Jump to content

Aimery I, Viscount of Châtellerault

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Icensnow42 (talk | contribs) at 16:28, 18 August 2016 (spelling correction). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Aimery I, Viscount of Châtellerault
Coat of Arms of Châtellerault
Bornc. 1075
Died7 November 1151
Notre-Dame de Noyers monastery, in Nouâtre
Noble familyChâtellerault
Spouse(s)Dangereuse de l'Isle Bouchard
FatherBoson II de Châtellerault
MotherAleanor de Thouars

Aimery I de Rouchefoucould (c. 1075 – 7 November 1151), was the Viscount of Châtellerault and father of Aenor de Châtellerault. Through his daughter he was the grandfather of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who would become Duchess of Aquitaine (in her own right) as well as queen of both France and England. Eleanor was arguably the most celebrated woman in Medieval European history.

Family

Aimery was born to Boson II de Châtellerault and his wife, Aleanor de Thouars. His paternal grandparents were Hugues I de Châtellerault and his wife, Gerberge. His maternal grandparents were Aimery IV, Viscount of Thouars and Aremgarde de Mauléon.

Through his granddaughter, Eleanor, Aimery was an ancestor of various nobles and monarchs including: Richard I of England, Marie, Countess of Champagne, John of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Joan, Queen of Sicily, Eleanor, Queen of Castile, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Henry the Young King.

Life

Marriage

Aimery was married to Amauberge, called Dangereuse, the daughter of Bartholomew de l'Isle Bouchard and his wife Gerberge de Terrasson. Their marriage produced at least three children:

  • Hugh, succeeded his father as Viscount of Châtellerault
  • Raoul, who became the lord of Fay-la-Vineuse through his marriage to Elisabeth de Faye
  • Aenor (c. 1103 – March 1130), who married William X, Duke of Aquitaine. She was the mother of Duchess Eleanor, Petronilla, and William Aigret, who died at the age of four.

Eleanor of Aquitaine was known to have been quite fond of her maternal uncles, Hugh and Raoul, and granted them [clarification needed] during her two tenures as queen of France and then of England.

The Affair

In 1115, after seven years of marriage, Amauberge was "abducted" from her bedchamber by William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. She was taken to a tower in his castle in Poitiers called Maubergeonne. As a result, Amauberge or Dangereuse was nicknamed La Maubergeonne. Abductions like these were quite common among nobles during the Middle Ages. However, in this particular case she seems to have been a willing contributor to the affair. [citation needed]

The Duke of Aquitaine, the earliest known troubadour whose work survives, was quite popular with the women of his time and was known to have had many affairs. However, the Viscountess would become his mistress for the rest of his life. There is no record of complaint by Aimery. This is believed to be because the Viscount feared the wrath of his powerful and volatile overlord. It would be the Duke's wife, Philippa of Toulouse who took action against the "abduction" and affair. Her actions would lead to both William and Dangereuse being excommunicated by the Pope. William used his wealth and power to eventually reconcile with the Pope and was accepted back into the Church. [citation needed]

In 1121 Aimery and Dangereuse's daughter, Aenor, married William IX's son and heir, who would become Duke William X of Aquitaine. It is believed that this union came about at Dangereuse's urging. Historians don't see another reason for the union of such a powerful man to the daughter of a minor vassal. Not only that, but Aenor was the daughter of the woman the future duke hated for her role in the treatment of his mother. Despite the cause, the marriage led to the birth of Eleanor of Aquitaine and made Aimery an ancestor of some of Europe's most famous nobles and rulers. [citation needed]

Ancestry

Family of Aimery I, Viscount of Châtellerault
16. Airaud III of Châtellerault
8. Boson I of Châtellerault
17. Gersinde de Mortimer
4. Hugues I of Châtellerault
18. Seigneur Achard de Castle-Larcher
9. Amelie de Castle-Larcher
19. Amelie
2. Boson II of Châtellerault
10. Foucauld I de la Roche
5. Gerberge de la Roche
22. Boson I of Châtellerault (8=)
11. Gersinde of Châtellerault
23. Amelie de Castle-Larcher (9=)
1. Aimery I, Viscount of Châtellerault
24. Savery III of Thouars
12. Geoffroy II of Thouars
25. Melisende
6. Aimery IV of Thouars
26. Odo I, Count of Blois
13. Agnes de Blois
27. Bertha of Burgundy
3. Alienor of Thouars
14. Guillaume "le Fort" de Mauleon
7. Aremgarde de Mauleon

Footnotes

Bibliography

  • Markale, Jean. Eleanor of Aquitaine: queen of the troubadours. Rochester, Vt.: Inner

Traditions, 2007. Print.

  • Paden, William D.. "The Troubadour's Lady: Her Marital Status and Social Rank." Studies in

Philosophy 72.1 (1975): 28-50. JSTOR. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.

  • Painter, Sidney. "The Houses of Lusignan and Chatellerault 1150-1250." Speculum 30.3(1955):374-384. JSTOR. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
  • Swabey, Ffiona. Eleanor of Aquitaine, courtly love, and the troubadours . Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004. Print.
  • Weir, Alison. Eleanor of Aquitaine: a life. New York: Ballantine Books, 2000. Print.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aimery_I,_Viscount_of_Châtellerault&oldid=735100666"