Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois 1090-1152

In 1080 [his father] Stephen Blois II Count Blois and Chartres [aged 35] and [his mother] Adela Normandy Countess Blois [aged 13] were married at Chartres [Map]. She by marriage Countess Blois. The difference in their ages was 22 years. She the daughter of [his grandfather] King William "Conqueror" I of England [aged 52] and [his grandmother] Matilda Flanders Queen Consort England [aged 49]. He the son of Theobald Blois III Count Blois [aged 68] and Gersenda Maine Countess Blois. They were third cousins.

In 1090 Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois was born to Stephen Blois II Count Blois and Chartres [aged 45] and Adela Normandy Countess Blois [aged 23]. He a grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In 1104 [his brother] William "Simple" Blois Count Blois Count Chartres [aged 19] and [his sister-in-law] Agnes Sully Countess Blois and Chartres [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Blois, Countess Chartres. He the son of [his father] Stephen Blois II Count Blois and Chartres [aged 59] and [his mother] Adela Normandy Countess Blois [aged 37].

In 1107 [his future brother-in-law] Richard Avranches 2nd Earl Chester [aged 13] succeeded 2nd Earl Chester. [his sister] Lucia Mahaut Blois Countess Chester by marriage Countess Chester.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1116. And the [his uncle] king [aged 48] soon after Easter went over sea into Normandy. And there were many conspiracies and robberies, and castles taken betwixt France and Normandy. Most of this disturbance was because the King Henry assisted his nephew, Theobald de Blois [aged 26], who was engaged in a war against his lord, Louis, the King of France [aged 34]. This was a very vexatious and destructive year with respect to the fruits of the earth, through the immoderate rains that fell soon after the beginning of August, harassing and perplexing men till Candlemas-day. This year also was so deficient in mast, that there was never heard such in all this land or in Wales. This land and nation were also this year oft and sorely swincked by the guilds which the king took both within the boroughs and without.

In or before 1120 [his brother-in-law] Richard Avranches 2nd Earl Chester [aged 25] and [his sister] Lucia Mahaut Blois Countess Chester were married. She the daughter of [his father] Stephen Blois II Count Blois and Chartres [aged 74] and [his mother] Adela Normandy Countess Blois [aged 52]. He the son of Hugh of Avranches 1st Earl Chester and Ermentrude Clermont Countess Chester. They were half second cousins. She a granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In 1123 Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois [aged 33] and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois were married. She by marriage Countess Champagne, Countess Blois. He the son of Stephen Blois II Count Blois and Chartres [aged 78] and Adela Normandy Countess Blois [aged 56].

In 1125 [his brother] King Stephen I England [aged 31] and [his sister-in-law] Matilda Flanders [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Eustace Flanders III Count Boulogne and Mary Dunkeld Countess Boulogne. He the son of [his father] Stephen Blois II Count Blois and Chartres [aged 80] and [his mother] Adela Normandy Countess Blois [aged 58]. They were half fourth cousin once removed. He a grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In December 1127 [his son] Henry Blois I Count Champagne was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois [aged 37] and [his wife] Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He a great grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England. He married 1164 his fourth cousin Marie Capet Countess Champagne, daughter of Louis VII King of the Franks and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England, and had issue.

In 1129 [his brother] Bishop Henry of Blois [aged 31] was appointed Bishop of Winchester.

In 1130 [his son] Theobald "Good" Blois V Count Blois was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois [aged 40] and [his wife] Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He a great grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England. He married 1164 his fourth cousin Alix Capet Countess Blois, daughter of Louis VII King of the Franks and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England, and had issue.

Letters. 1130. Letter III. [his mother] Adela Countess of Blois [aged 63] to Theobald Earl of Blois, her Son [aged 40].

To her dearest Earl of Blois, Adela the nun of Marcigny sends the affections of maternal love.

