Henry de Blois I

• Preferred Name: Henry de Blois I^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}
  
• Alternate Name: Henri van Brabant Comte de Champagne
  
• Alternate Name: Henri de Champagne Comte de Champagne
  
• Alternate Name: de Blois
  
• Alternate Name: Henry Theobald of Champagne
  
• Gender: M
  
• MilitaryService: Repart en Croisade, avec PhilippeBET 1179 AND 1181
  
• FSID: L8TB-ZLL
  
• Birth: DEC 1127 in Vitry-le-François, Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France at LATI: N8.714 LONG: E0.5866
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Count Palatine of Troyes
  
• Burial: 17 MAR 1181 in Troyes, Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France at LATI: N8.3055 LONG: E0.0715
  
• Founded Collégiale Saint-Étienne: BET 1157 AND 1171 with note: Description: Built the Saint Stephen Collegiate Church Medieval Lands and WIkipedia.
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Count of Croisé
  
• MilitaryService: and participated in the 2nd CrusadeBET 1147 AND 1149
  
• Death: 16 MAR 1181 in Troyes, Aube, Grand Est, France at LATI: N8.3055 LONG: E0.0715
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Count of Champagne1152
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Count of BrieBET 1152 AND 1181
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Henry I de Blois (December 1127-March 16, 1181), known as the Liberal, was count of Champagne from 1152 to 1181. He was the eldest son of Count Thibaut II of Champagne (who was also Count Thibaut IV of Blois) and his wife, Matilda of Carinthia.
  
  Henry took part in the Second Crusade under the leadership of Louis VII of France. He carried a letter of recommendation from Bernard of Clairvaux addressed to Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor; he is listed among the notables present at the assembly held by Baldwin III of Jerusalem at Acre on 24 June 1148.
  
  On his father's death, Henry chose to take Champagne, leaving the family's older holdings (including Blois, Chartres, Sancerre, and Châteaudun) to his younger brothers. At the time this may have been surprising, for the other territories were richer and better developed. Henry must have foreseen the economic possibilities of Champagne, and it is during his rule that the county achieved its high place as one of the richest and strongest of the French principalities.
  
  Henry established orderly rule over the nobles of Champagne, and could fairly reliably count on the aid of some 2,000 vassals, which just by itself made him a power few in France could equal. This order in turn made Champagne a safe place for merchants to gather, and under the count's protection the Champagne Fairs became a central part of long-distance trade and finance in medieval Europe.
  
  In addition, the count's court in Troyes became a renowned literary center. Walter Map was among those who found hospitality there. The scholar Stephen of Alinerre was among Henry's courtiers, becoming chancellor of the county in 1176.
  
  In 1179 Henry went to Jerusalem again with a party of French knights including his relatives Peter of Courtenay (brother of Louis VII) and Philip of Dreux, bishop of Beauvais. Henry returned towards Europe by the land route across Asia Minor, and was captured and held to ransom by Kilij Arslan II, Seljuk sultan of Rüm. The ransom was paid by the Byzantine Emperor. Henry would later die, 16 March 1181.
  
  In 1164, Henry married Marie of France, daughter of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
  
  They had four children:
  
  1.) Scholastique of Champagne (died 1219), married William IV of Mâcon
  
  2.) Henry II (1166-1197)
  
  3.) Marie of Champagne (died 1204), married Baldwin I of Constantinople
  
  4.) Theobald (1179-1201)
  
  Henry built the collegiate church of Saint-Étienne in Troyes between 1157 and 1171, which he planned as a necropolis for the House of Blois. He was buried there, as was his son Theobald III, but most of his descendants were buried elsewhere. He died in 1181 and was succeeded by their eldest son Henry. After Henry became king of Jerusalem, the younger son Theobald became count.
  
