Adela of Normandy
1067 – 1137 · Generation IX · House of Normandy
Adela of Normandy (1067–1137). Married Stephen Henry of Blois in 1080. One of their children is recorded in this archive. The youngest daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders, and the favourite sister of the future Henry I, she was probably schooled at the abbey of Sainte-Trinité in Caen. Her wedding at Chartres Cathedral made a powerful alliance in northern France; Stephen, nearly twenty years older, inherited Blois, Chartres and Meaux in 1089. She governed as regent while he was on crusade, and Orderic Vitalis says she goaded him back to the East after his inglorious return; he was killed after the Battle of Ramla in 1102. She then ruled for their son Theobald until 1120, having set aside her eldest son William as heir in 1107, and helped lay the foundations of Champagne. Among her children were King Stephen of England and Henry, Bishop of Winchester. She took the veil at Marcigny and died there in 1137; the Church honours her as a saint.
One of 7 people of House of Normandy (until 1154) in this archive. The conqueror’s house — William I took the English crown in 1066 and his sons held it after him.
Parents
- King William I The Conqueror (1028 – 1087)
- Matilda of Flanders (1031 – 1083)
Siblings
- King William II Rufus (1056 – 1100)
- King Henry I (1068 – 1135)
Partners
- Married Stephen Henry of Blois (1045 – 1102) in 1080 — one child together
Children
- King Stephen (1096 – 1154)
Life
- 1067 — Born
- 1080 — Married Stephen Henry of Blois
- 1137 — Died