Constance of France ( – ) was a French princess of the

House of Capet The House of Capet (french: Maison capétienne) or the Direct Capetians (''Capétiens directs''), also called the House of France (''la maison de France''), or simply the Capets, ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most ...

, the only daughter of Louis VI of France and his wife Adélaide de Maurienne. Amongst her siblings was Louis VII, who succeeded their father in 1137.

Life

In 1140, Constance married Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne, son 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 ...

. The couple were married for thirteen years until Eustace's death, they had no children. The following year, Constance was married to

Raymond V, Count of Toulouse Raymond V ( oc, Ramon; c. 1134 – c. 1194) was Count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194. He was the son of Alphonse I of Toulouse and Faydida of Provence. Alphonse took his son with him on the Second Crusade in 1147. When Alphon ...

. The marriage was arranged by her brother, who was in need of allies against

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

, particularly after the latter bolstered his presence in France by marrying Louis's former wife, Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. The marriage was an unhappy one, a factor that can explain the tense relationship between Raymond and Louis. After a decade of marriage, Raymond broke from Louis and moved towards a partnership with Frederick Barbarossa. Constance wrote to Louis, complaining that she was isolated in Toulouse; the courtiers ignored her and her servants did not obey her orders. In addition, Constance was displeased by her husband taking mistresses. In 1165, Constance fled from Toulouse and returned to Paris. In 1166, with the support of

Antipope Paschal III Antipope Paschal III (or Paschal III) () was a 12th-century clergyman who, from 1164 to 1168, was the second antipope to challenge the reign of Pope Alexander III. He had previously served as Cardinal of St. Maria. Biography Born Guido of C ...

and Frederick, Raymond repudiated Constance. Having lost the favour of Louis, Raymond was forced to perform homage to Henry for Toulouse at Limoges in 1173.C. Taylor, ''Heresy in Medieval France: Dualism in Aquitaine and the Agenais, 1000-1249'' (Boydell & Brewer, 2005), p.148

Issue

Raymond and Constance had five children together, they were: # Raymond VI, who succeeded his father #Aubri, died 1180 # Azalais of Toulouse # , born 1165, executed on the orders of Raymond VI in 1214

References

Sources

*Bom, M. M., ''Constance of France. Womanhood and Agency in Twelfth-Century Europe'' (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022) *Cheyette, F. L., ''Ermengard of Narbonne and the World of the Troubadours'' (Cornell University Press, 2001) *Costen, M. D., ''The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade'' (Manchester University Press, 1997) *James, G. P. R., ''A History of the Life of Richard Cœur-de-Lion, King of England, Volume 1'' (Saunders and Otley, 1841) *Reddy, W. M., ''The Making of Romantic Love: Longing and Sexuality in Europe, South Asia, and Japan, 900-1200 CE'' (University of Chicago Press, 2012) *Seward, D., ''Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Mother Queen of the Middle Ages'' (Pegasus Books, 2014) *Taylor, C., ''Heresy in Medieval France: Dualism in Aquitaine and the Agenais, 1000-1249'' (Boydell & Brewer, 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Constance Of France, Countess Of Toulouse 1120s births 1176 deaths 12th-century French people 12th-century French women French princesses Constance Countesses of Toulouse Countesses of Boulogne Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne Daughters of kings