Blanche of Navarre (–1229) was
Countess of Champagne
House of Champagne, 1234–1285
House of Capet, 1284-1349
Notes
{{Reflist
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that dema ...
by marriage to
Theobald III, Count of Champagne
Theobald III (french: Thibaut; 13 May 1179 – 24 May 1201) was Count of Champagne from 1197 to his death. He was designated heir by his older brother Henry II when the latter went to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade, and succeeded him upon his ...
, and regent of
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
during the minority of her son
Theobald I of Navarre
Theobald I (french: Thibaut, es, Teobaldo; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famous ...
between 1201 and 1222.
Life
Early life
She was the youngest daughter of
Sancho VI of Navarre
Sancho Garcés VI ( eu, Antso VI.a; 21 April 1132 - 27 June 1194), called the Wise ( eu, Jakituna, es, el Sabio) was King of Navarre from 1150 until his death in 1194. He was the first monarch to officially drop the title of ''King of Pamplona'' ...
and
Sancha of Castile, who died in 1179, about two years after Blanche's birth. Her eldest brother,
Sancho VII
Sancho VII ( eu, Antso VII.a; 11577 April 1234) called the Strong ( eu, Azkarra, es, el Fuerte) was King of Navarre from 1194 until his death in 1234. He was the son and heir of Sancho VI, whom he followed as the second king to hold the ti ...
, succeeded their father and was the last
agnatic
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
descendant of the first dynasty of
kings of Navarre, the Pamplona dynasty, dying childless. Her elder sister
Berengaria married
Richard I of England
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...
.
Blanche married
Theobald III, Count of Champagne
Theobald III (french: Thibaut; 13 May 1179 – 24 May 1201) was Count of Champagne from 1197 to his death. He was designated heir by his older brother Henry II when the latter went to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade, and succeeded him upon his ...
,
[Theodore Evergates, ''The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100-1300'', (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007), 248] on 1 July 1199 at
Chartres
Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...
, when she was 22-years-old and he was 20-years-old.
Regent of Champagne
Theobald III died young on 24 May 1201, leaving her pregnant. When she gave birth to a son on 30 May 1201, he immediately became Theobald IV, Count of Champagne (
Theobald I of Navarre
Theobald I (french: Thibaut, es, Teobaldo; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famous ...
). Blanche ruled the county as
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
until Theobald turned 21 years old in 1222. The regency was plagued by a number of difficulties. Blanche's brother-in-law, count
Henry II had left behind a great deal of debt. Henry was the elder son but had transferred the land to his younger brother, Theobald III.
Furthermore, their son Theobald IV's right to the succession of Champagne was challenged by Henry's daughter
Philippa
Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of ''Philippa of Guelders'' ...
and her husband,
Erard I of Brienne, Count of Ramerupt and one of the more powerful
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
nobles. The conflict with the Briennes broke into open warfare in 1215, in what became known as the
Champagne War of Succession
The War of the Succession of Champagne was a war from 1216 to 1222 between the nobles of the Champagne region of France, occurring within that region and also spilling over into neighboring duchies. The war lasted two years and ''de facto'' ended ...
, and was not resolved until after Theobald came of age in 1222. After the death of her husband, however, Blanche had taken immediate action to secure the county of Champagne for her son. She found King Philip at Sens and paid him homage, which was the first homage rendered by a countess. She did this to maintain wardship and the right over her lands and in exchange she promised to not marry without the king's permission. Prince Louis then proclaimed in a letter to Jean of Brienne, that neither he nor King Philip would hear a challenge against Theobald IV's claim until he was twenty-one. In this letter, Prince Louis also confirmed that Henry II did indeed transfer the land to his brother. At that time Theobald and Blanche bought out their rights for a substantial monetary payment. Blanche had also arranged the dowry of Henry II's elder daughter
Alice of Champagne
Alice of Champagne (french: Alix; 1193 – 1246) was the queen consort of Cyprus from 1210 to 1218, regent of Cyprus from 1218 to 1223, and of Jerusalem from 1243 to 1246. She was the eldest daughter of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem and Count Hen ...
