47277592. Thibaut III, Comte de Champagne & 47277593. Blanche of Navarre
By 1179, Blanche born in Navarre, d/o 94555186. Sancho VI el Sabio, King of Navarre & 94555187. Sancha of Castile.
3/17/1181, Thibaut’s father Henry died before he was born.
3/17/1181, Thibaut’s father Henry died before he was born.
1181, Thibaut born in France, s/o 94555184. Henry I “the
Liberal” & 94555185. Marie of France.
1187, Frederick I refused to give Thibaut, count of
Champagen, the heritage of Namur. (S) Medieval Empire, V1, 1898, P274.
1190, Thibaut’s older brother Henry II left for Jerusalem, leaving Champagne to Thibaut. Henry’s mother was acting regent.
9/1197, Henry II died in Jerusalem [he fell through a window].
3/1198, Thibaut’s mother died.
4/1198 at Melun, King Philip II confirmed Thibaut’s succession
as Count of Champagne upon Thibaut’s homage for the feifs of Champagne and
Brie.
1199, Thibaut purchased Nogent-sur-Seine with 11 enfeoffed
knights.
7/1/1199 at Chartres, Thibaut married Blanche. Thibaut invoked
a parliament at Chartres to assess the dowry of Blanche. The kings of both
England and France attended; as well as Adela, dowager Queen of France, and
Berengeria, sister of Blanche. (S) King John, Church, 2003, P188.
11/1199, Thibaut, at a tournament at his castle of Ecri on the
Aisne, pledged to join the 4th crusade. (S) The Chronicle,
Villehardouin, 1829, P2.
1200, “We, Odo, duke of Burgundy, make known to all men,
present and future, that we have received our relative and faithful subject,
Theobald of Troyes, as our man for the land which his father, count Henry, held
of our father, Hugo, duke of Burgundy, just as the his father, count Henry, was
the man of our father.” [Thibaut did homage to the Duke of Burgundy.] (S)
Source Book for Medieval History, Thatcher, 1905 P371.
5/24/1201, Thibaut, age 20, died at Troyes before leaving on
crusade; Blanche pregnant with their son. Blanche went to King Philip and did
homage for her wardship and dower [possibly the 1st homage ever
performed by a countess.]
1201, Blanche became regent of Champagne [until 1222.]
2/1202, King Philip directed Blanche to pay 250£ to the
Treasurer of the Temple. (S) Early History of Deposit Banking in Mediterranean
Europe, V1, Russell, 1967, P81.
1203, Creditors demanded the Countess of Champagne [Blanche]
seize the domains of William of Champlitte, who had mortgaged property and
could not meet his debts to Jews.
1203, Blanche, countess of Champagne, transformed Count Henry I’s
annual memorial dinners [founded in 1177] from a detailed menu to monetary
donations to the chapter of Oulchy.
1204, Blanche and the duke of Burgundy signed a percursus
agreement [that they would not keep each other’s serfs, but would mutually
surrender them.]
1205, Blanche signed a percursus agreement with King Philip;
Blanche complaining that the serfs of Champagne had left in great numbers and
taken refuge in the king’s free city of Dixmont.
12/1205, Renier of Nogent-en-Bassigny declared that when his son
married he would become a liegeman to Countess Blanche and the counts of
Champagne.
4/1206, Thibaut I, count of Bar-le-Duc and Luxemburg, announces
that he and Countess Blanche of Champagne have exchanged jurisdiction over
their women who married men of the other lord. Thibaut agreed that the children
from future intermarriages will belong to Blanch, but he retained jurisdiction
over the children of his men and women who live in Champagne and marry among
themselves. (S) Littere Baronum, Evergates, 2003, P44.
4/1206 at Provens, “I, Robert, count an lord of Dreux and
Braine, … agreement between me and my dearest lady Blance, countess of
Champagne, … house of Torcy … may not make it higher or encircle it until the
countess’s son Thibaut reaches his majority. The countess has allowed me to
build a fortress on my allodial land at Fere, …”
1206, Blanche, countess of Champagne, issued a decree that Jews
could not charge more than 43% interest. (S) Medieval Jewish Civilization,
Roth, 2003, P457.
1207, Blance, countess of Champagne, obliged to take over the
debt of the monks of Saint-Benigne.
5/1208, “I, Simon, lord of Chateauvillan, make known … Count
Thibaut … promised to assign me 30£ annual rent … since his death prevented the
assignment of that revenue, his wife, my dearest lady Blanche, countess of
Champagne, … assigned me the 30£ …”.
1209, Blanche obtained the king’s promise to accept son
Thibaut’s homage at age 21.
