prestigious monastery at Marcigny near her son Henry at Cluny Abbey.[19] Adela might have served as abbess of the community, though this is not certain.[20] She continued to interact and communicate with her children and the ecclesiastical leaders of lands that she had once ruled, maintaining her influence over the region.[21] In one instance, Adela sent letters to both her son Thibaud[22] and Geoffrey, bishop of Chartres, reminding them of her settlement of a monastic case.[23] In these letters she reminds her son how his father and she felt about alms gifting to monasteries.[24]
Later that same year, her daughter Lucia-Mahaut drowned in the wreck of the White Ship alongside her husband. Adela lived long enough to see her son Stephen on the English throne, though any response she may have had to this development has been lost.[25] She likely took pride in the ascension of her youngest child, Henry of Blois, to the bishopric of Winchester in 1129.[5][26] After her death in 1137 at Marcigny, prayers were offered at a number of churches that she had endowed personally or had recognized at some point during her life.[27] Her money, influence, and entry into the monastery resulted in her reputation for holiness. She was later to be canonized and declared a saint of the Catholic Church.[28]
Issue
[edit]Adela and Stephen's children are listed here in probable birth order. Their birth order is uncertain.
- William, Count of Sully[29]
- Theobald II, Count of Champagne[30]
- Odo of Blois
- Adela, married Milo II of Montlhéry[a]
- Stephen, King of England
- Lucia-Mahaut, married Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester. Both drowned on 25 November 1120 in the White Ship disaster.
- Agnes, married Hugh III of Le Puiset and were parents to Hugh de Puiset, Bishop of Durham
- Alix, married Renaud III of Joigny
- Henry, Bishop of Winchester (1096–1171), an oblate child raised at Cluny Abbey in Saône-et-Loire, France[32]
- Eleanor of Champagne
Some of the daughters may have been step-daughters of Adela, rather than biological children. It is known that Adela had five biological sons and may have had three or more daughters,[1] though not all of the daughters were necessarily Adela's biological children.[31] The daughters are not mentioned by name during their youth, only appearing when they reached marriageable age and played an important part in building alliances.[8]
Legacy
[edit]Adela is a saint in the Roman Catholic church. Her feast day is 24 February.[2] She was deeply religious and supported scholars and poets. Throughout her life she generously endowed various abbeys and churches, helping to expand and preserve the culture and art of her time.[33]
Note
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d LoPrete, Kimberly. "Adela of Blois". Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia. Ed. Margaret Schaus. New York: Routledge, 2006. 6–7.
- ^ a b Catholic Online. "St. Adela".
- ^ Loprete, Kimberly A. (1990). "The Anglo-Norman Card of Adela of Blois". Albion. 22 (4): 569–589. doi:10.2307/4051390. JSTOR 4051390.
- ^ a b Kimberly A. LoPrete. Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Lordship. University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc, pp. 7-.
- ^ a b LoPrete, Kimberly A. (1990). "The Anglo-Norman Card of Adela of Blois". Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies. 22 (4): 569–589. doi:10.2307/4051390. JSTOR 4051390.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. (2013). "Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess". In Parsons, John Carmi; Wheeler, Bonnie (eds.). Medieval Mothering. Routledge. pp. 315–316.
- ^ a b c Evergates, Theodore, and Kimberly A. LoPrete. "Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Leadership." Aristocratic Women in Medieval France, 1999, 8–43. Accessed 19 March 2018. Muse.
- ^ a b c d e f g h LoPrete, Kimberly A. "Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Lordship." Aristocratic Women in Medieval France. Ed. Theodore Evergates. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1999. 15.
- ^ a b c Daniel Power, Review of: "Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy (C.1050–1134), by William M. Aird Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (C.1067–1137), by Kimberley LoPrete | The English Historical Review | Oxford Academic". OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2011.
- ^ a b Evergates, Theodore, and Kimberly A. LoPrete. "Adela of Blois: Familial Alliances and Female Leadership." Aristocratic Women in Medieval France, 1999, 8–43. Accessed 19 March 2018.
- ^ "A letter from Count Stephen of Blois (03/1098)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ "Adela, countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Natasha Hodgson (2011) Nobility, women and historical narratives of the crusades and the Latin east, Al-Masāq, 17:1, 61–85, DOI: 10.1080/0950311042000328589
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 115.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. (2013). "Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess". In Parsons, John Carmi; Wheeler, Bonnie (eds.). Medieval Mothering. Routledge. p. 322.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. (2013). "Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess". In Parsons, John Carmi; Wheeler, Bonnie (eds.). Medieval Mothering. Routledge. pp. 318–319.
- ^ "A Letter from Adela." A Letter from Adela | Epistolae. Accessed 26 April 2018. https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/letter/25996.html.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 111.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 408–411
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 412.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 412–418.
- ^ "Women's Biography: Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux". Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ "A letter from Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux (1133–37)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ A Letter from Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux (1133–37)." A Letter from Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux (1133–37) | Epistolae. Accessed 26 April 2018. https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/letter/77.html.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly A. Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067–1137). Dublin: Four Courts, 2007. 416.
- ^ "Adela, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux". Epistolae. Columbia University. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ LoPrete, Kimberly, Adela of Blois. Four Courts Press, Dublin. 417–418.
- ^ Patron Saint Stories, Stories of Patron Saints for Baptismal Names. Accessed 24 April 2018. https://www.patronsaintstories.com/adela.
- ^ Evergates, Theodore (2007). The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100-1300. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 248.
- ^ Dunbabin, Jean (1985). France in the Making, 943-1180. Oxford University Press. p. 390.
- ^ a b LoPrete, Kimberly A. (2013). "Adela of Blois as Mother and Countess". In Parsons, John Carmi; Wheeler, Bonnie (eds.). Medieval Mothering. Routledge. pp. 323–324.
- ^ Senette, Douglas John. "A Cluniac Prelate: Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester (1129–1171)". Tulane University Digital Library. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Saint Adela".
Further reading
[edit]- Evergates, Theodore, ed. Aristocratic Women in Medieval France. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press (1999). ISBN 0-8122-3503-7
- Parsons, John and Bonnie Wheeler. Medieval Mothering (New Middle Ages). New York: Routledge (1999). ISBN 0-8153-3665-9
- Schaus, Margaret, ed. Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge (2006). ISBN 0-415-96944-1
External links
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