also Adelaide of Normandy sister of William I of England. Adelaide of Normandy (c 1026 in Calvados, France - c 1090 was the sister or half-sister of William the Conqueror. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages

Adela of Normandy also known as Adela of Blois and Adela of England (c. Marcigny is a French village and commune in the Saône-et-Loire département, Burgundy région. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. 1062 or 1067 – March 8, 1137?) was by marriage countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Blois is a city and commune in France, the Préfecture (capital of the Loir-et-Cher département, situated Chartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France It is located 96 km southwest of Paris Meaux is a commune of Seine-et-Marne, in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. She was a daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages Matilda of Flanders (c 1031 – 2 November 1083 was Queen consort of the Kingdom of England and the wife of William I the Conqueror. She was also the mother of both Stephen, King of England and Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester. Stephen often referred to in history as Stephen of Blois (c 1096 &ndash 25 October, 1154) was the last Norman King of England Henry of Blois, often known as Henry of Winchester; (1101 &ndash 1171 was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126 and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 See also List of bishops of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England

Her birthdate is generally believed to have been between 1060 and 1064; however, there is some evidence she was born after her father's accession to the English throne in 1066. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland She was the favourite sister of King Henry I of England; they were probably the youngest of the Conqueror's children. Henry I (c 1068/1069 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror, the first King of England after the Norman She was a high-spirited and educated woman, with a knowledge of Latin. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

She married Stephen Henry, son and heir to the count of Blois, sometime between 1080 and 1084, probably in 1083. Stephen II Henry (c 1045 &ndash 19 May 1102) (in French, Étienne Henri) Count of Blois and Count of Chartres, The County of Blois was originally centred on Blois, south of Paris, France. Stephen inherited Blois, Chartres and Meaux in 1089, and owned over 300 properties, making him one of the wealthiest men of his day. He was a pious and revered leader who managed huge areas of France which inherited from his father and added to by his sharp administrations. He was, essentially a king in his own right. Stephen-Henry joined the First Crusade, along with his brother-in-law Robert Curthose. The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of conquering the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and freeing Stephen's letters to Adela form a uniquely intimate insight into the experiences of the Crusade's leaders. The Count of Blois returned to France in 1100 bringing with him several cartloads of maps, jewels and other treasures, which he deposited at Chartres. He was, however, under an obligation to the pope for agreements made years earlier and returned to Antioch to participate in the crusade of 1101. The Crusade of 1101 was a minor Crusade of three separate movements organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade He was ultimately killed in an ill advised charge at the Battle of Ramla. The Battle of Ramla (or Ramla) can refer to a number of battles in the early years of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Rumors of his cowardice and defection under fire are untrue and unfounded and have been proven to be propaganda generated by later biased historians. Stephen-Henry was often referred to as "le Sage," and was a great patron of Troubadours and writers.

Adela and Stephen's children are listed here as follows. Their birth order is uncertain.

1. Guillaume (William)(d. 1150), Count of Chartres married Agnes of Sulli (d. aft 1104) and had issue.
2. Theobald II, aka Thibaud IV Count of Champagne
3. Odo of Blois, aka Humbert. Theobald the Great (1090&ndash1151 was Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV from 1102 and was Count of Champagne and of Brie died young.
4. Stephen of Blois {King of England}. Stephen often referred to in history as Stephen of Blois (c 1096 &ndash 25 October, 1154) was the last Norman King of England
5. Lucia-Mahaut, married Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester. Lucia-Mahaut of Blois (d1120 was daughter to Stephen Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy. Richard d'Avranches 2nd Earl of Chester (1094&ndash November 25 1120) was the son of Hugh 1st Earl of Chester and Ermentrude of Clermont Both drowned on 25 November 1120. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the
6. Agnes of Blois, married Hugh de Puiset and were parents to Hugh de Puiset. Hugh de Puiset (c 1125&ndash3 March 1195 was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I.
7. Eléonore of Blois (d. Eléonore of Blois or of Champagne (1104 &ndash 1147 daughter of Stephen II Count of Blois, and of Adela of Normandy. 1147) married Raoul I of Vermandois (d. Raoul I of Vermandois ( French: Raoul Ier "le Vaillant" English Ralph of Vermandois) ( 1085 &ndash 14 October 1152 1152) & had issue they were divorced in 1142.
8. Alix of Blois (d. 1145) married Renaud (d. 1134)III of Joigni & had Issue
9. Lithuise of Blois (d. Lithuise of Blois (1094-1118 was born in Blois Centre Loir-et-Cher France to Stephen Henry and Adela of Normandy. 1118) married Milo I of Montlhéry(Divorced 1115)
10. Philip (d. Milo I the Great (died 1102 was lord of Montlhéry from 1095 until his death 1100) Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne
11. Henry of Blois b. Henry of Blois, often known as Henry of Winchester; (1101 &ndash 1171 was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126 and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 1101- d. 1171 (oblate child raised at Cherite sur Loire (Cluny Abbey) 1103.

Adela was regent for her husband during his extended absence as a leader of the First Crusade (1095-1098), and when he returned in disgrace it was at least in part at her urging that he returned to the east to fulfil his vow of seeing Jerusalem. The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of conquering the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and freeing Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the She was again regent in 1101, continuing after her husband's death on this second crusading expedition in 1102, for their children were still minors. Orderic Vitalis praises her as a "wise and spirited woman" who ably governed her husband's estates in his absences and after his death.

She employed tutors to educate her elder sons, and had her youngest son Henry pledged to the Church at Cluny. The town and commune of Cluny or Clugny lies in the modern-day département of Saône-et-Loire in the région Adela quarrelled with her eldest son Guillaume, "deficient in intelligence as well as degenerate", and had his younger brother Theobald replace him as heir. Her son Stephen left Blois in 1111 to join his uncle's court in England.

Adela retired to Marcigny in 1120, secure in the status of her children. Marcigny is a French village and commune in the Saône-et-Loire département, Burgundy région. Later that same year, her daughter Lucia-Mahaut, was drowned in the wreck of the White Ship alongside her husband. Lucia-Mahaut of Blois (d1120 was daughter to Stephen Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy. The White Ship (or its real name la Blanche-Nef) a twelfth-century vessel sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur She lived long enough to see her son Stephen seize the English throne, and took pride in the ascension of her youngest child Henry Blois to the bishophric of Winchester, but died soon after.

References

• LoPrete,Kimberly. "The Anglo-Norman Card of Adela of Blois", Albion 22 (1990)
• LoPrete, Kimberly. "Adela of Blois and Ivo of Chartres: Piety, Politics, and the Peace in the Diocese of Chartres", Anglo-Norman Studies 19
• Parsons, John Carmi. Medieval Mothering (New Middle Ages), 1996
• LoPrete, Kimberly. "Adela of Blois" Countess and Lord, C. 1067-1137, Four Courts Dublin (2007)

External links

• RoyaList Online interactive family tree (en)