Petronilla of Aquitaine
Encyclopedia
Petronilla of Aquitaine was the daughter of William X of Aquitaine
and Aenor of Châtellerault. She was the sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine
, who was Queen consort
of England. She is variously called Alix (or Aelith in Occitan) and Petronilla; she typically went by Alix after her marriage, while Petronilla seems to have been her childhood name (she is referred to as such in her father's will).
Petronilla accompanied her sister to the French court, where she met Count Raoul I of Vermandois,who was a married man and a cousin to her brother-in-law Louis VII of France
. He repudiated his wife and married her, and they were excommunicated by the Pope. Pope Innocent II
promised to lift the excommunication, but recanted his promise in 1143. Hostilities flared, and Louis VII infamously burned Vitry-le-François
. Finally the Pope died and his successor Pope Celestine II
lifted the excommunication at Council of Reims in 1144. However, Petronilla and Raoul divorced in 1151, as he remarried the next year. Petronilla remained a member of the French royal court and a constant companion to her sister Eleanor while she was imprisoned by her husband King Henry II in England and Wales. After Henry's death, Eleanor was freed, and Petronilla planned on returning to France. Yet, records of Petronilla after 1189 are scarce. It is believed that she came down with a fever on her voyage from England back to France and died in early 1190 before her arrival at port.
Together Raoul and Petronilla had three children:
William X of Aquitaine
William X , called the Saint, was Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, and Count of Poitou between 1126 and 1137. He was the son of William IX by his second wife, Philippa of Toulouse....
and Aenor of Châtellerault. She was the sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
, who was Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of England. She is variously called Alix (or Aelith in Occitan) and Petronilla; she typically went by Alix after her marriage, while Petronilla seems to have been her childhood name (she is referred to as such in her father's will).
Petronilla accompanied her sister to the French court, where she met Count Raoul I of Vermandois,who was a married man and a cousin to her brother-in-law Louis VII of France
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
. He repudiated his wife and married her, and they were excommunicated by the Pope. Pope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...
promised to lift the excommunication, but recanted his promise in 1143. Hostilities flared, and Louis VII infamously burned Vitry-le-François
Vitry-le-François
Vitry-le-François is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It is located on the Marne River and is the western terminus of the Marne-Rhine Canal.- History :In 1142, Louis VII invaded Champagne and seized Vitry-le-François...
. Finally the Pope died and his successor Pope Celestine II
Pope Celestine II
Pope Celestine II , born Guido di Castello, was pope from 1143 to 1144.-Early life:Guido di Castello, possibly the son of a local noble, Niccolo di Castello, was born either in Città di Castello, situated in Paterna Santa Felicita upon the Apennines, or at Macerata in the March of Ancona.Guido had...
lifted the excommunication at Council of Reims in 1144. However, Petronilla and Raoul divorced in 1151, as he remarried the next year. Petronilla remained a member of the French royal court and a constant companion to her sister Eleanor while she was imprisoned by her husband King Henry II in England and Wales. After Henry's death, Eleanor was freed, and Petronilla planned on returning to France. Yet, records of Petronilla after 1189 are scarce. It is believed that she came down with a fever on her voyage from England back to France and died in early 1190 before her arrival at port.
Together Raoul and Petronilla had three children:
- Elizabeth (Isabelle Mabile) (1143 – 28 March 1183), married Philip, Count of FlandersPhilip, Count of FlandersPhilip of Alsace was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. He succeeded his father Thierry of Alsace.-Count of Flanders:...
. - Raoul II, count de Vermandois and Valois (1145–1167), married Margaret I, Countess of FlandersMargaret I, Countess of FlandersMargaret I of Flanders was countess of Flanders from 1191 to her death.-History:She was the daughter of Thierry, Count of Flanders and Sibylla of Anjou, and the heiress of her childless brother, Philip of Flanders.-Family:...
. - Eleanor of Vermandois (1148/49 – 1213).
In fiction and literature
- Kristiana Gregory – Eleanor Crown Jewel of Aquitaine: France, 1136. Scholastic Inc. (2002). ISBN 0-439-16484-2. She is mentioned as Petronilla and sometimes just Petra in this fictional diary of her sister, Eleanor.
- Alison Weir – "The Captive Queen" She is portrayed as an alcoholic, eventually dying of this disease
- Petronilla plays a significant part in Cecelia Holland's historical novel, The Secret Eleanor, pub. 2010.