I remember, dearest son, that while yet I wore a secular habit, the canons of St. Carilef complained about the tithe of the almsgift of Francville, which my consort, namely, the earl your father, and I gave to the monks of Marmoutier. About which be it known to your grace, that these canons, in our presence, dismissed their complaints against the said monks, that this quarrel might be set to rest for ever without further renewal. Therefore I entreat you, dearest son, that our alms which we freely gave to the monks you will as freely keep for them, nor let the church of Marmoutier be teased with any further controversy about this affair. Farewell.

In 1133 [his son] Stephen Blois I Count Sancerre was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois [aged 43] and [his wife] Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He a great grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

In 1135 [his son] Cardinal William "White Hands" Blois was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois [aged 45] and [his wife] Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He a great grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

On 8th March 1137 [his mother] Adela Normandy Countess Blois [aged 70] died.

Chronicle of William Nangis. At this time flourished Theobald, count of Champagne, father of orphans, judge of widows, eye of the blind, foot of the lame, singularly generous in supporting the poor, and incomparable in his liberality toward all religious in the building of monasteries. He built the abbey of Saint-Florent of Saumur and the Cistercian abbey of l’Aumône¹, as well as many others. By his wife Matilda², of noble German lineage, he begot Henry, count of Champagne; Theobald, count of Blois; Stephen, count of Sancerre; William, first elected bishop of Chartres, then archbishop of Sens, afterwards of Reims; and also Adela, queen of the Franks³, [Matilda] countess of Perche, [Agnes] countess of Bar, and [Marie] wife of the duke of Burgundy.

Note 1. The author here is mistaken. The abbey of l’Aumône, called the little Cîteaux, may have been founded by Count Thibaut; its origin goes back to about the year 1121. But the abbey of Saint-Florent, founded around the middle of the seventh century in the castle of Saumur, had already been rebuilt near the town at the beginning of the eleventh century.

Note 2. Matilda, countess of Champagne, was the daughter of Engelbert II, duke of Carinthia and margrave of Friuli.

Note 3. Adela, third wife of King Louis the Younger. his first two wives being Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Constance of Castile.

Florebat hoc tempore Theobaldus comes Campanise, pater orphanorum, judex viduarum, cæcorum oculus) pes claudorum, in pauperibus sustentandis singulariter munificus, in extruendis monasteriis et erga religiosps quosque largitate incomparabilis. Hic abbatiam sancti Florentii Salmuriensis et abbatiam Eleemosinæ Cisterciensis (2) ac multas alias construxit. Genuit autem ex Mathilde uxore sua, nobili genere Teuthonicorum progenita (3), Henricum comitem Campanise, et Theobaldum comitem Blesensem, ac Stephanum comitem Sacri-Cæsaris, Guillermum primo Carnotensem electum, deinde Senonensem archiepiscopum, post Remensem; item Adelam reginam Francorum (4) comitissam de Pertico, etcomitissam Barri, ac uxorem ducis Burgundiæ.

1. II y a ici une erreur que je ne puis m'expliquer. L'abbaye de l'Aumône, dite le petit Cîteaux, peut avoir été fondée par le comte Thibaut; son origine remonte a l'année 1121 environ. Mais l'abbaye de Saint-Florent, fondée vers le milieu du Vile siècle dans le château de Saumur, avait déjà été rebâtie près de la ville vers le commencement du Xl^e.

2. Mathilde, comtesse de Champagne, était fille d'Engilbert II, duc de Carinthie et marquis de Frioul.

3. Troisieme femme de Louis-le-Jeune

In 1139 Josce de Dinan and Sybil de Lacy were married by which he gained control of Ludlow Castle [Map]. The marriage arranged by [his brother] King Stephen I England [aged 45].

