 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(September 2018) |
The House of Blois (French: [blwa] ) was a noble family that arose in the Kingdom of West Francia in the early 10th century, and whose prominent members were often named Theobald (Thibaud, Thibault, Thibaut in French).
This lineage came from Theobald the Elder, viscount of Tours before 908. Theobald became viscount of Blois before 922. Afterwards the House of Blois accumulated the counties of Blois, Chartres, Châteaudun and as successors of Herbertians the counties of Troyes, Reims and Meaux - core of the County of Champagne, and finally the kingdom of Navarre.
The House of Blois-Champagne, which was founded by Theobold II in 1025, split into several branches. The House of Blois-Chartres, which was founded by Theobold V of Blois inherited the counties of Blois and Chartres and others in 1152. His descendants would hold the counties until the deaths of Margaret and Isabella, to which the branch became extinct in 1249. The House of Blois-Navarre, which was founded by Theobold I of Navarre, when he inherited the throne from his uncle, Sancho Garcés VI. This branch became the senior line later and eventually became extinct in 1305 with the death of Joan I of Navarre, wife of Philip IV of France. Champagne and Navarre passed to the Capetian dynasty. The House of Sancerre, which was founded by Stephen I, Count of Sancerre, a younger son of Theobold II, Count of Champagne. He inherited the county on his father's death. This branch became extinct at the death of Margaret of Sancerre in 1418 or 1419. The final branch, the House of Lacarre, which was founded by Juan Enriquez, the illegitimate son of Henry I of Navarre.
When Louis VII of France was greatly threatened by the vast collection of territories in the person of Henry II of England, he chose a wife from the House of Blois-Champagne (Adela of Champagne) as a counterpoise to Angevin power.
When William married the Lady of Sully, Adela, sometime after 1100, he became jure uxoris Count or Lord of Sully. This would make him establish a cadet branch in Sully. This branch would also form its own cadet branch, the House of Sully-Beaujeu, which was when Odo, the son of Gilles III, Lord of Sully, acquired the Lordship of Beaujeu.
Sometime during or past 1126, Odo I was taken over by his maternal family. He then became Lord of Champlitte, which he likely inherited from his mother, Isabella, or from the generosity of his uncle Renaud III, Count of Burgundy. [1] He in turn would establish a new cadet branch in Champlitte. This Branch would also establish its own branch, the House of Champlitte-Pontailler. Which was when William I, son of Odo I, acquired the Lordship of Pontailler.
King Stephen I of England, 1135–1154, was both a member of the House of Blois and the last Anglo-Norman King, being the grandson of William the Conqueror through his daughter Adela of Normandy. [2]
A branch of the family was established in Sancerre by Stephen I of Sancerre, a younger son of Theobald II, Count of Champagne. This branch became extinct at the death of Margaret of Sancerre in 1418 or 1419.
| Flemish County of Boulogne | Norman County of Aumale | Counties of Troyes and Meaux | County of Blois (940-1230/49) [3] | Barony of Sully-sur-Loire | |
| County of Champagne (1st creation) (1037–1066) | |||||
| County of Aumale (1069–1196) | |||||
| County of Champagne (2nd creation) (1089–1125) [4] | |||||
| Barony of Sully (1107–1409) | |||||
| County of Boulogne (1125–1170) | |||||
| County of Champagne (3rd creation) (1152–1305) [5] | County of Sancerre (1152–1419) | ||||
| Inherited by the House of Alsace | |||||
| Annexed to France [6] and re-given to the House of Dammartin (1224) | |||||
| Inherited by the Houses of Avesnes and Châtillon | |||||
| Annexed to France | |||||
| Inherited by the House of Bourbon | Inherited by the La Trémoille family | ||||
| Ruler | Born | Reign | Ruling part | Consort | Death | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theobald I the Trickster | 913 Son of Theobald the Elder and Richilde | 928 – 975 | County of Blois | Luitgarde of Vermandois four children | 975 aged 61–62 | First ruler of Blois. Until 1041, the counts of Blois were also Counts of Tours. | |
