Adèle of France, Countess of Flanders

Adèle of France
Countess of Flanders
Born	1009
Died	8 January 1079 Messines
Burial	Benedictine Convent of Messines
Spouse	Richard III, Duke of Normandy Baldwin V, Count of Flanders
Issue	with Baldwin V: Baldwin VI Matilda, Queen consort of England Robert I
House	House of Capet (by birth) House of Normandy (by marriage) House of Flanders (by marriage)
Father	Robert II of France
Mother	Constance of Arles

Adèle of France,^{[lower-alpha 1]} known also as Adela the Holy or Adela of Messines; (1009 – 8 January 1079, Messines), was, by marriage, the Duchess of Normandy (January 1027 – August 1027), Countess of Flanders (1035–1067).

Life

Adèle was the second daughter of Robert II (the Pious), and Constance of Arles.^[1] In January 1027 she married Richard III, Duke of Normandy.^[2] The marriage was short-lived for on 6 August of that same year Richard III suddenly died.^[2] Adela then married Baldwin V, Count of Flanders in 1028.^[3]

Adèle's influence lay mainly through her family connections. On the death of her brother, Henry I of France, the guardianship of his seven-year-old son Philip I fell jointly on his widow, Ann of Kiev, and on his brother-in-law, Adela's husband, so that from 1060 to 1067, they were Regents of France.^[4]

In 1071, Adela's third son, Robert the Frisian, planned to invade Flanders even though at that time the Count of Flanders was Adela's grandson, Arnulf III. When she heard about Robert's plans, she asked Philip I to stop him. Philip sent soldiers to support Arnulf including a contingent of ten Norman knights led by William FitzOsborn. Robert's forces attacked Arnulf's numerically superior army at Cassel before it could organize, and Arnulf was killed along with William FitzOsborn. Robert's overwhelming victory led to Philip making peace with Robert and investing him as Count of Flanders. A year later, Philip married Robert's stepdaughter, Bertha of Holland, and in 1074, Philip restored the seigneurie of Corbie to the crown.

Adèle had a strong interest in Baldwin V’s church reforms and was behind her husband’s founding of several collegiate churches. Directly or indirectly, she was responsible for establishing the Colleges of Aire (1049), Lille (1050) and Harelbeke (1064) as well as the abbeys of Messines (1057) and Ename (1063). After Baldwin’s death in 1067, she went to Rome, took the nun’s veil from the hands of Pope Alexander II and retired to the Benedictine convent of Messines, near Ypres. There she later died and was buried at the convent. Honoured as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, her commemoration day is 8 September.^[5]

Family

Her first marriage was in 1027 to Richard III, Duke of Normandy (died 1027). They had no children.

Her second marriage was in 1028 to Baldwin V, Count of Flanders (died 1067).^[3] Their children were:

• Baldwin VI, Count of Flanders (c. 1030–1070).^[3]
• Matilda of Flanders (c. 1032–1083). In c. 1053 she married William, Duke of Normandy, the future King of England and had issue.^[3]
• Robert I, Count of Flanders (c. 1035–1093).^[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Adèle of France, Countess of Flanders

16. Robert I of France               8. Hugh the Great                       17. Béatrice               4. Hugh Capet                             18. Henry the Fowler               9. Hedwige of Saxony                       19. Matilda               2. Robert II of France                                   20. Ebalus, Duke of Aquitaine               10. William III, Duke of Aquitaine                       21. Emilienne               5. Adelaide of Aquitaine                             22. Rollo               11. Gerloc (Adele)                       1. Adela of France                                         12. Boso II of Arles                       6. William I of Provence                             13. Constance of Vienna                       3. Constance of Arles                                   28. Fulk I, Count of Anjou               14. Fulk II, Count of Anjou                       29. Rosalie de Loches               7. Adelaide of Anjou                             15. Gerberga

Notes

1. Other forms of her name are Adela, Adélaïde, Adelheid, Aelis and Alix.

References

1. Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 11
2. Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 79
3. Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 5
4. Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafeln 5, 11
5. http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1125