6/1210, Guy of Dampierre holding the castle of Beaufort and it
entire castellany as collateral for 829£ with the consent of lady Blanche,
countess of Champagne.
9/1211, Abbot Philippe and the chapter of Saint-Loup of Troyes
transfer to their lady and advocate Blanche, countess of Champagne, the
fief of Riel-les-Eaux. (S) Cartulary of Countess Blanche of Champagne, 2010,
Evergates, P83.
1212, Blanche established procedures for daughters, rather than
the closest male relative, to inherit castles and fortified residences if their
fathers died without a son.
6/1213, Henry II’s daughter Philippa by his wife Isabel of
Jerusalem challenged the right of succession to Champagne. [Philippa’s husband
Erard of Brienne was from an important Champagne family.] Blanche countered
with ecclesiastical support for declaring Henry II’s marriage invalid due to
degree of relationship. Philippa settled for £5000 and a yearly stipend of
£1200.
1214, The Lord of Ervy sold his rights over his Jews to the
Countess of Champagne. (S) Church and the Jews, V1, Grayzel, 1966, P52.
1215, At the insistence of Blanche, King Philip accepted the
homage of 14-year-old Thibaut.
1215, Blanche and Duke Eudes of Burgundy suspend travel between
their lands.
8/1215, King Philip announced to Blanche, Countess of
Champagne, that in the future, champions would not be allowed to fight with
staffs whose lengths exceeded 3 feet. [Stick and cane fighting was commonly
practiced in this time in France.] (S) Martial Arts of the World, V2, Green, 2010,
P217.
1216, Civil war broke out in Champagne following the decision
of the royal court of peers to confirm the succession of Thibaut IV.
1216, Blanche and Duke Eudes of Burgundy make an alliance to
conquer Burgundy.
1216, With the support of Emperor Frederick II, Blanche’s army
defeated those of Erard of Brienne, lord of Ramerupt, who was trying to take
Champagne by force. Blanche then led her army to Nancy and burned the town. Blanche
then invaded Joinville where she captured Erard.
1217, Blanche, the countess of Champagne, complained to Pope
Honorius III about Peter de Corbeil, archbishop of Sens, and his suffragans
[Blanche considered their jurisdictional claims over Jews to the exorbitant]. (S) Apostolic See and the
Jews, V7, 1991, P109.
1218, Blanche guaranteed the fidelity to King Philip of Robert,
bishop of Clermont. (S) On the Increase of Royal Power in France, Wilker, 1888,
P101.
4/1219, “I, Simon of Clefmont, make known … because of evil
advice I withdrew my fidelity and homage [in 1216] from nobele lady Countess
Blanche and her son Thibaut, count of Champagne. … I quit to Countess Blanche
and Thibaut the viscounty of Montigny … as well as all the domain I used to
have in Ageville, … Be it known that I am their leigeman for three fiefs …”
1220, Blanche founded convent at Argensolles. [That year, B.
Blanche, abbess of Argensol, gave up her life on the condition that she could
ransom the life of her friend Blanche, countess of Champagne, queen of
Navarre.] (S) A Dictionary of Saintly Women, V1, Dunbar, 1904, P125.
1/15/1221, “Pope Honorius III to the Abbot and Prior of St.
Victor and to the Dean of the Church of Paris on behalf of our dear daughter in
Christ, the noblewoman Blanche, Countess of Champagne, the following case …” [The
Pope eventually found the case of 1217 against Peter de Corbeil to be in favor
of Blanche.]
5/1222, Blanche’s son assumed his title; Blanche retired to the
convent at Argensolles.
1224, At the incorporation of Argensolles into the Cistercian
Order, Blanche endowed the Abbey of Argensolles with strips of vineland,
including one at Grauves. (S) A History of Champagne, Vizetelly, 1882, P127.
1226, Blanche left Argensolles in the summer while her son
Thibaut IV was absent from the kingdom with the King of France.
11/8/1226, Louis IX succeeded his father as King of France;
crowned at Reims.
2/24/1228, “I, Blanche, countess palatine of Troyes, and I
Thibaut, count of Champagne and Brie, make known to all who will see the
present letters …” [Agreement with Henry, Archbishop of Reims.]
3/12/1229, Blanche died.
(S) Epistolæ. (S) The Aristocracy of the County of Champagne,
Evergates, 2007. (S) Feudal Society in Medieval France, Evergates, 1993. (S)
Social France at the Time of Philip Augustus, Luchaire, 1912.
Family notes:
·
Fragments of the accounts of Blanche, countess
of Champagne, exist for 1217–1219.
Child of Thibaut and Blanche:
i. Thibaut IV (23638796), born 5/20/1201 in France.