| Odo I Rousselet |  | 950 Son of Theobald I and Luitgarde of Vermandois | 975 – 12 March 996 | County of Blois | Bertha of Burgundy 983 six children | 12 March 996 aged 45–46 | Children of Theobald I, divided their inheritance. Emma's property was inherited by her descendants. |
| Emma | c.950 Son of Theobald I and Luitgarde of Vermandois | 975 – 27 December 1003 | County of Blois (at Chinon and Bourgueil) | William IV, Duke of Aquitaine 968 two children | 27 December 1003 aged 54–55 | ||
| Chinon and Bourgueil annexed to Aquitaine | |||||||
| Regency of Bertha of Burgundy (996-999) | Left no heirs, he was succeeded by his brother Odo. | ||||||
| Theobald II |  | 983 First son of Odo I and Bertha of Burgundy | 12 March 996 – 11 July 1004 | County of Blois | Unmarried | 11 July 1004 aged 20–21 | |
| Odo II/I of Champagne |  | c.985 Second son of Odo I and Bertha of Burgundy | 11 July 1004 – 15 November 1037 | County of Blois (with Champagne since 1022) | Maud of Normandy 1003/4 no children Ermengarde of Auvergne c.1005 three/four children | 15 November 1037 aged 51–52 | Seized Champagne for himself, without royal approval, and kept these territories. |
| Theobald III | 1012 First son of Odo II/ and Ermengarde of Auvergne | 15 November 1037 – 30 September 1089 | County of Blois (with Champagne since 1066) | Gersende of Maine no children Gundrada [7] one child Adele of Valois c.1040 four children | 30 September 1089 Épernay aged 76–77 | Children of Odo II/I, divided their inheritance. | |
| Stephen II [8] | c.1015 Second son of Odo II/ and Ermengarde of Auvergne | 15 November 1037 – 1047 | County of Champagne | Adele one child | 1047 aged 31–32 | ||
| Regency of Theobald III, Count of Blois (1047-1054) | In 1066, Champagne was reabsorbed in Blois. Odo inherited from marriage, later, the County of Aumale. | ||||||
| Odo II | 1040 Son of Stephen II and Adele | 1047 – 1066 | County of Champagne | 1115 [9] aged 74–75 | Adelaide of Normandy c.1060 one child | ||
| 1069 – 1115 | County of Aumale | ||||||
| Champagne briefly annexed to Blois | |||||||
| Stephen Henry the Wise [10] |  | c.1045 Son of Theobald III and Gundrada | 30 September 1089 – 19 May 1102 | County of Blois | Adela of Normandy c.1080 Chartres eleven children | 19 May 1102 Ramla aged 55–56 | Children of Theobald III, divided their inheritance. Odo left no children, and he was succeeded by his brother Hugh. |
| Odo III | 1062 First son of Theobald III and Adele of Valois | 30 September 1089 – 1093 | County of Champagne | Unmarried | 1093 [11] aged 30–31 | ||
| Hugh |  | 1074 Second son of Theobald III and Adele of Valois | 1093 – 1125 | County of Champagne | Constance of France 1094 one child Isabelle of Burgundy 1110 one child? | 1125 aged 50–51 | In 1125, after his death, his domains re-joined Blois. |
| Champagne briefly annexed to Blois | |||||||
| William the Simple |  | c.1085 First son of Stephen Henry and Adela of Normandy | 19 May 1102 – 1107 | County of Blois | Agnes of Sully 13 November 1104 five children | 1150 aged 64–65 | Deposed from the main patrimony of the family, inherited by marriage the barony of Sully-sur-Loire. |
| 1105 – 1150 | Barony of Sully | ||||||
| Theobald IV/II the Great |  | 1090 Second son of Stephen Henry and Adela of Normandy | 1107 – 10 January 1152 | County of Blois (with Champagne from 1125) | Matilda of Carinthia 1123 ten children | 10 January 1152 aged 61–62 | Succeeded his deposed elder brother in Blois. Reunited Blois and Champagne in 1125. |
| Stephen | c.1070 Son of Odo II and Adelaide of Normandy | 1115 – 1127 | County of Aumale | Hawise de Mortimer c.1100 four children | 1127 aged 56–57 | His father-in-law supported him in his claimancy for the throne of England. | |
| Stephen |  | 1092 Blois Third son of Stephen Henry and Adela of Normandy | 1125 – 3 May 1152 | County of Boulogne ( jure uxoris ) | Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne 1125 three children | 25 October 1154 Dover aged 61–62 | Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Also King of England. |
