Bertrade de Montfort

Bertrada of Montfort (French Bertrade de Montfort, * 1060, † February 14, 1117 in Fontevraud Abbey near Saumur ) was through her ​​marriage to Philip I in the period 1092-1108 Queen of France. Their marriage, which made both her and her husband to bigamist, was the cause of many difficulties in the relations between France and the Holy See in Rome and overthrew the French monarchy in a deep crisis.

Family

Betrada came around the year 1060 as the daughter of Count Simon I of Montfort l' Amaury and his wife Agnes of Evreux to the world.

In 1089 she married her first husband Fulk IV, Count of Anjou, called the Brawler, and became his fifth wife. From this connection came Fulk V of Anjou, later king of Jerusalem and the father of Geoffrey Plantagenet, which Bertrada one of the matriarchs of Anjou- Plantagenet and thus the British Royal Family.

In 1092 they went - even though the last three years with Fulk IV legally married - a second marriage with the French king Philip I a. From this connection sprang four children:

• Philip (* 1093, † 1123), Count of Mantes, ⚭ Elizabeth of Montlhery
• Florus (French Fleury ) (* 1095 ), Seigneur of Nangis
• Cecilia (French Cécile ) (* 1097, † 1175 )
• Eustachie († 1143 )

Life

Already in early childhood to become an orphan, grew up Bertrada (French Guillaume d' Évreux ) under the tutelage of her uncle William of Evreux. In 1089, she was with Fulk IV, Count of Anjou married. In 1092 the French king Philip I fell in love with the " sensual, charming and passionate " woman. A first meeting between the two was perhaps at that time about when to Betradas man and Philip I. allied against Fulkos brother Gottfried. Philip repudiated his first wife, Bertha of Holland, supposedly because it had become too thick ( William of Malmesbury wrote: Latin quod illa praepinguis corpulentiae eat, a lecto removit ) to Bertrada - it was because of her beauty famous - on Pentecost Sunday, 15. May 1092 to marry in Paris.

How did it come to this marriage, is not yet sure ascertainable, as the chroniclers have left contradictory records for this event. A version describes the history to the effect that Bertrada - have turned pleading for help to the King - extremely unhappy in her first marriage. Another traditional version is to the effect that Philip I Bertrada was kidnap.

The Bishop of Senlis a blessed the couple in the presence of various other high, ecclesiastical dignitaries. However, the ceremony in protest against the obvious bigamy of the two spouses was also charged the Bishop of Chartres, Ivo, far. Instead, he turned with a file and appeal to the Pope. Meanwhile legate Hugh of Burgundy excommunicated the two bigamist on October 16, 1094 at the Council of Autun. Pope Urban II, this measure confirmed in person at the Council of Clermont in November of the following year.

Several other councils brought no lasting change in the papal decision. In 1096, the king had to cause the annulment of his excommunication, though promised to want to maintain no contact with Bertrada, but because he did not keep this promise, it did not change the papal ban. Rather, the Pope even imposed an excommunication over France, until finally the marriage of the two after the Council of Paris was recognized on December 2, 1104 yet. At that meeting Bertrada and her husband had publicly, barefoot and clad only in Bußkleidern vowed only to see in the presence honoriger witnesses. Although even that pledge has not been fulfilled, but the Holy See saw generously over it.

After the death of Philip I in July 1108 to Bertrada set against the legitimate heirs of Philip's first marriage, Louis VI. , And tried in vain to make her own son Philip to the throne. Orderic Vitalis accused in his Historia Ecclesiastica even to have tried to poison the legitimate heir to the throne. Bertrada was of Louis VI. banished from court and retired to the Abbey of Fontevraud, where she became a nun in 1115 and died in 1117. She was buried in the abbey she founded Notre- Dame-des- Hautes- Bruyeres in Saint- Remy- l'Honoré near Chartres.