Elisabeth, Countess of Vermandois

Elisabeth
Countess of Vermandois
Spouse(s)	Philip I, Count of Flanders
Noble family	Capetian House of Vermandois
Father	Ralph I, Count of Vermandois
Mother	Petronilla of Aquitaine
Born	1143
Died	28 March 1183 Arras, France

Not to be confused with Elizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester

Elisabeth of Vermandois also known as Isabelle Mabile or Isabelle de Vermandois (1143 – Arras 28 March 1183) was the eldest daughter of Ralph I, Count of Vermandois and his second wife Petronilla of Aquitaine. She was Countess Regnant of Vermandois and Countess Consort of Flanders.

Background

Elisabeth was overall the second child of her father; she had an elder brother named Hugh who was their father's heir, from his first marriage to Eleonore of Blois therefore Elisabeth was second inline to inheriting the county. When Elisabeth was aged two, she was joined by a brother also named Ralph; this pushed Elisabeth back to third in line. Around three years later, Elisabeth gained a further sister, Eleonore.

Elisabeth's mother Petronilla was the sister of the much-celebrated Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen consort of both France and England in her lifetime, this made Elisabeth first cousin to both Richard I of England and John of England.

Ralph had divorced his first wife Eleonore, however his marriage to Petronilla had been viewed as illegitimate by Pope Innocent II, the marriage was later legitimized by Pope Celestine II however, the couple divorced in 1151 and Ralph remarried the following year to Laurette, daughter of Thierry, Count of Flanders.

Adulthood

Map of France from 1180, Vermandois is in the North East

On 14 October 1152, Elisabeth's father died and Hugh was made Count of Vermandois, therefore Elisabeth returned to second-in-line. In 1159, sixteen-year-old Elisabeth married Philip I, Count of Flanders.^[1][2] The following year, Elisabeth's brother Ralph married Philip's sister Margaret. In the same year, Hugh abdicated from his position as count to become a monk therefore, Ralph succeeded as count, Elisabeth was then promoted to first in line, her sister Eleonore in second.

In 1167,^[3] Elisabeth's brother Ralph died of leprosy, his marriage to Margaret had proved childless therefore Elisabeth inherited the County of Vermandois,^[4] which she ruled over jointly with her husband; this pushed Flemish authority further south, to its greatest extent thus far, and threatened to completely alter the balance of power in northern France.

Philip and Elisabeth were childless. In 1175, Philip discovered that Elisabeth was committing adultery^[5][6] and had her lover, Walter de Fontaines, beaten to death.^[5] Philip then obtained complete control of her lands in Vermandois from King Louis VII of France. In 1177, Philip left for the Holy Land, he designated his sister Margaret and her second husband Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut as his heirs.

Elisabeth, having failed to provide an heir died at Arras on 28 March 1183 aged thirty-nine or forty, prompting King Philip II of France to seize Vermandois on behalf of Elisabeth's sister, Eleonore, who succeeded as Countess the same year. Elisabeth was buried at Amiens Cathedral.^[7]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Elisabeth, Countess of Vermandois

Robert II of France               Henry I of France                       Constance of Arles               Hugh I, Count of Vermandois                             Yaroslav I the Wise               Anne of Kiev                       Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden               Ralph I, Count of Vermandois                                   Otto, Count of Vermandois               Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois                       Pavia               Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois                             Raoul III of Valois               Adele of Valois                       Adele de Bar-sur-Aube               Elisabeth, Countess of Vermandois                                         William VIII, Duke of Aquitaine               William IX, Duke of Aquitaine                       Hildegarde of Burgundy               William X, Duke of Aquitaine                             William IV, Count of Toulouse               Philippa of Toulouse                       Emma of Mortain               Petronilla of Aquitaine                                   Boson II de Châtellerault               Aimery I, Viscount of Châtellerault                       Aleanor de Thouars               Aenor de Châtellerault                             Barthelemy de L'Isle Bouchard               Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard                       Gerberge de Blaison

References

1. Annales Blandinienses 1157, MGH SS V, p. 29.
2. John W. Baldwin, The Government of Philip Augustus: Foundations of French Royal Power in the Middle Ages, (University of California Press, 1986), 15.
3. "Women in power 1150-1200". Guide2womenleaders.com. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
4. Flandria Generosa (Continuatio Bruxellensis), MGH SS IX, p. 325.
5. Gislebertus (of Mons), Chronicle of Hainaut, transl. Laura Napran, (The Boydell Press, 2005), 34 note138.
6. Ex Radulfi de Diceto imaginibus historiarum, RHGF XIII, p. 198.
7. Medieval Lands