| William the Fat | c.1100? Son of Stephen and Hawise de Mortimer | 1127 – 20 August 1179 | County of Aumale | Cicely FitzDuncan, Lady of Skipton c.1130 eleven children | 20 August 1179 aged 78–79? | He was also made Earl of York. Left his domains in Aumale to his only daughter, Hawise. | |
| Odo-Archambaud III [12] | 1109 Son of Stephen Henry and Adela of Normandy | 1150 – 1164 | Barony of Sully | Mahaut de Beaugency three children | 1164 aged 54–55 | ||
| Henry I the Liberal |  | December 1127 First son of Theobald IV/II and Matilda of Carinthia | 10 January 1152 – 16 March 1181 | County of Champagne | Maria of France 1159 four children | 16 March 1181 Troyes aged 53 | Children of Theobald the Great, divided their inheritance. |
| Theobald V the Good | 1130 Second son of Theobald IV/II and Matilda of Carinthia | 10 January 1152 – 20 January 1191 | County of Blois | Sybil of Chateaurenault no children Alix of France 1164 seven children | 20 January 1191 Acre aged 60–61 | ||
| Regency of Alix of France (1190-1191) | |||||||
| Stephen I |  | 1133 Third son of Theobald IV/II and Matilda of Carinthia | 10 January 1152 – 7 September 1191 | County of Sancerre | Adélais de Donzy no children Béatriz three children Aénor one child | 7 September 1191 Saint-Jean-d'Acre aged 57–58 | |
| Eustace IV [13] | 1129 First son of Stephen and Matilda I of Boulogne | 3 May 1152 – 17 August 1153 | County of Boulogne | Constance of France 1140 no children | 17 August 1153 Bury St Edmunds aged 23–24 | Left no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother. | |
| William I | 1137 Second son of Stephen and Matilda I of Boulogne | 17 August 1153 – 11 October 1159 | County of Boulogne | Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Surrey 1148 no children | 11 October 1159 Toulouse aged 21–22 | Also Earl of Surrey, in the English peerage. Left no descendants. He was succeeded by his sister. | |
| Maria I | 1136 Daughter of Stephen and Matilda I of Boulogne | 11 October 1159 – 1170 | County of Boulogne | Matthew, Count of Boulogne 1160 (annulled 1170) two children | 25 July 1182 Montreuil aged 45–46 | Abducted by her future husband, who married her. She tried to divorce him, and finally did it in 1170, but he continued to rule jointly with her in Boulogne, and the children of the couple kept their inheritance rights. | |
| Boulogne was inherited by the House of Alsace | |||||||
| Gilles II [12] | 1133 Son of Odo-Archambaud III and Mahaut de Beaugency | 1164 – 1193 | Barony of Sully | Lucie de Charenton-sur-Cher three children | 1193 aged 59–60 | ||
| Hawise | c.1140 Daughter of William and Cicely FitzDuncan, Lady of Skipton | 20 August 1179 – 1194 | County of Aumale ( de jure 1194–1214) | William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex c.1180 no children William de Forz c.1190 one child Baldwin of Bethune 1196 one child | 11 March 1214 aged 73–74 | Ruled together with her husbands. In 1194, Philip II of France took Aumale to royal domain, and gave it to Renaud I, Count of Dammartin (1224). In the English peerage, the claim to the county continued, through the Earldom of Albemarle (titular):
| |
| Aumale was annexed to the Kingdom of France | |||||||
| Henry II |  | 29 July 1166 First son of Henry I and Maria of France | 16 March 1181 – 10 September 1197 | County of Champagne | Isabella I of Jerusalem 6 May 1192 two children | 10 September 1197 Acre aged 31 | Left Champagne in Crusade and established there as king consort of Jerusalem. Left the regency to his mother. As regent, Maria established the patched lands of Champagne as an unified territory. With the death of Henry II in Jerusalem, she passed the county to her youngest son, Theobald. |
| Regency of Maria of France (1190-1197) | |||||||
| Regency of Alix of France (1191-1197) | |||||||
| Louis I |  | 1172 [14] Son of Theobald V and Alix of France | 20 January 1191 – 14 April 1205 | County of Blois | Catherine, Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis 1184 three children | 14 April 1205 Adrianople aged 32–33 | |
