Theobald I, Count of Blois

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Theobald I, Count of Blois
Bornbefore 913
Diedc.977
Noble familyHouse of Blois
Spouse(s)Luitgarde of Vermandois
IssueOdo I, Count of Blois
FatherTheobald the Elder
MotherRichildis

Theobald I (before 913 – 16 january 975, 976 or 977),[1] called the Trickster (known as le Tricheur – meaning “cheater”– in French), was Count of Blois, Tours, Chartres and Châteaudun, as well as Lord of Vierzon and Provins. He was a loyal and potent vassal of Hugh the Great, duke of the Franks.

Life[edit]

Theobald I was the son of Theobald the Elder of Blois,[2] who from 908 on was Viscount of Tours,[3] and of Richildis, which origins are discussed.

The acquisition of the count's title around 940 was linked to the arrival of a new generation of counts on Robertian lands. In 936, Hugh the Great was invested with the title of Duke of the Franks, which replaced that of Marquis for Neustria. For material and political reasons, the duke had to delegate part of his previous benefits to his vassals[4] - Fulk the Good became count in Angers and Teudon count in Paris. Theobald of Blois was a faithful vassal of the Duke of the Franks and is considered his best lieutenant.[5] The district of his county power included Tours, Blois, Châteaudun and Chartres.[6]

Around 945, Louis IV was captured by Northmen and given over to Hugh the Great, who placed the king in Theobald's custody.[7] After about a year in his vassal's custody, King Louis negotiated his freedom by offering Hugh the city of Laon, which Hugh then gave to Theobald.[8]

Theobald's sister Adelaide had married Alan II of Nantes, the Duke of Brittany, giving Theobald influence all the way to Rennes.[9] However, the death of Alan II left a void in Brittany, making it vulnerable to encroachment by either the Normans or the Angevins.[10] Theobald made an alliance with Fulk II of Anjou, which gave him control of Saumur, a strategic citadel located between the rivers Loire and Thouet, guarding the Angevin march.[10] This included control of the monastery of Saint-Florent, inside the walls of Saumur.[10] In turn, the recently widowed Fulk married Theobald's sister, the widow of Alan II of Nantes.[10]

In 960, he began opposing Richard I of Normandy and entered into a long war with the Normans. In 961 he attacked Évreux.[11] The Normans responded by attacking Dunois. In 962, he launched an assault on Rouen, which attack failed.[11] The Normans burned Chartres in response. He took control of the fortresses of Saint-Aignan in the Loir-et-Cher, Vierzon, and Anguillon in Berry. During the minority of Hugh Capet, he reinforced Chartres and Châteaudun, as well as founding[citation needed] the Château de Chinon. By the time of his death, he had built a vast power on the Loire, dominating central France.

About 943–44,[12] he married Luitgarde of Vermandois, widow of William I of Normandy.[13] She was the daughter of Herbert II, Count of Vermandois and Hildebrand of France, daughter of King Robert I of France.[14] Her half-brother was Hugh the Great, Duke of France.[15]

Family[edit]

Theobald and his wife Luitgarde of Vermandois had:

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Goujet, Jean (2004). Les comtes de Blois et de Champagne et leur descendance agnatique - Généalogie et histoire d'une dynastie féodale Xe-XVIIe siècle. Publication : Saint-Sébastien-de-Morsent. p. 22.
  2. ^ K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, 'Two Studies in North French Prosopography', Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 20 (1994), p. 10
  3. ^ The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Ed. & Trans. Elisabeth M.V. Van Houts (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992), pp. 56-7 n. 1
  4. ^ Sassier, Yves (2004). Structures du pouvoir, royauté et res publica (France, IXe-XIIe s.). Presses universitaire de Rouen. p. 49-61.
  5. ^ Sassier, Yves (1987). Hugues Capet : naissance d'une dynastie. Paris: Fayard. p. 114. ISBN 2-213-01919-3.
  6. ^ Pierre Riché, The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe, Trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1993), p. 264
  7. ^ The Annals of Flodoard of Reims; 919-966, Ed. & Trans. Steven Fanning & Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), pp. 41-2
  8. ^ The Annals of Flodoard of Reims; 919-966, Ed. & Trans. Steven Fanning & Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. 44
  9. ^ Bachrach 1993, p. 7.
  10. ^ a b c d Bachrach 1993, p. 8.
  11. ^ a b Potts 1997, p. 65.
  12. ^ a b c d Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany, J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 46
  13. ^ The Normans in Europe, Ed. & Trans. Elisabeth van Houts (Manchester University Press, UK, 2000), p. 183
  14. ^ Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 1 (Marburg, Germany, J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 49
  15. ^ Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany, J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 10
  16. ^ Bradbury 2007, p. 56.
  17. ^ Bachrach 1993, pp. 267.

Sources[edit]

  • Bachrach, Bernard S. (1993). Fulk Nerra, the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040. University of California Press.
  • Bradbury, Jim (2007). The Capetians: The History of a Dynasty. Hambledon Continuum.
  • Potts, Cassandra (1997). Monastic Revival and Regional Identity in Early Normandy. The Boydell Press.



Theobald I, Count of Blois
Born: 913 Died: 975
Preceded byas Viscount of Blois Count of Blois
928–975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Theobald
as Viscount of Tours 		Count of Tours
928–975
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