"LOUIS IX or Saint Louis,
1214-1270
King of France
Blanche de Castille, 1187-1252
Eleonore d'Aquitaine, 1122-1204 "
www.geocities.com/daniellla.geo/LOUISIX.html
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St-Louis or LOUIS IX
www.blinde-kuh.de/ritter/louis-ix.jpg
Louis IX was the son of
LOUIS VIII (1187-1226)
and Blanche de Castille (1187/8 - 1252).
* * * * * *
Louis IX's Mother, Blanche de Castille, was born around 1187
(a.k.a Ere 1226 in the other calendar used in those days),
and was the daughter of Alphonse VIII, the Noble,(1158-1214)
and his Queen Alienor d'Angleterre (of England)(1161-1214),
and from her Mother's side, Blanche de Castille
was a Grand-Daughter of
the great Queen Eleonore (Alienor)d'Aquitaine (1122-1204)
and of Henri II Plantagenet, (1133-1189) King of England,
who were also the parents of
Richard the Lion Heart
and Jean Sans Terre (John),
which made these two English Kings Blanche's uncles.
* * * * * *
If Blanche's grandmother was the great Eleonore d'AQUITAINE, Blanche's own great-granddaughter would be CATHERINE DE MEDICIS.
* * * * * *
The family of Blanche de Castille was an important and over-reaching one, having tentacles, as it were, in most Royal households in Europe, but also the times were momentous:
that century, Genghis Khan and Kubla Khan invaded
Russia and some of Europe,
the Crusades were fought,
epidemics of Black plague occurred,
often leaving entire villages empty,
and the results of all these events were that the survival instincts brought women out of their invisibility and permitted the Renaissance to see it's dawn.
Much is known because of the extensive correspondance between Blanche de Castille and her family who reigned all over Europe and England
* * * * * *
Blanche de Castille had ten siblings, but many died young.
Two older sisters,
Berengere
(Queen of Castille, married to Don Alfonse, King of Leon)
Urraque
(married to Alfonso II, King of Portugal)
her brother Henri 1er (1204-1217) was King of Castille for three years, whereas
her sister Alienor (1208-124?)
married Jacques 1er, King of Aragon.
* * * * * *
Blanche de Castille and Louis VIII were both thirteen when they married, and though their marriage was one of convenience, it appears to have become a love match. Many a report agree on their mutual attachment.
Blanche's quiet, serious and faithful husband,
LOUIS VIII,
son of Philippe II Auguste (1165-1223) King of France,
and of Isabelle de Haineault (1170-1190),
reigned for only three years but they had had ten children:
* * * * * *
- Daughter N(1205)
- Philippe
- Alphonse
- Jean
- Louis IX
- Robert
- Jean
- Alphonse
- Philippe Dagobert
- Isabelle (made a saint)
- Etienne
- Charles
out of which children only five survived to adulthood.
Louis IX was the second son.
* * * * * *
Louis VIII's Father, Philippe II, had invaded England in 1216, disregarding his ex-communication by Pope Innocent III, but was re-instated by Pope Honorius III to
go to the Albigensian Crusade of 1226.
Louis IX began his reign at the age of fourteen (14), in 1226, and his Mother, Blanche de Castille, remained Regent until 1234, and she was also Regent later on when he was away during his Crusades to the Holy Land. She remained his Chief Advisor until her death in 1252.
Louis IX was often used as an Arbitrator between the several rulers of French Provinces. Like his own Father, he was noted for his piety, asceticism, charity and sense of justice.
Louis IX was married to Marguerite de Provence(1221-1295) in 1234 and they had eleven children:
Blanche (1240-1243),
Isabelle,
Louis,
Philippe III (1245-1270)
(King of France who married Isabelle of Aragon),
Jean,
Jean Tristan,
Pierre,
Blanche (1253-1320),
Marguerite,
Robert,
Agnes.
His Mother, Blanche, died in 1252, while Regent.
In 1270, he undertook a new Crusade, but died of the plague as soon as he landed in Tunis.
He was canonized in 1297.
His brother, Charles 1st (1226?-1285) a.k.a. Charles of Anjou, on the other hand, was a cruel, arrogant and in the habit of imposing crushing taxation, though he endeared himself to several Popes. He was the head of the coming Kings of France: Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis 1 (Francois 1er)
Two men, whose family would inter-marry centuries later, saved St.Louis' life:
a D'Amours who saved the King's life
during "the Nobles Revolt" in France
and Jean de Catalorgne, who accompanied Louis IX to Egypt, in 1249 when Damiette was fortuously taken;
(it was on the Nile, 8 miles from it's mouth)
Catalogne distinguished himself for his courage.
It is in memory of his actions in that campaign that the Crescent was added in the family armory : "D'or, au chevron de gueules,accompagne au chef d'un croissant, et d'une etoile de meme; ... orne de tous ses lambrequins"
On August 11 1690, in New-France,
Marie-Anne Lemire, grand-daughter of Nicholas Marsolet,
married Gedeon de Catalorgne
and they had 14 children.
