Biography of Elias I Count Maine -1110

Elias I Count Maine was born to [his father] Jean de la Flèche de Baugency and [his mother] Paula Maine.

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. Meanwhile, the people of Maine, seeing that Duke Robert was occupied with so many disturbances in Normandy, took counsel with Elias, son of [his father] John of La Flèche, a brave and capable man and most powerful in that province, that he should marry the daughter of a certain Lombard count [Albert Azzo II Margrave of Milan (age 81)], namely the grand-daughter of the former [his grandfather] Count Herbert of Maine by his eldest daughter [Herbert "Wakedog" Maine I Count Maine]. They judged that, by this means, they might be able to shake from their necks the yoke of the dukes of Normandy. In persuading him, they did not need to labour long, for the man already named had long anticipated their suggestion by his own desire, and, without delay, brought about the fulfilment of their will in this matter. Neither he nor his advisers were frightened away from this attempt at rebellion, either by remembering that the region of Le Mans had from ancient times been under the authority of the dukes of Normandy, or by recalling that in our own memory the most noble Duke William of Normandy, afterward the most fortunate conqueror of the English, had freed the people of Le Mans from the oppression of Geoffrey Martel the elder, and, having protected them with his own strength, had governed them as his own people so long as he lived, and finally, when dying, committed them to the rule of his successors. And so it came to pass that shortly after the death of that same King, this Duke Robert, of whom we now speak, at the very beginning of his rule, when they already attempted acts of rebellious defiance within his borders, led an army of Normans against them and subdued them.

Interea Cenomannenses advertentes ducem Robertum tot perturbationibus in Northmannia occupatum, consilium ineunt cum Helia Joannis de Fleca, viro forti et industrio et in illa provincia potentissimo, ut filiam cujusdam comitis Langobardiæ, neptem videlicet Hereberti quondam Cenomannensis comitis ex primogenita filia in matrimonium ducat; existimantes hac occasione se posse excutere a sua cervice jugum dominationis ducum Northmanniæ. In quo persuadendo diutius immorari illis necesse non fuit, cum jam nominatus vir illorum admonitionem dudum suo voto præveniens, voluntatem eorum super hoc negotio, prætermissa ornni dilatione, ad effectum perduxit. Nec ipsum nec consiliarios suos, ab hac rebellionis præsumptione revocavit deterrendo quod antiquitus sub Northmannorum ducum ditione regio Cenomannica egit, vel quod nostra memoria nobilissimus dux Northmannorum Willelmus, postea vero felicissimus Anglorum expugnator, eosdem Cenomannenses de oppressione Gaufridi Martelli senioris liberans, alii suæ protectionis munitos, quoad vixit illos ut proprios rexit, ac suis successoribus regendos moriens dimisit. Unde factum est ut paulo post mortem ipsius regis idem dux Robertus, de quo nunc sermo est, in principio sui ducatus jam tunc rebellionis contumaciam attentantes in ipsis suis finibus, ducto exercitu Northmannorum eos compescuit.

In 1092 Elias I Count Maine succeeded I Count Maine.

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. When Geoffrey Martel (age 34), the firstborn son of the aforesaid Fulk (age 63), a man of great worth, was treacherously slain¹, another son of his succeeded him, [his future son-in-law] Fulk (age 17) by name, born of another wife, Bertrade (age 36), sister of Amaury, Count of Évreux (age 35). This Fulk, after marrying the daughter² of Count Elias of Maine together with her county, begot by her two sons, Geoffrey Martel, of whom we have said a little above, and Elias, and as many daughters. One of these daughters [Matilda³] was married to William, son of King Henry of England; and after William's death, she took the religious habit at Fontevraud. The other [Sibylla] married Thierry, Count of Flanders. After his wife's death, Thierry⁴ went to Jerusalem and, having married the daughter of Baldwin II, the recently deceased king, became the third King of Jerusalem. For when the city of Jerusalem was taken by the Christians, the first to rule there was Duke Godfrey, brother of Eustace, Count of Boulogne. Yet out of reverence for our Redeemer, who in that city had worn the Crown of Thorns for us sinners, he never wished to be adorned with a royal diadem. Upon his death, his brother Baldwin became the first king there; and after him succeeded another Baldwin, nephew of the former. To this Baldwin, as we have said, Fulk, Count of Anjou, was joined by marrying his daughter.

