Ralph I of Vermandois (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''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. * Gar ...

. He was a son of

Hugh, Count of Vermandois Hugh (1057 – October 18, 1101), called the Great (, ) was the first count of Vermandois from the House of Capet. He is known primarily for being one of the leaders of the First Crusade. His nickname ''Magnus'' (greater or elder) is probably a ...

and his wife,

Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois Adelaide of Vermandois (died 23 September 1120) was ''suo jure'' List of counts of Vermandois, Countess of Vermandois and Count of Valois, Valois from 1080 to 1102. She was the last landed ruler of the Carolingian dynasty. Adelaide was the daught ...

. 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. ...

, while Ralph's mother had been the Carolingian 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 ( – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous (French: ''L’Amoureux''), 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 recove ...

. Through him Ralph was a first cousin of

Louis VI of France Louis VI (1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat () or the Fighter (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Like his father Philip I of France, Philip I, Louis made a lasting contribution to centralizing ...

and a first cousin once removed of

Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

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

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine ( or ; ; , or ; – 1 April 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 to 1204, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, and Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II. As ...

, Louis allowed Ralph to repudiate his wife, Eleanor of Champagne, 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 ...

, in favor of Eleanor of Aquitaine's sister,

Petronilla of Aquitaine Petronilla of Aquitaine ( 1125 – c.1151) was a French noble. She was the second daughter of William X of Aquitaine and Aénor of Châtellerault. She was the elder sister of William Aigret and the younger sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who w ...

. This led to a war with

Theobald II of Champagne Theobald the Great (1090–1152) was count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV from 1102 and was Count of Champagne and of Brie as Theobald II from 1125. Theobald held Auxerre, Maligny, Ervy, Troyes and Châteauvillain as fiefs from Odo ...

, 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, which 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 (; 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 first eight years o ...

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 (; 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 was the first Cist ...

, 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 was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

, daughter of

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

. 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, 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 c ...

. He died of

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

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, (French: ''Guillaume IV'', c. 1130 – Acre, 24 October 1168) was count of Nevers, Auxerre, and Tonnerre from 1161 until his death. Family William was a son of William III, Count of Nevers and Ida of Sponheim, and the older brother o ...

. **3. ca 1170

Matthew of Alsace Matthew, Count of Boulogne (–1173), also known as Matthew of Alsace, 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 constr ...

. **4. ca 1175 Count

Matthew III of Beaumont-sur-Oise Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

. 3. in 1152 with

Laurette of Flanders Laurette may refer to: * Laurette (given name) * Laurette (play), 1960 American play based on the life of Laurette Taylor and starring Judy Holliday * Laurette, Illinois *Buckskin Joe, Park County, Colorado Buckskin Joe is an extinct gold mini ...

, daughter of

Thierry, Count of Flanders Theoderic (, , ; – 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 participation in the Second Crusade, the faile ...

and Swanhilde. They had no children.

References

Sources

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