Before 1142 [his son-in-law] Odo II Duke Burgundy [aged 23] and Marie Blois Duchess Burgundy were married. She the daughter of Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois [aged 51] and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He the son of Hugh II Duke Burgundy [aged 57] and Felicia Matilda Mayenne Duchess Burgundy. They were fourth cousins. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

Chronicle of William Nangis. [his future son-in-law] Louis, king of France, leading an army against Theobald, count of Champagne, captured the castle of Vitry, where, when a church had been set on fire, one thousand three hundred persons of different sexes and ages were burned in the flames. Moved with compassion over this, he is said to have wept, and for this reason he is thought by some afterward to have undertaken a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The king, however, gave Vitry to Odo of Champagne, nephew of Count Theobald, who had taken away his inheritance from him.

Ludovicus rex Franciæ, contra Theobaldum comitem Campaniae exercitum ducens, Vitriacum castrum cepit, ubi succensa ecclesia, in ea mille et trecentae personnae diversi sexus et æta tis igne combustae sunt. Super quo ex misericordia motus plorasse dicitur, et hac de causa postmodum peregrinationem Jerosolymis aggressus a quibusdam æstimatur (2). Rex vero dedit Vitriacum Odoni Campaniensi, nepoti comitis Theobaldi, qui patrimonium suum ei abstulerat.

After 1143 William Roumare 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 47] was created 1st Earl Lincoln by [his brother] King Stephen I England [aged 49].

Around 1150 William "Simple" Blois Count Blois Count Chartres [aged 65] died. His brother Theobald [aged 60] succeeded II Count Champagne, IV Count Blois.

On 8th January 1152 Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois [aged 62] died. His son Henry [aged 24] succeeded I Count Champagne. His son Theobald [aged 22] succeeded V Count Blois.

In 1160 [his former wife] Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois died.

[his daughter] Marie Blois Duchess Burgundy was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She married before 1142 her fourth cousin Odo II Duke Burgundy, son of Hugh II Duke Burgundy and Felicia Matilda Mayenne Duchess Burgundy, and had issue.

[his daughter] Margaret Blois was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

[his daughter] Agnes Blois Countess of Bar was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She married 1155 Renauld of Bar II Count of Bar and had issue.

[his daughter] Matilda Blois Countess Perche was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She married Routrou Chateaudun IV Count Perche, son of Routrou "The Great" Chateaudun III Count Perche and Hawise Salisbury Countess Dreux, and had issue.

[his daughter] Isabelle Blois was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.

[his daughter] Adèle Queen of the Franks was born to Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England. She married 13th November 1160 her third cousin once removed Louis VII King of the Franks and had issue.

Chronicle of William Nangis. King Louis of France¹ lays siege to the castle of Gournay-sur-Marne against Hugh of Pomponne, lord of Crécy, who, intent on plundering, despoiled the ships of merchants passing along the river and carried the spoils to Gournay. There came, however, to the aid of the said Hugh Guy the Red, lord of Rochefort, the father of Hugh himself, and Theobald², count of Champagne; but as the king fought valiantly, he put them to flight, received the castle into surrender, and entrusted it to the Garlande³ family.

Note 1. Louis VI, called the Fat. He reigned from 1108 until 1137.

Note 2. Theobald IV, called ‘the Great,’ Count of Blois, of Chartres, and of Brie in 1102, and of Champagne in 1125; died on 8 January 1152.

