Bertrade de Montfort
Encyclopedia
Bertrade de Montfort was the daughter of Simon I de Montfort
and Agnes, Countess of Evreux
. Her brother was Amaury de Montfort
.
Bertrade and Fulk were married, and they became the parents of a son, Fulk
, but in 1092 Bertrade left her husband and took up with King Philip I of France
. 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
. Astonishingly, Bertrade persuaded Philip and Fulk to be friends.
With Philip I of France
:
, 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 through poison. Whatever the truth of these allegations, Louis succeeded Philip in 1108. Bertrade lived on until 1117; William of Malmesbury
says: "Bertrade, still young and beautiful, took the veil at Fontevraud Abbey
, always charming to men, pleasing to God, and like an angel." Her son from her first marriage was Fulk V of Anjou who later became King of Jerusalem iure uxoris
. The dynasties founded by Fulk's sons ruled for centuries, one of them in England (Plantagenet), the other in Jerusalem
.
Simon I de Montfort
Simon I de Montfort born about 1025 in Montfort l'Amaury, Ile de France, France and died 1087. He is buried in Epernon, Normandy, France. He was the son of Amaury I de Montfort and Bertrade de Gometz.-Progeny:...
and Agnes, Countess of Evreux
Évreux
Évreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
. Her brother was Amaury de Montfort
Amaury III of Montfort
Amaury III de Montfort was seigneur de Montfort l'Amaury from 1101 to 1137 and comte d'Évreux from 1118 to 1137. He was the son of Simon I, seigneur de Montfort, and his wife Agnès d'Évreux.- Marriages and children :...
.
Marriages
The oft-married Fulk IV, Count of Anjou was married to the mother of his son in 1089, when the lovely Bertrade caught his eye. According to the chronicler John of Marmoutier:The lecherous Fulk then fell passionately in love with the sister of Amaury de Montfort, whom no good man ever praised save for her beauty.
Bertrade and Fulk were married, and they became the parents of a son, Fulk
Fulk of Jerusalem
Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
, but in 1092 Bertrade left her husband and took up with King Philip I of France
Philip I of France
Philip I , called the Amorous, was King of France from 1060 to his death. His reign, like that of most of the early Direct Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time...
. 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
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
. Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
did excommunicate him in 1095, and Philip was prevented from taking part in the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
. Astonishingly, Bertrade persuaded Philip and Fulk to be friends.
Children
With Fulk IV, Count of Anjou:- Fulk of JerusalemFulk of JerusalemFulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
, Count of Anjou and King of Jerusalem (1089/92–1143)
With Philip I of France
Philip I of France
Philip I , called the Amorous, was King of France from 1060 to his death. His reign, like that of most of the early Direct Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time...
:
- Philip of France, Count of Mantes (living in 1123)
- Fleury of France, Seigneur of Nangis (living in 1118)
- Cecile of FranceCecile of FranceCecile of France was a daughter of Philip I of France and Bertrade of Montfort. The Historia Regum Francorum Monasterii Sancti Dionysii names "Philippum et Florum et filiam unam" as children of "Philippus rex [et] Fulconi Rechin Andagavorum comiti uxorem", specifying that the daughter married...
(died 1145), married (1) Tancred, Prince of GalileeTancred, Prince of GalileeTancred was a Norman leader of the First Crusade who later became Prince of Galilee and regent of the Principality of Antioch...
; married (2) Pons of TripoliPons of TripoliPons of Tripoli was the son of Bertrand of Tripoli, and was count of Tripoli from 1112 to 1137.Pons married Cecile of France, the widow of his mentor Tancred, Prince of Galilee and daughter of Philip I of France...
Later life
According to Orderic VitalisOrderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
, Bertrade was anxious that one of her sons succeed Philip, and sent a letter to King Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
asking him to arrest her stepson Louis
Louis VI of France
Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
. Orderic also claims she sought to kill Louis first through the arts of sorcery, and then through poison. Whatever the truth of these allegations, Louis succeeded Philip in 1108. Bertrade lived on until 1117; William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
says: "Bertrade, still young and beautiful, took the veil at Fontevraud Abbey
Fontevraud Abbey
Fontevraud Abbey or Fontevrault Abbey is a religious building hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded by the itinerant reforming preacher Robert of Arbrissel, who had just created a...
, always charming to men, pleasing to God, and like an angel." Her son from her first marriage was Fulk V of Anjou who later became King of Jerusalem iure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
. The dynasties founded by Fulk's sons ruled for centuries, one of them in England (Plantagenet), the other in Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
.
Sources
- Orderic VitalisOrderic VitalisOrderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
- William of MalmesburyWilliam of MalmesburyWilliam of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...