Ralph I of Vermandois ( French: ''Raoul I^er'') (d. 14 October 1152) was

Count of Vermandois The Count of Vermandois was the ruler of the county of Vermandois. Beneficiary counts of Vermandois * Leodegar, Count of Vermandois (c. 484). * Emerannus (c. 511), son of previous. * Wagon I (c. 550). * Wagon II (c. 600), son of previous. * ...

. He was a son of

Hugh, Count of Vermandois Hugh, Count of Vermandois (1057 – October 18, 1101), called the Great (french: Hugues le Grand, la, Hugo Magnus) was the first count of Vermandois from the House of Capet. He is known primarily for being one of the leaders of First Crusade. His ...

and his wife,

Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois Adelaide of Vermandois (died 23 Sep 1120) was '' suo jure'' Countess of Vermandois and Valois from 1080 to 1120. Adelaide was the daughter of Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois and Adele of Valois. By 1080, Adelaide married Hugh, son of the Cape ...

. Ralph was a grandson of

Henry I of France Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. Th ...

, while Ralph‘s mother had been the heiress to

Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois Herbert IV of Vermandois (1028–1080), Count of Vermandois, was the son of Otto of Vermandois and Parvie (Pavia or Patia). Family and children Herbert married Adele of Valois, daughter of Ralph IV of Valois and Adele of Bar-sur-Aube. They had: * ...

. Ralph’s paternal uncle was

Philip I of France Philip I (23 May 1052 – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous, was King of the Franks from 1060 to 1108. His reign, like that of most of the early Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time. The monarchy began a modest recovery from the low i ...

. Through him Ralph was a first cousin of

Louis VI of France Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...

and a first cousin once removed of

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 ...

. Ralph served as the seneschal of France during the reign of Louis VII. Under pressure from the queen,

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 ...

, Louis allowed Ralph to repudiate his wife,

Eleanor of Champagne Eleanor of Blois or Champagne (French: ''Eléonore''; 1102–1147) was a French noblewoman. Life She was daughter of Stephen, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy, daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. Eleanor married Ralph ...

, sister of

Stephen, King of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...

, in favor of Eleanor of Aquitaine's sister,

Petronilla of Aquitaine Petronilla of Aquitaine ( 1125 – c.1151) was the second daughter of William X of Aquitaine and Aenor of Châtellerault. She was the elder sister of William Aigret and the younger sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was Queen consort of France ...

. This led to a war with

Theobald II of Champagne 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, Tyb ...

, who was the brother of Ralph's first wife Eleanor. The war lasted two years (1142–44) and ended with the occupation 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 ...

by the royal army. Ralph and Petronilla were excommunicated by

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 ...

for a marriage deemed illegitimate, overriding three bishops who had already annulled Ralph's prior marriage. With Eleanor's death in 1147, the following year

Pope Eugene 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 ...

, legitimized the marriage 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 cou ...

Family and children

Ralph was married three times: 1. in 1125 to

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

, daughter of

Stephen, Count of Blois Stephen Henry (in French, ''Étienne Henri'', in Medieval French, ''Estienne Henri''; – 19 May 1102) was the Count of Blois and Count of Chartres. He led an army during the First Crusade, was at the surrender of the city of Nicaea, and direc ...

. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1140 and she died in 1147. 2. in 1140 to

; they had three children: * Elizabeth (or Isabelle) Mabile, countess of Vermandois and Valois (1143–1183), married

Philip I, 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 Flanders ...

; no issue. * Ralph II, count of Vermandois and Valois (1145–1167), was the first husband of

Margaret of Lorraine Margaret of Lorraine, Duchess of Alençon (1463 at the castle of Vaudémont, Lorraine – 2 November 1521 in Argentan, Normandy) was a French noblewoman and a nun of the order of Poor Clares (''Ordre des Clarisses''). She was beatified in 1921. ...

, later

countess of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

. He died of

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

in 1167 without issue. *

, countess of Vermandois and Valois (b. 1148? – d. 1213/1214). She married four times as follows, but had no issue: **1. Godfrey of Hainaut, Count of Ostervant (d. 1163). **2. before 1167

William IV, Count of Nevers William IV, Count of Nevers, (c. 1130 – Acre, 24 October 1168) Count of Nevers, Auxerre and Tonnerre (1161–1168). Family William was a son of William III, Count of Nevers and Ida of Sponheim, and the older brother of his successor Guy, Coun ...

. **3. ca 1170

Matthew of Alsace Matthew, Count of Boulogne, also known as ''Matthew of Alsace'' (–1173) was the second son of Thierry, Count of Flanders and Sibylla of Anjou. Matthew forcibly abducted the nun Marie de Boulogne, daughter of Stephen, King of England, and cons ...

. **4. ca 1175 Count Matthew III of Beaumont-sur-Oise. 3. in 1152 with Laurette of Flanders, daughter of

Thierry, Count of Flanders Theoderic ( nl, Diederik, french: Thierry, german: Dietrich; – 17 January 1168), commonly known as Thierry of Alsace, was the fifteenth count of Flanders from 1128 to 1168. With a record of four campaigns in the Levant and Africa (including p ...

and Swanhilde. They had no children.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ralph I, Count of Vermandois Capetian House of Vermandois 1152 deaths Counts of Vermandois People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church French Roman Catholics