Stephen II Henry (c. 1045 – 19 May 1102), (in
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
,
Étienne Henri),
Count of BloisThe 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...
and Count of
ChartresChartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France It is located southwest of Paris in central France.-Geography:...
, was the son of Theobald III, count of
BloisBlois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-Sights:...
, and Garsinde du Maine. He married
Adela of NormandyAdela of Normandy also known as Adela of Blois and Adela of England "and also Adela Alice Princess of England" was, by marriage, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux. She was a daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders...
, a daughter of William the Conqueror around 1080 in
ChartresChartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France It is located southwest of Paris in central France.-Geography:...
.
Count Stephen was one of the leaders of the
First CrusadeThe First Crusade was a military expedition by European Christians to regain the Holy Lands taken by the Muslim conquest of the Levant, which resulted in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099. It was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine...
, often writing enthusiastic letters to Adela about the crusade's progress. He returned home in 1098 during the lengthy
siege of AntiochThe Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. The first siege, by the crusaders against the Muslim city, lasted from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098. The second siege, against the crusaders who had occupied it, lasted from June 7 to June 28, 1098.-Background:Antioch...
, without fulfilling his crusading vow to forge a way to
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
.
Stephen II Henry (c. 1045 – 19 May 1102), (in
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
,
Étienne Henri),
Count of BloisThe 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...
and Count of
ChartresChartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France It is located southwest of Paris in central France.-Geography:...
, was the son of Theobald III, count of
BloisBlois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-Sights:...
, and Garsinde du Maine. He married
Adela of NormandyAdela of Normandy also known as Adela of Blois and Adela of England "and also Adela Alice Princess of England" was, by marriage, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux. She was a daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders...
, a daughter of William the Conqueror around 1080 in
ChartresChartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France It is located southwest of Paris in central France.-Geography:...
.
Count Stephen was one of the leaders of the
First CrusadeThe First Crusade was a military expedition by European Christians to regain the Holy Lands taken by the Muslim conquest of the Levant, which resulted in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099. It was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine...
, often writing enthusiastic letters to Adela about the crusade's progress. He returned home in 1098 during the lengthy
siege of AntiochThe Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. The first siege, by the crusaders against the Muslim city, lasted from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098. The second siege, against the crusaders who had occupied it, lasted from June 7 to June 28, 1098.-Background:Antioch...
, without fulfilling his crusading vow to forge a way to
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
. He was pressured by Adela into making a second pilgrimage, and joined the minor
crusade of 1101The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. It is also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted due to the number of participants who joined this crusade after having turned back from the First...
in the company of others who had also returned home prematurely. In 1102, Stephen was killed in the
Battle of RamlaThe Battle of Rama can refer to a number of battles in the early years of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.Ramla was an important town on the road from Jerusalem to Ascalon, the latter of which was the largest Fatimid fortress in Palestine...
at the age of fifty-seven.
Family and children
Stephen and Adela's children were:
- William, Count of Sully
William the Simple , Count of Blois and Count of Chartres from 1102 to 1107, and Count of Sully, was the eldest son of Stephen-Henry, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy, daughter of William the Conqueror...
(d.1150), Count of Chartres married Agnes of Sulli (d. aft 1104) and had issue.
- Theobald II, Count of Champagne
Theobald the Great was Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV from 1102 and was Count of Champagne and of Brie as Theobald II from 1125....
- Odo, died young.
- Stephen, King of England
Stephen often known as Stephen of Blois was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was the last Norman King of England, from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne jure uxoris. His reign was marked by civil war with his rival the Empress Matilda and general chaos, known as The Anarchy...
- Lucia-Mahaut
Lucia-Mahaut of Blois , known as Matilda or Maud, was daughter to Stephen, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy. She was married to Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester. Both she and her husband joined William Adelin, heir to King Henry I of England aboard the White Ship. She was the sister of...
, married Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of ChesterRichard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester , was the son of Hugh, 1st Earl of Chester and Ermentrude of Clermont.-Early life:...
. Both drowned on 25 November 1120.
- Agnes, married Hugh III of Le Puiset
- Eléonore
Eléonore of Blois or of Champagne , daughter of Stephen II, Count of Blois, and of Adela of Normandy. Married to Raoul I of Vermandois and mother of: Hugh II of Vermandois , count de Vermandois and of Valois, then monk in 1160...
(d. 1147) married Raoul I of Vermandois (d. 1152) and had issue; they were divorced in 1142.
- Alix (d. 1145) married Renaud III of Joigni (d. 1134) and had issue
- Lithuise
Lithuise of Blois was born in Blois, Centre, Loir-et-Cher, France to Stephen Henry and Adela of Normandy. She was married Milo I of Montlhéry. Not much is known about her, although in 1118 she was divorced from her husband and died shortly after...
(d. 1118) married Milo de BraiMilo I the Great was lord of Montlhéry from 1095 until his death. He was the son of Guy I of Montlhéry and Hodierna of Gometz.The identify of his first wife is unknown. His second wife was Lithuise, daughter of Stephen, Count of Blois...
, Viscount of Troyes (divorced 1115)
- Henry, Bishop of Winchester
Henry of Blois, often known as Henry of Winchester; was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126 and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death.-Life:...
- Humbert, died young.
LithuiseLithuise of Blois was born in Blois, Centre, Loir-et-Cher, France to Stephen Henry and Adela of Normandy. She was married Milo I of Montlhéry. Not much is known about her, although in 1118 she was divorced from her husband and died shortly after...
, who married Milon of Troyes, viscount of
TroyesTroyes is a commune, the préfecture of the north-eastern Aube département in France and is located on the Seine river. It is around south-east of Paris...
, was possibly his sister and not his daughter, judging from the dates of her children.
He had an illegitimate daughter Emma, who was the mother of William of York,
archbishop of YorkArchbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
.