Petronilla of Aquitaine ( 1125 – c.1151) was the second daughter of

William X of Aquitaine William X (Occitan: ''Guillém X''; 1099 – 9 April 1137), called the Saint, was Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, and Count of Poitou (as William VIII) from 1126 to 1137. Early life William was the son of William IX by his second wife, P ...

and Aenor of Châtellerault. She was the elder sister of William Aigret and the younger sister of

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from ...

, who was Queen consort of France, later 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 (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...

. He repudiated his wife and married her, and they were

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

in 1142. Hostilities flared, and Louis VII infamously burned

Vitry-le-François Vitry-le-François () is a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France. It is located on the river Marne and is the western terminus of the Marne–Rhine Canal. Vitry-le-François station has rail connections to Paris, Reims, Stras ...

Pope Eugenius III Pope Eugene III ( la, Eugenius III; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He w ...

renewed the excommunication in 1145, but eventually lifted it at the

Council of Reims Reims, located in the north-east of modern France, hosted several councils or synods in the Roman Catholic Church. These councils did not universally represent the church and are not counted among the official ecumenical councils. Early synodal c ...

in 1148. The exact date of Petronilla's death is unknown, although she must have died at some point between the Council of Reims in 1148 and 1152 when Raoul was married for a third time to Laure, daughter of Thierry of Alsace, count of Flanders. Petronilla was buried in the Cluniac priory of Saint-Arnoul in Crépy-en-Valois, where Raoul was later interred alongside her. Together Raoul and Petronilla had three children: *

Elisabeth, Countess of Vermandois Elisabeth (French: ''Élisabeth''), also known as Isabelle Mabille (1143 – Arras, 28 March 1183), was ruling Countess of Vermandois from 1168 to 1183, and also Countess of Flanders by marriage to Philip I, Count of Flanders. She was the eldest ...

also known as ''Isabelle Mabile'' (1143 – 28 March 1183), married

Philip, Count of Flanders Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land. Count of Flander ...

. *

Ralph II, Count of Vermandois Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

(1145–1167), married

Margaret I, Countess of Flanders Margaret I (c. 1145 - died 15 November 1194) was the countess of Flanders ''suo jure'' from 1191 to her death. Early life Margaret was the daughter of Count Thierry of Flanders and Sibylla of Anjou. In 1160 she married Count Ralph II of Verman ...

. *

Eleanor, Countess of Vermandois Eleanor of Vermandois also known as Eléonore de Vermandois or Aénor de Vermandois (1148 or 1149 – 19 or 21 June 1213) was ruling countess of Vermandois in 1182-1213 and by marriage countess of Ostervant, Nevers, Auxerre, Boulogne and Be ...

(1148/49 – 1213), married four times.

In fiction and literature

*Petronilla is a main character in several novels that deal with her sister's life, including: *

Elizabeth Chadwick Elizabeth Chadwick (born 1957) is an author of historical fiction. She is a member of Regia Anglorum, a medieval reenactment organisation. Biography Elizabeth Chadwick was born in Bury, Lancashire in 1957. She moved with her family to Scotlan ...

- ''The Summer Queen'' (2014) *

Cecelia Holland Cecelia Holland (born December 31, 1943) is an American historical fiction novelist. Early life and education Holland was born December 31, 1943, in Henderson, Nevada. She grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey, where she started writing at age 12, rec ...

- ''The Secret Eleanor'' (2010) *

Sharon Penman Sharon Kay Penman (August 13, 1945 – January 22, 2021) was an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She was best known for the Welsh Princes trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she wrote four medieval ...

**''Time and Chance'' (2002) **''Devil's Brood'' (2009) *

Alison Weir Alison Weir ( Matthews; born 1951) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written nu ...

– ''The Captive Queen''

References

{{Reflist * Kerrebrouck, Patrick van (2000). ''Les Capétiens 987–1328''. 1120s births 1190 deaths Medieval French nobility People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church 12th-century French people 12th-century French women