, when she married the young
Hugh I of Cyprus
Hugh I (french: Hugues; gr, Ούγος; 1194/1195 – 10 January 1218) succeeded to the throne of Cyprus on 1 April 1205 underage upon the death of his elderly father Aimery, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem. His mother was Eschiva of Ibelin, heir ...
. In the 1230s, in order to settle with Alice, Theobald IV had to sell his overlordship over the counties of
Blois
Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...
,
Sancerre
Sancerre () is a medieval hilltop town (ville) and commune in the Cher department, France overlooking the river Loire. It is noted for its wine.
History
Located in the area of Gaul settled by the powerful Celtic (Gaule Celtique) tribe, the Bitu ...
, and
Châteaudun
Châteaudun () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It was the site of the Battle of Châteaudun during the Franco-Prussian War.
Geography
Châteaudun is located about 45& ...
to
Louis IX of France
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...
.
With her regency completed, in 1222 Blanche withdrew to the
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
convent of Argensolles, whose foundation she had funded herself, for her retirement.
Later years
Since some barons suspected Theobald for having a hand in the death of
Louis VIII
Louis VIII (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (french: Le Lion), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As prince, he invaded England on 21 May 1216 and was excommunicated by a papal legate on 29 May 1216. On 2 June 1216 ...
(in November 1226),
Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile ( es, Blanca de Castilla; 4 March 1188 – 27 November 1252) was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX: during his minority from 1226 until 1234, and during ...
withdrew his invitation to the coronation of Louis IX and proffered it to Blanche instead.
Blanche died on 13 March 1229, seven years after the end of her regency, at the age of 52. In her will she left 5 marks of gold to the
Cathedral of Reims
, image = Reims Kathedrale.jpg
, imagealt = Facade, looking northeast
, caption = Façade of the cathedral, looking northeast
, pushpin map = France
, pushpin map alt = Location within France
, ...
, which was used to build a statue to contain the Holy Milk of the Virgin.
[''Historical Aspects of the Reconstruction of Reims Cathedral, 1210-124'', Robert Branner, Speculum, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Jan., 1961), 33.]
After Blanche's death, her brother in retirement remained as King of Navarre and her son Theobald continued as Count of Champagne. Their eldest sister,
Berengaria of Navarre
Berengaria of Navarre ( eu, Berengela, es, Berenguela, french: Bérengère; 1165–1170 – 23 December 1230) was Queen of England as the wife of Richard I of England. She was the eldest daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre and Sancha of Ca ...
, Queen of England (widow of Richard the Lionheart), died without issue in 1230, leaving Sancho as the sole surviving child of Sancho VI. When he died in 1234, Blanca's son Theobald IV of Champagne was recognized as the next King of Navarre. Theobald had married twice during Blanche's lifetime and had one daughter by the time of her death, who was also named
Blanche.
Children
Blanche had two children with Theobald III of Champagne:
#Marie – Blanche is noted as having borne an older daughter named Marie to Theobald III before his death in May 1201. References to this Marie in documentation are scant, but as Blanche was married in July 1199, Marie would have been under two years old at the time of her father's death. One of the conditions of Blanche's treaty with Philip II confirming her son's inheritance was that Marie had to be sent away to be raised in the royal court at Paris.
#
Theobald I of Navarre
Theobald I (french: Thibaut, es, Teobaldo; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famous ...
.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanche of Navarre, Countess of Champagne
1170s births
1229 deaths
Female regents
Navarrese monarchs
Countesses of Champagne
Navarrese infantas
13th-century women rulers
House of Jiménez
12th-century nobility from the Kingdom of Navarre
13th-century nobility from the Kingdom of Navarre
Daughters of kings