Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy
Encyclopedia
Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy, Countess of Blois (6 June 1243 – 2 August 1288), was a Breton
noblewoman and a member of the House of Dreux as the eldest daughter of John I, Duke of Brittany
. She married John I, Count of Blois
. Alix was known for founding religious houses including the Monastery of La Guiche where she was later buried.
, was born on 6 June 1243 at the Château de Suscinio
in Sarzeau
, Morbihan
, Brittany
. She was the eldest daughter of John I, Duke of Brittany
and Blanche of Navarre, daughter of King Theobald I of Navarre
and Agnes of Beaujeu
. Blanche had six brothers, John
, Peter, Theobald, Theobald, Nicolas, and Robert; and one younger sister, Eleanor who died when Alix was five. Alix held the title Dame de Pontarcy in her own right.
of the House of Châtillon
. Thereafter she was styled Countess of Blois. She brought as her dowry her titles of Pontarcy and de Brie-Comte-Robert. The marriage produced one child, a daughter Jeanne
, who was heiress to her father's title and estates. In 1270, her husband was appointed Lieutenant General
of France.
Alix and John founded several religious houses including the Monastery of La Guiche near Blois
in 1277. She became a widow on 28 June 1279. In 1287, the year before her own death, Alix travelled to Palestine
. From there she journed on to Syria
, where she commissioned the erection of two barbican
towers at Ptolemais
.
had married Peter, Count of Perche and Alençon
, a son of King Louis IX of France
and Margaret of Provence. However, as her two sons by that marriage both died in early infancy, Alix's line became extinct upon her death.
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
noblewoman and a member of the House of Dreux as the eldest daughter of John I, Duke of Brittany
John I, Duke of Brittany
John I the Red , known as John the Red due to the colour of his beard, was Duke of Brittany, from 1237 to his death...
. She married John I, Count of Blois
John I, Count of Blois
John I of Châtillon , was count of Blois from 1241 to 1280 and lord of Avesnes.He was the son of Hugh I of Châtillon and Marie of Avesnes....
. Alix was known for founding religious houses including the Monastery of La Guiche where she was later buried.
Family
Alix, named after her paternal grandmother, Alix of ThouarsAlix of Thouars
Alix of Thouars was the nominal Duchess of Brittany from 1203 to her death.- Life :...
, was born on 6 June 1243 at the Château de Suscinio
Château de Suscinio
The Château de Suscinio or de Susinio is a French castle, built in the late Middle Ages, to be the residence of the Dukes of Brittany. It is located near the town of Sarzeau in the département of Morbihan, near the coast of the Atlantic ocean...
in Sarzeau
Sarzeau
Sarzeau is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.It is located on the Rhuys peninsula between the Gulf of Morbihan and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
, Morbihan
Morbihan
Morbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. She was the eldest daughter of John I, Duke of Brittany
John I, Duke of Brittany
John I the Red , known as John the Red due to the colour of his beard, was Duke of Brittany, from 1237 to his death...
and Blanche of Navarre, daughter of King Theobald I of Navarre
Theobald I of Navarre
Theobald I , called the Troubadour, the Chansonnier, and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne from birth and King of Navarre from 1234...
and Agnes of Beaujeu
Agnes of Beaujeu
Agnes of Beaujeu was a French noblewoman, the daughter of Guichard IV, Sire of Beaujeu and his wife Sybille of Flanders. Agnes was Countess of Champagne by her marriage to Theobald I of Navarre.- Family :...
. Blanche had six brothers, John
John II, Duke of Brittany
John II was Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, from 1286 to his death. He was son of Duke John I and Blanche of Navarre...
, Peter, Theobald, Theobald, Nicolas, and Robert; and one younger sister, Eleanor who died when Alix was five. Alix held the title Dame de Pontarcy in her own right.
Marriage
Sometime after a contract was signed on 11 December 1254, she married John I, Count of BloisJohn I, Count of Blois
John I of Châtillon , was count of Blois from 1241 to 1280 and lord of Avesnes.He was the son of Hugh I of Châtillon and Marie of Avesnes....
of the House of Châtillon
House of Châtillon
The House of Châtillon was a notable French family, with origins in the 9th century and surviving until 1762. The name comes from a county in Champagne, with its capital in Châtillon-sur-Marne and branches in Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, Blois, Penthièvre, Chartres, etc.The counts of Châtillon added to...
. Thereafter she was styled Countess of Blois. She brought as her dowry her titles of Pontarcy and de Brie-Comte-Robert. The marriage produced one child, a daughter Jeanne
Joan, Countess of Blois
Joan of Châtillon was countess of Blois from 1280 to 1292, and lady of Avesnes.She was the daughter of John I and Alix of Brittany, Dame de Pontarcy. Her maternal grandparents were John I, Duke of Brittany, and Blanche of Navarre....
, who was heiress to her father's title and estates. In 1270, her husband was appointed Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
of France.
Alix and John founded several religious houses including the Monastery of La Guiche near Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
in 1277. She became a widow on 28 June 1279. In 1287, the year before her own death, Alix travelled to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. From there she journed on to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, where she commissioned the erection of two barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
towers at Ptolemais
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
.
Death
Alix died on 2 August 1288 and was buried in the Monastery of La Guiche which she had founded. Her father, Duke John had died just two years earlier. Her daughter, Jeanne, who was the suo jure Countess of BloisCount of Blois
The County of Blois was originally centred on Blois, south of Paris, France. One of the chief cities, along with Blois itself, was Chartres. Blois was associated with Champagne, Châtillon , and later with the French royal family, to whom the county passed in 1391...
had married Peter, Count of Perche and Alençon
Peter, Count of Perche and Alençon
Peter of France or Peter I of Alencon was the son of Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence. He became Count of Alençon in 1269 and in 1284, Count of Blois and Chartres, and Seigneur de Guise in 1272 and 1284.He was born in the Holy Land while his father headed the Seventh Crusade...
, a son of King Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
and Margaret of Provence. However, as her two sons by that marriage both died in early infancy, Alix's line became extinct upon her death.