NORMANDIE Adele

1062 - 1137  (74 years)

• Name	NORMANDIE Adele
  Birth	12 May 1062	Rouen, Normandie, Francia
  Gender	Female
  Death	08 Mar 1137	Marcigny-sur-Loire, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, Franc
  Notes	Adela de Normandie was born circa 1062 at Normandy, France. She was the daughter of William I 'the Conqueror', King of England and Matilda de Flandre. She married Stephen II Henry, Comte de Blois, son of Thibaud III, Comte de Blois and Gersende de Maine, in 1080 at Breteuil, France, in a, and again in 1081 at the Chartres Cathedral marriage. they had at least eleven children She died on 8 March 1137(?) at Marcigny-sur-Loire, France. She was buried at Abbey of the Holy Trinity, Caen, Normandy, France.1 She was buried at Cluniac Priory, Marcigny-sur-Loire, France. Adela de Normandie was a nun circa 1122 at Cluniac Priory, Marcigny-sur-Loire, France.1 She has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.5 Adèle d'Angleterre ou de Normandie ou de Blois (v. 1067[1],[2] – 8 mars 1137[2]), princesse anglaise, fut régente de la principauté de Blois-Chartres, et mère du roi Étienne d'Angleterre. Note: death dates suggested as 1136, 1137 and 1138; always March 8. Birth year suggested as 1162 or 1167. Wikipedia:Adela_of_Normandy Adela of Normandy also known as Adela of Blois and Adela of England "and also Adela Alice Princess of England" (c. 1062 or 1067 – 8 March 1137?) was, by marriage, Countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux. She was a daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. She was also the mother of Stephen, King of England and Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester. Her birthdate is generally believed to have been between 1060 and 1064; however, there is some evidence she was born after her father's accession to the English throne in 1066. She was the favourite sister of King Henry I of England; they were probably the youngest of the Conqueror's children. She was a high-spirited and educated woman, with a knowledge of Latin. She married Stephen Henry, son and heir to the count of Blois, sometime between 1080 and 1084, probably in 1083. Stephen inherited Blois, Chartres and Meaux in 1089, and owned over 300 properties, making him one of the wealthiest men of his day. He was a pious and revered leader who managed huge areas of France which inherited from his father and added to by his sharp administrations. He was, essentially a king in his own right. Stephen-Henry joined the First Crusade, along with his brother-in-law Robert Curthose. Stephen's letters to Adela form a uniquely intimate insight into the experiences of the Crusade's leaders. The Count of Blois returned to France in 1100 bringing with him several cartloads of maps, jewels and other treasures, which he deposited at Chartres. He was, however, under an obligation to the pope for agreements made years earlier and returned to Antioch to participate in the crusade of 1101. He was ultimately killed in an ill advised charge at the Battle of Ramla. Rumors of his cowardice and defection under fire are untrue and unfounded and have been proven to be propaganda generated by later biased historians. Stephen-Henry was often referred to as "le Sage," and was a great patron of Troubadours and writers. Adela and Stephen's children are listed here as follows. Their birth order is uncertain. Guillaume (William)(d. 1150), Count of Chartres married Agnes of Sulli (d. aft 1104) and had issue. Theobald II, aka Thibaud IV Count of Champagne Odo of Blois, aka Humbert. died young. Stephen of Blois {King of England}. Lucia-Mahaut, married Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester. Both drowned on 25 November 1120. Agnes of Blois, married Hugh de Puiset and were parents to Hugh de Puiset. Eléonore of Blois (d. 1147) married Raoul I of Vermandois (d.1152) & had issue they were divorced in 1142. Alix of Blois (d. 1145) married Renaud (d.1134)III of Joigni & had Issue Lithuise of Blois (d. 1118) married Milo I of Montlhéry(Divorced 1115) Philip (d. 1100) Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne Henry of Blois b.1101- d. 1171 (oblate child raised at Cherite sur Loire (Cluny Abbey) 1103. Adela was regent for her husband during his extended absence as a leader of the First Crusade (1095-1098), and when he returned in disgrace it was at least in part at her urging that he returned to the east to fulfil his vow of seeing Jerusalem.