Alice of France (french: Alix; July/August 1150 – 1197/1198) was countess consort of Blois by marriage to

Theobald V, Count of Blois Theobald V of Blois (1130 – 20 January 1191), also known as Theobald the Good (french: Thibaut le Bon), was Count of Blois from 1151 to 1191. Biography Theobald was son of Theobald II of Champagne and Matilda of Carinthia. Although he was the ...

. She was regent of Blois during the absence of her spouse in 1190-1191, and regent during the minority of

Louis I, Count of Blois Louis I of Blois (1172 – 14 April 1205) was Count of Blois from 1191 to 1205. He is best known for his participation in the Fourth Crusade and later prominent role in the Battle of Adrianople Early life He was the son of Theobald V and Alix ...

from 1191 until 1197.

Life

Alix was the second daughter born to King

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 ...

and Duchess

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 ...

, and was named after her aunt

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 ...

, who was also called "Alix". The birth of a second daughter to Eleanor and Louis instead of a badly needed son was one of the final nails in the coffin of their marriage. Her parents' marriage was annulled in 1152, barely a year after Alix's birth. She and her sister,

Marie Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...

, were declared legitimate, and the custody of the two girls was awarded to their father. Eleanor soon after left the French court and married

Henry II, Duke of Normandy 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 ...

, who later became King of England.

Countess of Blois

In 1164, Alix married

, who had previously attempted to abduct Alix's mother to force her into a marriage with him. Her older sister, Marie, married Theobald's brother,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. Alix served as regent of Blois for seven years. When her husband left for the East in 1190, she was appointed regent to serve during his absence. When he died in 1191 and was succeeded by their minor son, Alix continued to serve as regent, this time during the minority of her son Louis I. She governed until 1197. Alix died in 1197/98.

Issue

Alice and Theobald had seven children: # Theobald (d. 1187) #

# Henry (d. 1185) # Philip (d. 1202) #

Margaret, Countess of Blois Margaret of Blois (French: ''Marguerite''; died 1230) was ''suo jure'' Countess of Blois in France from 1218 to 1230. From 1190 to 1200, she was the countess consort of the County of Burgundy and then regent for her daughters from 1200 until 1208. ...

(d. aft. 1230), who married (1)

Otto I, Count of Burgundy Otto I (between 1167 and 1171 – 13 January 1200) was Count of Burgundy from 1190 to his death and briefly Count of Luxembourg from 1196 to 1197. He was the fourth son of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, by his second wife Beatrice I, Counte ...

; (2)

Gauthier II, Seigneur of Avesnes Gauthier () is a French name of Germanic origin, corresponding to the English given name Walter. People with the given name *Gauthier de Costes, seigneur de la Calprenède * Gauthier de Brienne, Counts Walter III of Brienne, Walter IV of Brienne, ...

Isabelle of Chartres Isabelle of Blois or Elizabeth of Blois (died 1248 or 1249) was the lady of Amboise by marriage and from 1218 until her death the countess of Chartres in her own right. She founded three Cistercian houses for nuns. Twice widowed, she was succe ...

# Alice, Abbess of

Fontevrault The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud or Fontevrault (in French: ''abbaye de Fontevraud'') was a monastery in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in the former French duchy of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou. It was founded in 1101 by the i ...

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alix Of France 1150 births 1190s deaths 12th-century French people French princesses House of Capet Countesses of Chartres 12th-century women rulers 12th-century French women Daughters of kings