}; 1115) was
Count of Troyes
The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagne.
Count Theobald I ...
and of
Meaux
Meaux () is a commune on the river Marne in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is east-northeast of the centre of Paris.
Meaux is, with Provins, Torcy and Fontainebleau, ...
from 1047 to 1066, then
Count of Aumale
The County of Aumale, later elevated to a duchy, was a medieval fief in Normandy. It was disputed between England and France during parts of the Hundred Years' War.
Aumale in Norman nobility
Aumale was a medieval fief in the Duchy of Normandy and ...
from 1069 to 1115. He was later also known as the
count of Champagne
The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagne.
Count Theobald I ...
and as Eudes II of Troyes.
Biography
Odo was the son of
Stephen II of Troyes and Meaux, and Adele. He was still a minor at the death of his father, and his uncle
Theobald III of Blois Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans.
The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Tybal ...
acted as regent of Troyes.
In 1060, Odo married
Adelaide of Normandy
Adelaide of Normandy (or Adeliza) ( 1030 – bef. 1090) was the ruling Countess of Aumale in her own right in 1069-1087. She was the sister of William the Conqueror.
Life
Born 1030, Adelaide was an illegitimate daughter of the Norman duke Rob ...
, daughter of
Robert I, Duke of Normandy
Robert the Magnificent (french: le Magnifique;He was also, although erroneously, said to have been called 'Robert the Devil' (french: le Diable). Robert I was never known by the nickname 'the devil' in his lifetime. 'Robert the Devil' was a fic ...
and widow of
Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu, Lord of Aumale and
Lambert II, Count of Lens
Lambert II, Count of Lens (died 1054) was a French nobleman. He was likely born circa 1030. This would put his death age at about 24 years old.
He was the son of Eustace I, Count of Bologne and of Maud of Louvain (daughter of Lambert I of Louvain ...
. After the death of Enguerrand's only daughter Adelaide, her mother Adelaide of Normandy became her heir and hence through his marriage Odo acquired the title Count (or Earl) of Aumale in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
''
Jure uxoris
''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...
'' (by right of his wife).
Adelaide (sometime called Adeliza) was also sister of
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
, and Odo accompanied his brother-in-law in the
Norman conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...
(1066).
Theobald III of Blois Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans.
The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Tybal ...
then seized Odo's counties in the
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 ...
region, One version states William I, for his services in the conquest gave Odo
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...
in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Another proposes that the
Lordship of Holderness was granted to William's sister Adelaide, in 1087, and Odo became Earl of Holderness by right of his wife.
Odo was, with
Alan Rufus
Alan Rufus, alternatively Alanus Rufus (Latin), Alan ar Rouz (Breton), Alain le Roux ( French) or Alan the Red (c. 1040 – 1093), 1st Lord of Richmond, was a Breton nobleman, kinsman and companion of William the Conqueror (Duke William II of No ...
and
Roger of Poitou
Roger the Poitevin (Roger de Poitou) was born in Normandy in the mid-1060s and died before 1140. He was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, possessing large holdings in both England and through his marriage in France.
He was the third son of Roger of Mon ...
, one of the commanders of the army sent by King
William II to besiege
William de St-Calais
William de St-Calais (died 2 January 1096) was a medieval Norman monk, abbot of the abbey of Saint-Vincent in Le Mans in Maine, who was nominated by King William I of England as Bishop of Durham in 1080. During his term as bishop, St-Calais re ...
at
Durham Castle
Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Herit ...
after the
Rebellion of 1088
The Rebellion of 1088 occurred after the death of William the Conqueror and concerned the division of lands in the Kingdom of England and the Duchy of Normandy between his two sons William Rufus and Robert Curthose. Hostilities lasted from 3 to ...
, and who signed St-Calais's guarantee of personal safety.
Odo was implicated in a plot to place his son
Stephen of Aumale
Stephen of Aumale (–1127) was Count of Aumale from before 1089 to 1127, and Lord of Holderness.
Life
He was son of Odo, Count of Champagne, and Adelaide of Normandy, countess of Aumale, sister of William the Conqueror.George Edward Cokayne, ''Th ...
on the English throne. Stephen was the first cousin of brothers
William Rufus
William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...
, King of England and
Robert Curthose
Robert Curthose, or Robert II of Normandy ( 1051 – 3 February 1134, french: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. ...
, Duke of Normandy. Stephen was apparently not put on trial himself as he may have been out of the king's reach in Normandy. Odo was imprisoned in 1095. Odo lost his English lands for his complicity
[C. Warren Hollister, 'Magnates and Curiales in Early Norman England', ''Viator'', Vol. 8, No. 1 (1977), p. 70] but they were restored to Stephen two years after the death of William Rufus.
Family
Odo had one son with Adelaide:
Stephen, Count of Aumale
Stephen of Aumale (–1127) was Count of Aumale from before 1089 to 1127, and Lord of Holderness.
Life
He was son of Odo, Count of Champagne, and Adelaide of Normandy, countess of Aumale, sister of William the Conqueror.George Edward Cokayne, ''Th ...
(died 1127).
In 1902 Richard Langrishe published a paper in which he put forward the theory that Odo was the primogenitor of the Irish family of Le Gras (Grace). This amended an older theory that
Raymond FitzGerald
Raymond (or Redmond) Fitz William Fitz Gerald (died 1185–1198), nicknamed ''Le Gros'' ("the Large"), was a Cambro-Norman commander during the Norman invasion of Ireland. Raymond was among the first of a small band of Norman knights who lan ...
(died 1185/1198) was the primogenitor. However, Richard Roach (1970) upheld the older proposition, but more recently M. T. Flanagan (2004) disagreed with Roach because FitzGerald had no known legitimate heirs.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Odo, Count Of Champagne
1040s births
1115 deaths
11th-century French people
12th-century French people
Counts of Troyes
Year of birth uncertain
House of Blois
William II of England