Note 3. The Garlande brothers were then four in number, assuming that Gilbert, the eldest, had died in the East, where he had distinguished himself in the First Crusade. They were Anseau, seneschal, to whom Louis the Fat gave the lordship of Gournai-sur-Marne; Guillaume, who replaced his brother in the office of seneschal in 1118; Gilbert the Younger, lord of Garlande and of Livri, cup-bearer of France in 1126; and finally Étienne, bishop of Beauvais, archdeacon of Paris and chancellor of France from 1108, who in turn also held the office of seneschal after the death of his brother Guillaume. Anselm, vol. V, p. 1, 31 and following. The events recounted here by our chronicler are explained in the Life of Louis the Fat by Suger, Chapter 11: 'When therefore the day had been appointed on which the aforesaid Count Theobald would bring reinforcements and remove the siege by force of arms, the lord king gathered the army he could, not at a distance but close at hand, and, mindful of the excellence of royal dignity, boldly eager for battle, leaving the tents and their defenders behind, advanced joyfully to meet him. Sending someone ahead to report that they were coming and wished to fight, he himself summoned the barons, arranged the cavalry and infantry in battle order, and set the archers and spearmen in their proper places. When they caught sight of one another, the trumpets sounded, the courage of horses and riders was stirred, and battle was joined very quickly. The Franks, however, continually trained in war, attacked the men of Brie, unused to fighting because of long peace, drove them back, overthrew them with lances and swords, pressed on with the victory, and did not cease to attack them vigorously both with cavalry and infantry until they turned their backs and sought safety in flight. The count himself, preferring to be first rather than last in fleeing, so that he might not be captured, tried to escape and return home, abandoning his army. In that engagement some were killed, many were wounded, and many more were captured, making the victory famous and celebrated everywhere. Having thus obtained so great and timely a victory, Lord Louis returned to his camp, drove out the townsmen who had been deceived by false hopes, kept the castle for himself, and entrusted it to the men of the house of Garlande.'

Ludovicus rex Franciæ obsidet castrum Gornaii supra Matronam, contra Hugonem de Pumponna, dominum Creciaci, qui rapinis intentus mercatorum [naves per fluvium transeuntes exspoliabat], et apud Gornaium spolia deducebat. Venit autem ad auxilium dicti Hugonis Guido Rubeus, dominus de Rupe-Forti, pater ipsius Hugonis, et comes Campaniae Theobaldus; sed rege viriliter decertante, eos ad fugam compulit, et castrum in deditionem accepit atque Garlandensibus commisit.

1. Louis VI, dit le Gros. II régna depuis 1108 jusqu'à 1137.

2. Thibaut IV, dit le Grand, comte de Blois, de Chartres et de Brie en 1102, de Champagne en 1125, mort le 8 janvier 1152.

3. Les frères Garlande étaient alors au nombre de quatre, en supposant que Gilbert, l'aîné, fût mort en Orient, où il s'était distingué dans la première croisade. C'étaient Anseau, sénéchal, à qui Louis-leGros donna la seigneurie de Gournai-sur-Marne; Guillaume, qui remplaça son frère dans les fonctions de sénéchal en 1118; Gilbert-leJeune, seigneur de Garlande et de Livri, bouteiller de France en 1126; enfin Etienne, évêque de Beauvais, archidiacre de Paris et chancelier de France dès 1108, et qui remplit aussi à son tour la charge de sénéchal après la mort de son frère Guillaume. Anselm, t. V, p. 1, 3i et suiv. Les événements racontés ici par notre chroniqueur sont expliqués dans la vie de Louis-le-Gros, par Suger. Hist, de Fr., t. XII, p. 22.

The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy by Orderic Vitalis. The melancholy news soon got abroad among the common people, and, spreading along the sea-coast, came to the ears of count Theobald¹ and other lords of the court; but for that day no one ventured to make it known to the king, who was in a state of great anxiety and made many inquiries. The nobles shed many tears in private, and were inconsolable for the loss of their friends and relations; but in the king's presence, severe as was the struggle, they concealed their grief, lest its cause should be discovered. On the day following, by a well-devised plan of Count Theobald's, a boy threw himself at the king's feet, weeping bitterly, and upon his being questioned as to the cause of his sorrow, the king learnt from him the shipwreck of the Blanche-Nef. So sudden was the shock, and so severe his anguish, that he instantly fell to the ground, but being raised up by his friends, he was conducted to his chamber, and gave free course to the bitterness of his grief. Not Jacob was more woe-stricken for the loss of Joseph, nor did David give vent to more woeful lamentations for the murder of Ammon or Absalom.

Note 1. Theobald, Count de Blois.