[citation needed] She was again regent in 1101, continuing after her husband's death on this second crusading expedition in 1102, for their children were still minors. Orderic Vitalis praises her as a "wise and spirited woman" who ably governed her husband's estates in his absences and after his death. She employed tutors to educate her elder sons, and had her youngest son Henry pledged to the Church at Cluny. Adela quarrelled with her eldest son Guillaume, "deficient in intelligence as well as degenerate", and had his younger brother Theobald replace him as heir. Her son Stephen left Blois in 1111 to join his uncle's court in England. Adela retired to Marcigny in 1120, secure in the status of her children. Later that same year, her daughter Lucia-Mahaut, was drowned in the wreck of the White Ship alongside her husband. She lived long enough to see her son Stephen seize the English throne, and took pride in the ascension of her youngest child Henry Blois to the bishophric of Winchester, but died soon after on 8 March 1135 in Marsilly, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France. Adela of Normandy (C. Blois) Born: ABT 1067, Normandy, France Died: 8 Mar 1137, Marcigny-sur-Loire,France Buried: Abbey of Holy Trinity, Caen, Normandy Notes: became a Nun at Cluniac Priory in widowhood. Her husband was Count of Meaux; Count of Blois; Champaigne; Chartres and Tourain, a crusader under Godfrey de Bouillon, who fell, gallantly fighting against the Infidels at Rames. (Battle of Ascalon actually). Father: WILLIAM I "the Conqueror" of Normandy (King of England) Mother: Matilda of Flanders Married: Stephen II Henry of Blois (3º Count of Blois) (b. 1045 - d. 19 May 1102) (son of Theobald II, Count of Blois, and Garsende Von Maine) ABT 1081, Chartres Cathedral, France Children: Humbert of Blois (Count of Virtus) William de Champagne (Count of Chartes) Theobald III of Blois (4º Count of Blois) (b. ABT 1088 - d. 1152) STEPHEN I of Blois (King of England) Henry of Blois (Bishop of Winchester) Matilda of Blois Odo of Blois Lithiuse (Adele) of Blois Phillip of Blois (Bishop of Châlon) (d. 1100) . Agnes of Blois Eleanor of Blois Alice of Blois Emma of Blois Sources "Royal Ancestry" 2013 Douglas Richardson Vol. I. page 8 (ix.) "Royal Ancestry" 2013 Douglas Richardson Vol. I. page 129 "Royal Ancestry" 2013 Douglas Richardson Vol. I. page 234 "Royal Ancestry" 2013 Douglas Richardson Vol. I. page 389 "Royal Ancestry" 2013 Douglas Richardson Vol. I. page 496 Kimberly LoPrete, "The Anglo-Norman Card of Adela of Blois", Albion 22 (1990) Kimberly LoPrete, "Adela of Blois and Ivo of Chartres: Piety, Politics, and the Peace in the Diocese of Chartres", Anglo-Norman Studies 19 Parsons, John Carmi. Medieval Mothering (New Middle Ages), 1996 Wikipedia:Adela_of_Normandy http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLAND,%20Kings%201066-1603.htm#Adeladied1138 Evergates, Theodore, ed., Aristocratic Women in Medieval France (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1999) "Adela of Blois: Family Alliances and Female Lordship" by Kimberly A. LoPrete. Page 7-43
  Person ID	I59946	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	NORMANDIE Guillaume,   b. Abt 1027, Normandie, France d. 09 Sep 1087, Rouen, Normandie, France (Age 60 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	FLANDRE Mathilde,   b. Abt 1031, Flanders, Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France d. 02 Nov 1083, Caen, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France (Age 52 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	1050	Normandy, France
  Family ID	F26616	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	BLOIS Étienne-Henri,   b. Abt 1052, Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France d. 19 May 1102, Ramleh, Palestine, Holy Land, Israel (Age 50 years)
  Marriage	1081	Breteuil, France
  Children	1. Blois Guillaume,   b. Abt 1085, Chartres, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France d. Abt 1150, Chartres, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France (Age 65 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. BLOIS Étienne,   b. Abt 1092, Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France d. 25 Oct 1154, St. Martin's Priory, Dover, Kent, England (Age 62 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F26615	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026