Marie of France (1145 – 11 March 1198) was a Capetian princess who became Countess of Champagne by her marriage to Henry I of Champagne. She ruled the County of Champagne as regent during Henry I's absence from 1179 to 1181; during the minority of their son Henry II from 1181 to 1187; and during Henry II's absence from 1190 to 1197. She was the daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII of France.
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👉 Marie of France, Countess of Champagne in the context of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine (French: Aliénor d'Aquitaine or Éléonore d'Aquitaine; Occitan: Alienòr d'Aquitània [aljeˈnɔɾ dakiˈtanjɔ]; Latin: Helienordis, Alienorde or Alianor; c. 1124 – 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 the reigning duchess of Aquitaine, she ruled jointly with her husbands and two of her sons, Kings Richard I and John of England. As the heiress of the House of Poitiers, which controlled much of southwestern France, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The eldest child of Duke William X of Aquitaine and Aénor de Châtellerault, Eleanor became duchess upon her father's death in 1137. Later that year, she married Louis, son of King Louis VI of France. Shortly afterwards, Eleanor's father-in-law died and her husband became king, making her queen consort. Louis VII and Eleanor had two daughters, Marie and Alix. During the Second Crusade, Eleanor accompanied Louis to the Holy Land. Pope Eugene III rejected an initial request in 1149 for an annulment of the marriage on grounds of consanguinity. In 1152, after fifteen years of marriage, Eleanor had not borne a male heir, and the annulment was granted. Their daughters were declared legitimate, custody was awarded to Louis, and Eleanor's lands were restored to her.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Marie of France, Countess of Champagne
- 👉 Marie of France, Countess of Champagne in the context of Eleanor of Aquitaine
- Marie of France, Countess of Champagne in the context of County of Champagne
- Marie of France, Countess of Champagne in the context of Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart
Marie of France, Countess of Champagne in the context of County of Champagne
The County of Champagne (Latin: Comitatus Campaniensis; Old French: Conté de Champaigne) was a medieval territory and feudal principality in the Kingdom of France. It developed on the rich plains between Paris and the border of the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century. It became an economic hub of northern France and an international trade center in part due to the trade fairs instituted by Count Theobald II, and steady land clearing led to economic and urban growth. Count Henry the Liberal established the city of Troyes as the county's capital and expanded the state. The court of Champagne under Count Henry and Countess Marie saw a proliferation of literary authors. In the 13th century, Count Theobald III, Countess Blanche, and Count Theobald IV oversaw a centralization of the state. The county is noted for its support to the crusades and monastic foundations, especially those of the Cistercians, which originated within its borders. From 1234 the count of Champagne was also the king of Navarre, and the marriage of Queen Joan I of Navarre with King Philip IV of France led to the county being absorbed into the royal domain of the kings of France in the 14th century.
Marie of France, Countess of Champagne in the context of Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart
Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart (French: Lancelot, le Chevalier de la charrette) is a 12th-century Old French chivalric romance poem by Chrétien de Troyes, although it is believed that Chrétien worked on a story given to him by Marie of France and he did not complete the text himself. It is the earliest known text to feature Lancelot as a prominent character, and the first to feature the love affair between him and King Arthur's wife Queen Guinevere.
The story centers on Lancelot's rescue of Guinevere after she has been abducted by Meleagant, the malevolent son of King Bademagu, the ruler of the otherworldly Kingdom of Gorre. It deals with Lancelot's trials during the rescue, and his struggle to balance his duties as a warrior and as a lover bound by societal conventions.