Adélaïde d'Anjou

  General Notes:

ADELAIS [Blanche] d'Anjou ([945/50]-1026, bur Montmajour, near Arles). Her parentage and first marriage are confirmed by the Chronicle of Saint-Pierre du Puy which names "comes Gaufridus cognomento Grisogonella…Pontius et Bertrandus eius nepotes…matre eorum Adalaide sorore ipsius", the brothers Pons and Bertrand being confirmed in other sources as the sons of Etienne de Brioude, for example the charter dated 1000 under which "duo germani fratres…Pontius, alter Bertrandus" donated property to Saint-Chaffre for the souls of "patris sui Stephani matrisque nomine Alaicis". Adelais's second and third marriages are confirmed by Richer who records the marriage of Louis and "Adelaidem, Ragemundi nuper defuncti ducis Gothorum uxorem" and their coronation as king and queen of Aquitaine. The Chronicon Andegavensi names "Blanchiam filiam Fulconis Boni comitis Andegavensis" as wife of the successor of "Lotharius rex Francorum", but confuses matters by stating that the couple were parents of "filiam Constantiam" wife of Robert II King of France. The Chronicle of Saint-Maxence names "Blanchiam" as the wife of "Lotharius rex…Ludovicum filium" but does not give her origin. She was crowned Queen of Aquitaine with her third husband on the day of their marriage. The Libro de Otiis Imperialibus names "Blanchiam" as wife of "Ludovicus puer [filius Lotharii]". Rodulfus Glaber refers to the unnamed wife of "Ludowicum" as "ab Aquitanis partibus uxorem", recounting that she tricked him into travelling to Aquitaine where "she left him and attached herself to her own family". Richer records her marriage with "Wilelmum Arelatensem" after her divorce from Louis. Her fourth marriage is confirmed by the Historia Francorum which names "Blanca sorore Gaufridi comitis Andegavensis" as wife of "Guillelmi comitis Arelatensis". The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Blanche comitisse Arelatensis" as mother of "Constantia [uxor Robertus rex]", specifying that she was "soror Gaufridi Grisagonelli". The Gesta Consulum Andegavorum names "Blanca sorore eius" ( "eius" referring incorrectly to Foulques "Nerra" Comte d'Anjou) as wife of "Guillelmi Arelatensis comitis" and as mother of Constance, wife of Robert II King of France. "Dominus princeps et marchio istius provinciæ…Willelmus cum coniuge sua…Adelaix et filio suo…Willelmo" restored property to the abbey of Saint-Césaire d´Arles by charter dated 992, subscribed by "Domnus Rotbaldus comes…Willelmus comes filius Rotbaldi et uxor sua Lucia, Wilelmus comes Tolosanus et uxor sua Ema…". "Adalaiz comitissa" donated property to Saint-Victor de Marseille by charter dated 1003. This charter is subscribed by "Emma comitissa…Wilelmus comes", the second of whom was presumably the son of Adelais but the first of whom has not been identified. "Pontius…Massiliensis ecclesie pontifex" issued a charter dated 1005 with the consent of "domni Rodhbaldi comitis et domne Adalaizis comitisse, domnique Guillelmi comitis filii eius". "Adalax comitissa mater Villelmi quondam Provintie comitis et Geriberga eque comitissa…eiusdem principis olim uxor" donated property to Saint-Victor de Marseille for the soul of their late son and husband respectively by charter dated 1018. No explanation has been found for her having been named Adelais in some sources and Blanche in others, as it is difficult to interpret the documentation as meaning that they refer to two separate individuals. [Adelais may have married fifthly (before Sep 1016) as his second wife, Othon Guillaume Comte de Mâcon et de Nevers [Bourgogne-Comté]. Adelais's supposed fifth marriage is deduced from the following: Count Othon-Guillaume's wife is named Adelais in several charters, and Pope Benedict VIII refers to "domnæ Adeleidi comitissæ cognomento Blanchæ" with "nuruique eius domnæ Gerbergæ comitissæ" when addressing her supposed fifth husband in a document dated Sep 1016, Gerberga presumably being Count Othon-Guillaume's daughter by his first wife who was the widow of Adelaide-Blanche d´Anjou's son by her fourth husband. However, the document in question appears not to specify that "domnæ Adeleidi…" was the wife of Othon Guillaume and the extracts seen (the full text has not yet been consulted) do not permit this conclusion to be drawn. It is perfectly possible that the Pope named Adelais-Blanche in the letter only in reference to her relationship to Othon Guillaume´s daughter. If her fifth marriage is correct, Adelais would have been considerably older than her new husband, and probably nearly sixty years old when she married (Othon-Guillaume's first wife died in [1002/04]), which seems unlikely. Another difficulty is presented by the entries dated 1018, 1024 and 1026, quoted above and below, which appear to link Adelais to Provence while, if the fifth marriage was correct, she would have been with her husband (whose death is recorded in Sep 1026) in Mâcon.] "Vuilelmus filius Rodbaldi" donated property "in comitatu Aquense in valle…Cagnanam" to Marseille Saint-Victor by charter dated 1024, signed by "Adalaiz comitissa, Vuilelmus comes filius Rodbaldi". A manuscript written by Arnoux, monk at Saint-André-lès-Avignon, records the death in 1026 of "Adalax comitissa". The necrology of Saint-Pierre de Mâcon records the death "IV Kal Jun" of "Adalasia comitissa vocata regali progenie orta". An enquiry dated 2 Jan 1215 records that "comitissa Blanca" was buried "apud Montem Majorem".

