Bertrade of Montfort
| Bertrade de Montfort | |
|---|---|
 Bertrade with Philip | |
| Queen consort of the Franks | |
| Tenure | 15 May 1092 – 29 July 1108 |
| Born | c. 1070 |
| Died | 14 February 1117 (aged 46–47) |
| Spouse | Fulk IV, Count of Anjou Philip I, King of France |
| Issue | Fulk, King of Jerusalem Philip, Count of Mantes Fleury, Seigneur of Nangis Cecile, Princess of Galilee |
| House | House of Montfort |
| Father | Simon I de Montfort |
| Mother | Agnes of Evreux |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Bertrade de Montfort (c. 1070 – 14 February 1117) was a queen consort of France by her marriage to Philip I of France. Initially married to Fulk IV, Count of Anjou, she left him and married Philip. Later she founded a daughter house of Fontevraud Abbey at Haute-Bruyeres.
Life[]
She was the daughter of Simon I de Montfort[1] and Agnes of Evreux.[2] Her brother was Amaury de Montfort.
In 1089, Bertrade and Fulk, Count of Anjou were married,[1] and they became the parents of a son, Fulk. In 1092 she left her husband to live with King Philip I of France.[3] Philip married her on 15 May 1092, despite the fact that they both had spouses living. He was so enamoured of Bertrade that he refused to leave her even when threatened with excommunication. Pope Urban II did excommunicate him in 1095, and Philip was prevented from taking part in the First Crusade.
According to Orderic Vitalis, Bertrade was anxious that one of her sons succeed Philip, and sent a letter to King Henry I of England asking him to arrest her stepson Louis. Orderic also claims she sought to kill Louis, first through the arts of sorcery and then by poison. Whatever the truth of these allegations, Louis succeeded Philip in 1108. Bertrade took the veil at Fontevraud Abbey following Philip's death,[4] but moved to a daughter house, which she founded, at Hautes-Bruyeres by 1112.[5] She died in 1117.
Marriages and issue[]
Bertrade and Fulk IV, Count of Anjou, had:
- Fulk of Jerusalem, Count of Anjou and King of Jerusalem (1089/92–1143)[6]
Bertrade and Philip I of France had:
- Philip of France, Count of Mantes (living in 1123)[7]
- Fleury of France, Seigneur of Nangis (living in 1118)[8]
- Cecile of France (died 1145), married (1) Tancred, Prince of Galilee;[9] married (2) Pons of Tripoli[10]
References[]
- ^ a b Blacker 1998, p. 46.
- ^ Mews 2006, p. 129.
- ^ Mews 2006, p. 132.
- ^ Mews 2006, p. 133.
- ^ Mews 2006, p. 135.
- ^ Hollister 2001, p. 226.
- ^ Bradbury 2007, p. 131.
- ^ McDougall 2017, p. 155.
- ^ McDougall 2017, p. 159.
- ^ Hodgson 2007, p. 217.
Sources[]
- Blacker, Jean (1998). "Women, Power, and Violence in Orderic Vitalis's "Historia Ecclesiastica". In Roberts, Anna (ed.). Violence Against Women in Medieval Texts. University Press of Florida.
- Bradbury, Jim (2007). The Capetians: The History of a Dynasty. Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Hodgson, Natasha R. (2007). Women, Crusading and the Holy Land in Historical Narrative. The Boydell Press.
- Hollister, C. Warren (2001). Henry I. Yale University Press.
- McDougall, Sara (2017). Royal Bastards: The Birth of Illegitimacy, 800-1230. Oxford University Press.
- Mews, Constant J. (2006). "Negotiating the Boundaries of Gender in Religious Life: Robert of Arbrissel and Hersende, Abelard and Heloise". Viator. CMRS Center for Early Global Studies. 37: 113-148.
- 1070s births
- 1117 deaths
- House of Montfort
- People excommunicated by the Catholic Church
- Countesses of Anjou
- French queens consort
- 11th-century French people
- 11th-century French women
- 12th-century French people
- 12th-century French women