Alix de Montmorency

Alix de Montmorency († February 25, 1221 ) was a French nobleman of the Middle Ages and the wife of the leader of the Albigensian Crusade, Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester.

Life

Alix was a daughter of the lord of the castle Bouchard IV de Montmorency, who died in 1189 on the Third Crusade, and Laurette of Hainaut. About her paternal grandmother they descended from the Anglo-Norman dynasty. Her family was among the leading castle nobility of Ile- de -France and had great influence at the royal court. Probably around 1190, she was married to Simon de Montfort, although it is called the first time a foundation at the Leprösenhospital of Grand -Beaulieu near Chartres from the February 1199 documentary. From their marriage maybe eight children went at least six out:

Alix came in March 1210 Pezenas to her husband, who was raised in August 1209 the leader of the Albigensian Crusade and the Viscount of Beziers and Carcassonne. In addition to her oldest children, she led the crusade army immediately to a reinforcement troops. In the further course of the campaign for the conquest of the county of Toulouse she gave birth to at least one child, in February 1211, probably in Montreal, which was baptized by the preacher brother Dominic de Guzmán. Shortly after, she took the young James I of Aragon Infante on in their familia, who had been engaged in the wake of her husband a settlement with King Peter II with her daughter Amice de Montfort and now the custom should be educated according to the house of the bride. In the spring they traveled to the mercenary recruitment to northern France and introduced in July 1212 her husband in Penne- d'Agenais reinforcement troops to. In her entourage were thereby also the abbot of Vaux -de- Cernay, Guy and his nephew Pierre des Vaux -de- Cernay, who became the unofficial chronicler of the Albigensian Crusade.

On 24 June 1213 Alix's oldest son Amaury was in Castelnaudary in a religious ceremony given the knighting and ordained "Knights of Christ". A little later, on September 12, won her husband in the battle of Muret, fell into the King Peter II. Therefore, in April of the following year, she had released from her house and its engagement with her daughter, had been canceled the Infante Jacob. After her husband was retired in July 1215 in Toulouse, Alix could refer as the Countess her residence at the Château Narbonnais. On the fourth Lateran Council in November 1215 the house of Montfort was confirmed in the possession of the county of Toulouse and in April 1216 her husband of King Philip II Augustus was able to receive the official investiture. However, the resistance of the Occitan public against the domination montfort'sche stopped and when Simon was absent for battle in Provence, this took the old Count Raymond VI. out to collect without a fight on September 13, 1217 in Toulouse, whose population instantly rose up against the French occupation. Alix was able to defend with some followers her family at the Château Narbonnais that Grafenburg left but just before she was completely cut off from the outside world. After she had sent a Eilbotschaft to her husband, she betook himself directly to northern France to recruit new troops. Beginning of May 1218 returned with reinforcements to Toulouse, which has since been besieged by her husband. On June 25, however, he was killed by a catapult projectile. In the same month -actuated Alix with the consent of her four sons a donation in memory of her husband at the Cistercian Abbey of Notre -Dame du Val

Alix is last mentioned in a document in October 1219 when she made arrangements for the upkeep of the grave of her husband in the Cathedral of Saint -Nazaire Carcassonne with her two oldest sons. She died on 25 February 1221 and was buried in the Abbey of Hautes- Bruyeres.

From the Crusade chronicler Pierre des Vaux -de- Cernay Alix was praised for her piety and wisdom and praised for their strict adherence to the Christian marriage morality, which he described as a counter-example to the Raymond VI. heranzog of Toulouse.