Occiso autem per traditionem Gaufrido Martello, viro magnæ probitatis, primogenito filio prædicti Fulconis comitis Andegavorum, successit alter filius suus Fulco nomine, natus ex alia conjuge nomine Bertha sorore videlicet Almarici, comitis Ebroicensis. Hic, postquam accepit filiam comitis Heliæ Cenomannorum, cum ipsius comitatu, et genuit ex ea duos filios, Gaufridum scilicet Martellum, de quo jam pauca superius diximus, et Heliam et totidem filias, quarum una nupsit Willelmo filio Henrici regis Anglorum, quo mortuo apud Fontem Ebraudi sumpsit habitum religionis; altera Terrico comiti Flandrensium; mortua uxore sua perrexit Hierusalem et accepta filia secundi Balduini regis noviter defuncti, factus est tertius rex Hierosolymitanorum. Siquidem capta urbe Hierosolima a Christianis, primus præfuit illi dux Godefridus frater Eustachii comitis Boloniæ. Hic tamen ad reverentiam nostri Redemptoris, qui in illa urbe Coronam spineam pro nobis peccatoribus gesserat, nunquam voluit regio diademate insigniri. Quo mortuo, Balduinus frater ejus factus est ibi primus rex, cui successit alter Balduinus nepos prioris. Et illi, ut diximus, accepta ejus, filia Fulco comes Andegavorum.

Note 1. Geoffrey Martel, IV Count of Anjou, was killed at the castle of Candé on 19th May 1106. Chronica de Gestis Consulum Andegavorum: "In the following year, Martel was slain at the castle of Candé through the plots of his own men and of his stepmother, with his father, as they say, consenting. It seems incredible to me that a father would have consented to the killing of so great a son, since he was already exceedingly old, and the son, if length of life had been granted to him, would have recovered whatever had been lost. For he was laying claim to the castle of Laon against King Philip, and to the county of Saintonge against William of Poitiers. Out of fear of him, William built two new towers at Poitiers, one at the entrance of the city and the other near the palace."

Note 2. [his daughter] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou, died 1126, daughter of Elias I Count of Maine

Note 3. [his granddaughter] Matilda of Anjou, 1111-1154, daughter of Fulk Rechin and Ermengarde, married [his grandson-in-law] William Adelin (age 2), son of King Henry I and Matilda, in 1119.

Note 4. It was Fulk the Younger, after the death of his wife Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou in 1126, set out for Jerusalem at the invitation of Baldwin II King Jerusalem (age 31) with the express purpose of marrying Melisende Queen of Jerusalem (age 1), daughter of Baldwin, by whom he became King of Jerusalem jure uxoris i.e. by right of his wife.

Before 1109 Elias I Count Maine and Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine (age 53) were married. She by marriage Countess Maine.

In 1109 [his wife] Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine (age 54) died.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1110. This year also died Earl Elias, who held Maine in fee-tail¹⁴⁰ of King Henry (age 42); and after his death the [his son-in-law] Earl of Anjou (age 21) succeeded to it, and held it against the king. This was a very calamitous year in this land, through the contributions which the king received for his [his granddaughter-in-law] daughter's (age 7) portion, and through the badness of the weather, by which the fruits of the earth were very much marred, and the produce of the trees over all this land almost entirely perished. This year men began first to work at the new minster at Chertsey [Map].

Note 140. That is, the territory was not a "fee simple", but subject to "taillage" or taxation; and that particular species is probably here intended which is called in old French "en queuage", an expression not very different from that in the text above.

In 1110 [his son-in-law] Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem (age 21) and [his daughter] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou were married. She by marriage Countess Anjou. She the daughter of Elias I Count Maine and [his former wife] Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine. He the son of Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou and Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France (age 40). They were third cousin twice removed.

On 11th July 1110 Elias I Count Maine died.

[his daughter] Ermengarde of Maine Countess of Anjou was born to Elias I Count Maine and Matilda Chateau Du Loir Countess Maine. She married 1110 her third cousin twice removed Fulk "Young" King Jerusalem, son of Fulk "Réchin" Anjou 4th Count Anjou and Bertrade Montfort Queen Consort France, and had issue.