m firstly ([950/60]) as his second wife, ETIENNE de Brioude , son of BERTRAND --- & his wife Emilgarde [Emilde] --- (-before [970/75]).

m secondly ([970/75]) RAYMOND IV Comte de Toulouse , son of RAYMOND III Comte de Toulouse & his wife Gundinildis --- ([945/55]-killed "Carazo" [972/79]).

m thirdly (Vieux-Brioude, Haute-Loire 982, divorced 984) LOUIS associate King of the Franks , son of LOTHAIRE King of the Franks & Emma d'Arles [Italy] ([966/67]-Compiègne 21 May 987, bur Compiègne, église collégiale de Saint-Corneille). Crowned King of Aquitaine the day of his marriage in 982. He succeeded his father in 986 as LOUIS V King of the Franks.

m fourthly ([984/86]) as his second wife, GUILLAUME [II] "le Libérateur" Comte d'Arles Marquis de Provence, son of BOSON [II] Comte d'Arles & his wife Constantia [de Vienne] ([955]-Avignon 993 after 29 Aug, bur Sarrians, église de Sainte-Croix).

[m fifthly (before 1016) as his second wife, OTHON GUILLAUME Comte de Mâcon et de Nevers [Bourgogne-Comté], son of ADALBERTO associate-King of Italy & his wife Gerberge de Chalon ([960/62]-Dijon 21 Sep 1026).] ¹

Adélaïde married Étienne de Brioude about 950-960.¹ (Étienne de Brioude died before 975 ¹.)

Adélaïde next married Raymond [IV] de Toulouse Comte de Toulouse about 970-975.¹ (Raymond [IV] de Toulouse Comte de Toulouse was born about 945-955 ¹ and died about 972-979 ¹.)

Adélaïde next married Louis V Roi des Francs in 982.¹ (Louis V Roi des Francs was born about 966-967,¹ died on 22 May 987 in Compiègne, Oise, Picardie, 60200, FR ¹ and was buried in Abbaye Saint-Corneille de Compiègne, Compiègne, Oise, Picardie, 60200, FR ¹.)

Adélaïde next married Guillaume II de Provence Marquis et Comte de Provence about 984-986.¹ (Guillaume II de Provence Marquis et Comte de Provence was born about 955 ¹ and died after 29 Aug 993 in Avignon, Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 84000, FR ¹.)