| William I | 1176 Son of Stephen I and Béatrix | 7 September 1191 – 1217 | County of Sancerre | Denise de Déols no children Marie de Charenton one child Eustachie de Courtenay two children | 1217 Epirus aged 40–41 | ||
| Archambaud IV [12] | c.1170 Son of Gilles II and Lucie de Charenton-sur-Cher | 1193 – 23 August 1240 | Barony of Sully | Alix de Brienne 1177 four children? Perseis d'Aschères no children Margaret no children | 23 August 1240 Sully-sur-Loire aged 69–70 | ||
| Theobald III | | 13 May 1179 Troyes Second son of Henry I and Maria of France | 10 September 1197 – 24 May 1201 | County of Champagne | Blanche of Navarre 1 July 1199 Chartres one child | 24 May 1201 Troyes aged 22 | |
| Regency of Blanche of Navarre (1201-1222) [15] | Blanche was regent for her son, and protected him in the War of the Succession of Champagne, in which Theobald's cousins claimed the county: [16]
Through Blanche, Theobald was also the heir and also through her, he would inherit the Kingdom of Navarre, from his uncle, Sancho VII of Navarre. Theobald was also an accomplished troubadour, which gave him his nickname. | ||||||
| Theobald IV the Troubadour (Theobald I as King of Navarre) |  | 30 May 1201 Troyes Posthumous son of Theobald III and Blanche of Navarre | 24 May 1201 – 8 July 1253 | County of Champagne (with Kingdom of Navarre since 1234) | Gertrude of Dagsburg 1220 (annulled 1222) no children Agnes of Beaujeu 1222 one child Margaret of Bourbon 12 September 1232 six children | 8 July 1253 Pamplona aged 52 | |
| Theobald VI the Younger |  | 1190 Blois Son of Louis I and Catherine of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis | 14 April 1205 – 22 April 1218 | County of Blois | Mathilde of Alençon c.1210 no children Clemence de Roches no children | 22 April 1218 La Ferté-Villeneuil aged 27–28 | Left no heirs. He left the county to his aunts, Margaret and Isabella. |
| Louis I |  | 1207 Son of William I and Marie de Charenton | 1217 – 1267 | County of Sancerre | Blanche de Courtenay three children Isabella of Mayenne no children | 1267 aged 59–60 | |
| Margaret |  | c.1170 First daughter of Theobald V and Alix of France | 22 April 1218 – 12 July 1230 | County of Blois (at Blois proper) | Hugh III of Oisy, Viscount of Cambrai 1183 no children Otto I, Count of Burgundy 1192 two children Walter II of Avesnes two children | 12 July 1230 aged 59–60 | Aunts and heiresses of Theobald VI, inherited a partiitioned county. Both would leave their parts of the county to their respective daughters: Mary of Avesnes, daughter of Margaret, inherited Blois; Mahaut of Amboise, daughter of Isabella, inherited Chartres. |
| Isabella |  | c.1170 Second daughter of Theobald V and Alix of France | 22 April 1218 – 25 November 1249 | County of Blois (at Chartres) | Sulpice III, Lord of Amboise c.1200 two children Jean II de Montmirail no children | 25 November 1249 aged 78–79 | |
| Blois and Chartres were inherited, respectively, by the House of Avesnes and the Amboise family | |||||||
| Henry I | c.1200 Son of Archambaud IV and Alix de Brienne? | 23 August 1240 – 1249 | Barony of Sully | Maria of Dampierre 1221 one child Aénor de Saint-Valéry 1237 no children | 1249 aged 48–49 | ||
| Henry II | 1224 Son of Henry I and Maria of Dampierre | 1249 – 1269 | Barony of Sully | Péronelle de Joigny (d.1282) December 1251 three children | 1269 Tagliacozzo aged 44–45 | ||
| Regency of Margaret of Bourbon and James I of Aragon (1253-1256) | Left no children. He was succeeded by his brother. | ||||||
| Theobald V the Younger (Theobald II as King of Navarre) |  | 7 December 1239 Provins First son of Theobald IV/I and Margaret of Bourbon | 8 July 1253 – 4 December 1270 | County of Champagne (with Kingdom of Navarre) | Isabella of France 6 April 1255 no children | 4 December 1270 Trapani aged 30 | |
| John I | 1235 First son of Louis I and Blanche de Courtenay | 1267 – 1280 | County of Sancerre | Marie de Vierzon (1259–1284) 1259 seven children | 1280 aged 44–45 | Children of Louis I, divided their inheritance. | |
| Henry III | 1254 Son of Henry II and Péronelle de Joigny | 1269 – 1285 | Barony of Sully | Marguerite de Bommiers (d.1323) 1282 two children | 1285 Kingdom of Aragon aged 30–31 | ||
