Individual

Go to List of Family Names Go to List of People    < Previous Next >

Birth:          ABT 1174 Champagne, France
Death:          9 Aug 1204 

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Champagne
Marie of Champagne (c.?1174 – 9 August 1204) was the Empress consort of Baldwin I 
of Constantinople.
Family[edit]

She was a daughter of Henry I, Count of Champagne and Marie of France, Countess 
of Champagne.[1] Her maternal grandparents were Louis VII of France and Eleanor of 
Aquitaine.

Her brothers were Henry II of Champagne and Theobald III, Count of Champagne. Her 
sister Scholastique of Champagne married William V of Macon. Both sisters are 
mentioned by name in the chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines.

Her uncles were kings Richard I of England, John and Philip II of France.

Marriage[edit]

According to the chronicle of Gislebert of Mons, Marie was bethrothed to "Theobald", 
son of the count of Flanders and Hainaut in 1179. Gislebert is presumed to have 
misrecorded the name of Baldwin. Her betrothed was Baldwin VI, son of Baldwin V, 
Count of Hainaut and Margaret I, Countess of Flanders.

On 6 January 1186, Marie and Baldwin were married.[2] They had two known children:
Joan, Countess of Flanders (1199/1200 – 5 December 1244).
Margaret II, Countess of Flanders (2 June 1202 – 10 February 1280).

Empress consort[edit]

On 14 April 1202 her husband left Flanders to join the Fourth Crusade. This Crusade 
was diverted to Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. The crusaders 
captured and sacked the city. Then they decided to set up a Latin Empire in place of 
the fallen Greek one. On 9 May 1204, Baldwin was elected its first emperor making 
Marie the empress consort.

Marie herself left Flanders to join her husband but decided to visit Outremer first. 
According to Geoffrey of Villehardouin she could not join him in the crusade earlier as 
she was pregnant at the time of his departure. After delivery of the child, Margaret and 
sufficient recovery, she set forth to join him.[3]

She set sail from the port of Marseille and landed in Acre. There she received tribute 
by Bohemond IV of Antioch.[4] In Acre news reached her of the fall of Constantinople 
and the proclamation of Baldwin as the new emperor. She wanted to set sail for 
Constantinople but fell sick and died in the Holy Land.[5]

News of her death reached Constantinople through Crusading reinforcements from 
Syria. Baldwin was reportedly afflicted by the death of his wife. Villehardouin reports 
that Marie "was a gracious and virtuous lady and greatly honoured".[6]

Parents
____ Henry (Henri) I "the Generous" (1127 - 16 Mar 1181)
OF FRANCE Marie (1145 - 11 Mar 1198)

Siblings
DE CHAMPAGNE Marie (ABT 1174 - 9 Aug 1204)
____ Theobald III (Thibault V) (13 May 1179 - 24 May 1201)

Marriage To ____ Baldwin IX (VI) (Jul 1172 - 11 Jun 1205)
    m. 6 Jan 1186 

Notes

Parents
____ Baldwin VIII (V) (ABT 1150 - 17 Dec 1195)
DE LORRAINE Margaret (Marguerite) (ABT 1135 - 15 Nov 1194)

Children by ____ Baldwin IX (VI) Jul 1172 - 11 Jun 1205
____ Margaret (Marguerite) (2 Jun 1202 - 10 Feb 1280)

Produced by Fzip 1.7 6/20/2017