ELEONORE d'Aquitaine
1122-1204
Grand-Mother to Blanche de Castille
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Eleonore d'Aquitaine
1122-1204
Picture from www.discoverparis.com/ArticleSite.cfm/PageID/75114788
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Following is a translated FRENCH TEXT written by Matthieu BOISDRON
at broken link: www.chronicus.com/moyenage/bios/alienor.htm
The great Eleonor (Alienor) of Aquitaine, Grand-mother of Blanche de Castille and Great-grand-Mother to St.Louis, was born in 1122, daughter of Guillaume Le Toulousain (Guillaume X, duke of Aquitaine).
At the death of Eleonor's Mother, Aliénor de Châtellerault, and her brother, Guillaume Aigret, Eleonor inherits the Dukedom.
When her Father dies in 1137, she becomes the Duchess of Aquitaine and of Gascogne and Countess of Poitou.
That year, on July 25th, she marries Prince Louis, in Bordeaux, who becomes Louis VII, King of France, two weeks after his wedding.
Louis VII
Eleonore has two children from that union, Marie de Champagne et Alix de Blois. The land of Aquitaine remains independant from France and this situation creates waves at the Court of France, especially from Suger, First Councillor to the King.
Eleonore d'Aquitaine and Louis VII
She becomes Queen of France in 1142, and arranges the union of her sister Alix and Raoul de Vermandois, sénéchal de France.
During the second crusade (1147-1149) which she follows with Louis, it seems likely that Eleonor has an affair with Raymond de Poitiers, Prince of Antioche, her uncle.
At that point, Louis VII decides to abandon the expedition on Edesse (which would have helped the principauté d'Antioche and greatly advance the efforts of the crusade in the Holy Lands) to attack Jérusalem.
Eleonore d'Aquitaine
Returning home, Eleonor appears to fall in love with Henri Plantagenêt, comte d'Anjou.
These infidelities lead to the annulation of her marriage at the concile of Beaugency on March 21 1152, invoquing consanguinity for a valid reason (Their blood ties were that the great-grandmother of Eleonor(Aliénor) was the cousin of the great-grandmother of Louis.)
She then marries Henri II Plantagenêt, on May 18 1152, eight weeks after the divorce.
Henry, born in Mans is Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou.
Eleonor becomes Queen of England in 1154, after Henry seizes the throne at the death of the King, his Mother's cousin.
Henri II
Henry and Eleonor are crowned together in December 1154.
Of this union are born four sons:
Henri
Richard Coeur de Lion (1157), duc d'Aquitaine en 1169
Geoffroy
Jean sans Terre (1166)
and several daughters, of which
Mathilde (Matilda)who married Henri, duke of Saxe and Bavière,
Aliénor of England, married to the King of Castille,
and Jeanne married to the King of Sicily.
Chateau in Perigord, Duche d'Aquitaine
Picture from website: perso.orange.fr/images-du-perigord/histperigord.htm
In 1173, Eleonor is emprisonned in a convent, for fueling three of her sons to the point of rebellion, when she finds out that her husband, Henry, is having an affair with Rosamond Clifford.
Eleonor eventually holds her Court in Poitiers, until the death of Henri on July 6th 1189, when she leaves the convent for the coronation of Richard 1st.
During the third cruisade of 1190, Richard gives her the Regency of the land, and she will be the one who gathers and goes to Mayence with the funds for his ransom when he returns from his crusade and is captured by the Emperor Henri VI,
When Richard dies in 1199, she favours her last son, Jean sans Terre, to the detriment of Arthur of Brittany who has a legitimate right to it.
Philippe Auguste will end the independance of Aquitaine right after the death of Eleonor, April 1st 1204, at the abbaye of Fontevraud, at 82 years old.
Written by Matthieu BOISDRON
Broken link: www.chronicus.com/moyenage/bios/alienor.htm
TRANSLATED by Danielle Duval LeMyre
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ABOUT THE MARSOLET FAMILY NAME
Nicolas Marsolet de St-Aignan (1587-1677)
Before going to live in Quebec city in 1636, Nicolas Marsolet (Marsolais) lived 27 years with the Montagnais of Tadoussac after his arrival in 1608. Well-loved by the tribe, and having fathered several children with their maidens, he was invited to accept the honors of leading them but explained he had to remain faithful to his own King (Louis XIII). He was nevertheless called "le petit roi de Tadoussac".
After the death of Champlain, in 1635, aged 46, he married a 16 years old French girl, Marie Le Barbier, who gave him six children who reached puberty: Marie, Louise (Lemire), Genevieve (Guyon), Madeleine(Guyon-Dion), Jean and another Marie.
He kept close ties with the First Nations, representing and defending them on several occasions, and drove a merchant canoe between Quebec city and Tadoussac (which possessed a deep harbour) for the travellers.
When the son of Nicholas Marsolet de St Aignan, sieur de Bellechasse, Jean, died without a male line, it was Louise and her husband Jean Lemire who assumed the responsability of continuying the Marsolet name. Therefore the Lemire-Marsolet, and later on the other branch-off created by Bonaventure Marsolais-Lemire represented Nicolas Marsolet de St-Aignan.
Nicolas' life is one of those stories with a happy ending: he was successful in his relationship with the Montagnais from 1608 to 1635, got married, was rich and lived a fulfilled life with his wife & children, was always healthy and died at an unheard age, in those days, of 90 yrs.
Read about some of his achievements in
"We were there! ...Roots of Ancestors " Tome 1: Nicolas Marsolet de St.Aignan
1587-1677
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