Petronella of Courtrai (Petronille) (? — after 1214) was a Dutch regent and noblewoman. She ruled during the absence of her husband and after he died, during the minority of her son. She was a daughter of a woman named Sarah and her husband, lord Roger I of Courtrai. Petronella was a wife of Lord Zeger II and with him, mother of: *

Zeger III of Ghent Zeger III of Ghent (called The Good) was the lord of Heusden, of Bornhem, and of Saint-Jean Steen, and the Châtelain of Ghent. He was the second son of Zeger II, Lord of Ghent and Petronella of Coutrai. His older brother, Arnold, died before 11 ...

*Daniel *Arnold *Gilles (he was married and he fathered a son named Arnold) *Dirk *Bernhard *Walter (Woutre) *Beatrix Her husband Zeger II was a

templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

from 1200 and in 1202 he died, and she continued 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 ...

for their son Zeger. She remained influential after her son took over the government and donated some lands to an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

. When signing documents she used the titulature of Burgravine.''Women in power''
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References

{{Reflist Year of birth unknown 13th-century women of the Holy Roman Empire 13th-century women rulers