| Henry III the Fat (Henry I as King of Navarre) |  | 3 December 1249 Champagne Second son of Theobald IV/I and Margaret of Bourbon | 4 December 1270 – 22 July 1274 | County of Champagne (with Kingdom of Navarre) | Blanche of Artois February 1269 Melun two children | 22 July 1274 Pamplona aged 24 | |
| Regency of Blanche of Artois (1274-1284) | Her marriage to the king of France determined the personal union of Navarre and Champagne to France. | ||||||
| Joanna I |  | 14 January 1273 Bar-sur-Seine Daughter of Henry III/I and Blanche of Artois | 22 July 1274 – 2 April 1305 | County of Champagne (with Kingdom of Navarre) | Philip IV of France 16 August 1284 seven children | 2 April 1305 Vincennes aged 32 | |
| Champagne and Navarre annexed to France | |||||||
| Stephen II | 1252 First son of John I and Marie de Vierzon | 1280 – 16 May 1306 | County of Sancerre | Maria of La Marche 20 April 1289 no children | 16 May 1306 aged 53–54 | Left no children. The county passed to his brother. | |
| Regency of Marguerite de Bommiers (1285-1296) | Also tresaurer and Grand Butler of France. | ||||||
| Henry IV | 1282 Son of Henry III and Marguerite de Bommiers | 1285 – 27 January 1336 | Barony of Sully | Jeanne de Vendôme c.1305 ten children | 27 January 1336 Kingdom of Navarre [17] aged 53–54 | ||
| John II | c.1260 Second son of John I and Marie de Vierzon | 16 May 1306 – 1327 | County of Sancerre | Louise de Beaumez three children Isabelle de Mauvoisin-Rosny 1323 no children | 1327 aged 66–67 | ||
| Louis II | 1305 Son of John II and Louise de Beaumez | 1327 – 26 August 1346 | County of Sancerre | Béatrix de Roucy (d. aft.1348) 8 July 1329 seven children | 1327 aged 66–67 | ||
| John | c.1305 Son of Henry IV and Jeanne de Vendôme | 27 January 1336 – 1343 | Barony of Sully | Margaret of Bourbon 6 June 1320 three children | 1343 aged 37–38 | ||
| Louis | c.1325 Son of John and Margaret of Bourbon | 1343 – 1382 | Barony of Sully | Isabelle de Craon 1357/8 one child | 1382 aged 66–67 | ||
| John III | 1334 First son of Louis II and Béatrix de Roucy | 26 August 1346 – March 1402 | County of Sancerre | Marguerite de Marmande (1335–1371) two children Constance of Saluzzo (1345–1421) c.1375 no children | March 1402 aged 67–68 | Children of Louis II, divided their inheritance. With the exception of Bommiers and Vauzon, the properties of the brothers returned to the main line by lack of descendants | |
| Robert | c.1340 Second son of Louis II and Béatrix de Roucy | 26 August 1346 – 1372 | County of Sancerre (at Menetou-Salon) | Unmarried | 1372 aged 31–32 | ||
| Louis (III) |  | 1341 Sancerre Third son of Louis II and Béatrix de Roucy | 26 August 1346 – 6 February 1402 | County of Sancerre (at Assigny) | 6 February 1402 Paris aged 60–61 | ||
| Isabella | 1342 Daughter of Louis II and Béatrix de Roucy | 26 August 1346 – 1375 | County of Sancerre (at Bommiers and Vouzon) | Pierre de Graçay no children Guichard of Auvergne (d.1415) one child | 1375 aged 32–33 | ||
| Stephen | c.1345 Fourth son of Louis II and Béatrix de Roucy | 26 August 1346 – 1390 | County of Sancerre (at Vailly-sur-Sauldre) | Unmarried | 1390 Mahdia aged 44–45 | ||
| With the exception of Bommiers and Vauzon, the remaining properties were re-annexed to Sancerre | |||||||
| Maria | 1365 Daughter of Louis and Isabelle de Craon | 1382 – 1409 | Barony of Sully | Gui VI de La Trémoille 1383 five children Charles I, Lord of Albret 27 January 1401 four children | 1409 Pau aged 43–44 | After her death, the barony was inherited by the La Trémoille family. | |
| Sully inherited by the La Trémoille family | |||||||
| Margaret | 1355 Daughter of John II and Marguerite de Marmande | March 1402 – 1418 | County of Sancerre | Gérard de Chabot-Retz (1344–1370) 1364 no children Béraud II, Dauphin of Auvergne 27 June 1374 Riom eight children Jean de Saligny Lourdin (1395–1446) no children Jacques de Montberon 1408 no children | 1418 aged 62–63 | After her death, the county went to the House of Bourbon. | |
| Sancerre annexed to the property of the Capetian House of Bourbon | |||||||
