Individual

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

D'ANJOU Adelaide (Blanche)
Birth:          ABT  942 
Death:          1026 

Notes
AFT  981 is too late, even for his second, b/c his first was very short
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide-Blanche_of_Anjou
Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou[a] (c.? 940 –1026) was the countess consort by marriage of 
Gévaudan and Forez, of Toulouse, of Provence, and of Burgundy; and queen consort 
of Aquitaine. She was the regent of Gevaudan during the minority of her sons in the 
960s, and the regent of Provence during the minority of her stepson from 994 until 
999.
Life[edit]

She was the daughter of Fulk II, Count of Anjou, and Gerberga and sister of Geoffrey 
Greymantle.[1] She successfully increased Angevin fortunes, being married a total of 
five times.[2] Her family had become upwardly mobile to the point that, as a member of 
just the third generation from Ingelger, Adelaide-Blanche had married into the highest 
ranks of the older nobility of western Francia.[2]

Her first marriage was to Stephen, the powerful Count of Gévaudan[3] and Forez in 
eastern Aquitaine.[4] She was no more than fifteen at the time[5] and he was much 
older. Still, they had three children who survived to adulthood.[4] Stephen died in the 
early 960s[4] and after his death she ruled the lands as regent for her sons William, 
Pons and Bertrand.[6] She continued to govern Gevaudan and Forez while her 
remaining two sons learned to rule their father's counties.[6] Additionally, after her 
oldest son William's death in 975 she raised his infant son Stephen.[6] Her brother 
Guy (a.k.a. Guido II) was made Count-Bishop of le Puy in 975 amidst local opposition 
and at his request Adelaide, acting for her sons Guy and Bertrand, led an army to aid 
him in establishing the "Peace of God" in le Puy.[6]

In 982, as the widow of her second husband, Raymond, count of Toulouse, she wed 
Louis, son of King Lothair of France.[7] The two were crowned King and Queen of 
Aquitaine at Brioude by her brother Bishop Guy of le Puy.[7] The marriage lasted just 
over a year due to the couple being unable to peacefully live together.[7] There was 
also a significant age difference—he being fifteen and Adelaide-Blanche being over 
forty.[7] Adelaide found herself in a precarious situation with King Lothair but was 
rescued by Count William I of Provence[b][8] whom she subsequently married in c.?
984.[9] Count William of Provence died in 994 shortly after becoming a monk at 
Avignon.[10]

In 1010 king Robert II of France along with Odo II, Count of Blois went to Rome to 
secure an annulment from Robert's second wife, Constance of Arles, Adelaide-
Blanche's daughter by William I. Pope Sergius IV, a friend to the Angevin counts, 
upheld the marriage and additionally upheld Adelaide's struggle to maintain control of 
lands at Montmajour Abbey.[11] These lands, at Perth, had been donated by Count 
William I of Provence with his wife Adelaide-Blanche, as well as by a previous 
donation by William's father, Boson.[12] A dispute over these lands arose by four 
brothers, sons of Nevolongus, who pope Sergius threatened with excommunication if 
they did not withdraw their claim.[12] The claim was withdrawn and the lands remained 
under the control of Adelaide-Blanche acting as regent for her son William II of 
Provence.[12]


 



The cloister of Montmajour Abbey her final resting place.

Her fifth marriage was to Otto-William, Count of Burgundy,[c] who subsequently died 
21 September 1026.[13] Adelaide-Blanche herself died in 1026, aged approximately 
eighty-six.[3] The location of her death was probably at Avignon, since the year of her 
death is recorded by Arnoux, a monk of the abbey of Saint-André, near Avignon. She 
was buried in Montmajour Abbey, near Arles, considered at the time as the burial place 
of the family of counts of Provence.

Marriages and children[edit]
She married first, c.? 955, Stephen, Count of Gévaudan (directs to French Wikipedia 
since no English language page yet).[14][15] Children of this marriage were: William, 
(c.? 955–975).[6]
Pons, Count of Gévaudan and Forez. He died aft. 26 February 1011.[16]
Bertrand, Count of Gévaudan.[16]
Almodis of Gévaudan, she married Adalbert I de Charroux, Count de la Haute March.
[16]

Her second marriage was to Raymond, Count of Toulouse and Prince of Gothia,[2] in 
975. He died in 978. She had by him at least one child: William III, Count of Toulouse

She married as her third husband Louis V of France and the two were crowned King 
and Queen of Aquitaine but the marriage ended in annulment.[7][15]
As her fourth husband she married, c.?984, William I of Provence[10][15] Together 
they had: Constance of Arles,[15] who later married Robert II of France.[10]
Ermengarde, she married Robert I, Count of Auvergne.[10]
Tota-Adelaide, she married Bernard I, Count of Besalú.[10]

Her final marriage was to Otto-William, Count of Burgundy. He and Adelaide had no 
children.[13]

Parents
____ Fulk (Foulques) II "the Good" (ABT  905 - 11 Nov  960)
OF GASTINOIS Gerberge (ABT  913 -  952)

Siblings
____ Geoffrey I "Grisgonelle" (ABT 11 Nov  938 - 21 Jul  987)
D'ANJOU Agnes (ABT  940 - AFT  987)
D'ANJOU Adelaide (Blanche) (ABT  942 - 1026)

Marriage To DE BRIOUDE Etienne II (ABT 940 - BEF 972) m. Notes Parents DE GEVAUDAN Bertrand I (ABT 920 - 993) ____ Emildis (ABT 922 - ) Children by DE BRIOUDE Etienne II ABT 940 - BEF 972
DE GEVAUDAN Pons (ABT 970 - )
Marriage To ____ Raymond III (ABT 942 - ) m. 975 Notes Parents PONS Raymond III (ABT 900 - ) OF GASCONY Gersende (ABT 900 - ) Children by ____ Raymond III ABT 942 -
TAILLEFER William (Guillaume) III (ABT 976 - Sep 1037) ____ Bertrand (ABT 977 - )
Marriage To ____ William I (ABT 954 - 994) m. Notes his 2d Parents OF ARLES Boso II (ABT 920 - ABT 965) OF PROVENCE, ARLES AND TOULOUSE Constance (ABT 933 - ABT 961) Children by ____ William I ABT 954 - 994
OF ARLES, PROVENCE AND TOULOUSE Constance (ABT 975 - 28 Jul 1032) OF PROVENCE Toda-Adelaide (ABT 986 - )
Produced by Fzip 1.7 6/20/2017