  BIO
  BIO: Count of Champagne, 1152
  
  ** from http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CHAMPAGNE%20NOBILITY.htm#Mariedied1204 as of 4/20/2016
  
  HENRI de Blois, son of THIBAUT IV Comte de Blois & his wife Mathilde von
  
  === Henry I (December 1127 – March 16, 1181) ===
  Henry I (December 1127 – March 16, 1181), known as the Liberal,[1] was count of Champagne from 1152 to 1181. He was the eldest son of Count Thibaut II of Champagne (who was also Count Thibaut IV of Blois) and his wife, Matilda of Carinthia.[1]
  
  Henry I of Champagne
  Born December 1127
  Died 17 March 1181
  Troyes
  Noble family House of Blois
  Spouse(s) Marie of France, Countess of Champagne
  Father Thibaut II of Champagne
  Mother Matilda of Carinthia
  
  Henry took part in the Second Crusade under the leadership of Louis VII of France.[2] He carried a letter of recommendation from Bernard of Clairvaux addressed to Manuel I Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor; he is listed among the notables present at the assembly held by Baldwin III of Jerusalem at Acre on 24 June 1148.[3]
  
  On his father's death, Henry chose to take Champagne, leaving the family's older holdings (including Blois, Chartres, Sancerre, and Châteaudun) to his younger brothers. At the time this may have been surprising, for the other territories were richer and better developed. Henry must have foreseen the economic possibilities of Champagne, and it is during his rule that the county achieved its high place as one of the richest and strongest of the French principalities.
  
  Henry established orderly rule over the nobles of Champagne, and could fairly reliably count on the aid of some 2,000 vassals, which just by itself made him a power few in France could equal. This order in turn made Champagne a safe place for merchants to gather, and under the count's protection the Champagne Fairs became a central part of long-distance trade and finance in medieval Europe.
  
  In addition, the count's court in Troyes became a renowned literary center.[4] Walter Map was among those who found hospitality there. The scholar Stephen of Alinerre was among Henry's courtiers, becoming chancellor of the county in 1176.[5]
  
  In 1179 Henry went to Jerusalem again[6] with a party of French knights including his relatives Peter of Courtenay (brother of Louis VII) and Philip of Dreux, bishop of Beauvais.[7] Henry returned towards Europe by the land route across Asia Minor, and was captured and held to ransom by Kilij Arslan II, Seljuk sultan of Rüm.[7] The ransom was paid by the Byzantine Emperor.[7] Henry would later die, 16 March 1181.[8]
  
  In 1164, Henry married Marie of France, daughter of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine.[1]
  
  They had four children:
  
  Scholastique of Champagne (died 1219),[8] married William IV of Mâcon
  Henry II (1166–1197)[8]
  Marie of Champagne (died 1204),[8] married Baldwin I of Constantinople
  Theobald (1179–1201)[8]
  Henry built the collegiate church of Saint-Étienne in Troyes between 1157 and 1171, which he planned as a necropolis for the House of Blois. He was buried there, as was his son Theobald III, but most of his descendants were buried elsewhere.[9] He died in 1181 and was succeeded by their eldest son Henry. After Henry became king of Jerusalem, the younger son Theobald became count.
  
  === Henri "le Libéral" de Blois, comte de Ch ===
  Henri "le Libéral" de Blois, comte de Champagne et de Brie
  Also Known As:
  "Enrique o Liberal", "Henry the Large"
  Birthdate:
  December 1127 (53)
  Birthplace:
  Château de Vitry, Vitry-le-François, Champagne-Ardenne, France
  Death:
  March 16, 1181 (53)
  Troyes, Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France
  Place of Burial:
  Troyes, Champagne-Ardenne, France
  Immediate Family:
  Son of Thibault IV de Blois, II de Champagne and Mathilde von Sponheim, duchess of Carinthia
  Husband of Marie Capet de France, comtesse de Champagne
  Father of Henri 'le Jeune' de Champagne, comte de Champagne; Scholastique de Champagne; Marie de Champagne and Thibault III de Blois, comte de Champagne
  Brother of Marie de Champagne, Duchess of Burgundy; Thibaud V "the Good", count of Blois; Étienne Ier de Blois-Champagne, comte de Sancerre; Guillaume de Champagne, dit "aux Blanches Mains"; Élisabeth de Champagne (Isabelle de Blois) and 4 others
  Half brother of Hugues de Champagne
  Occupation:
  Count of Champagne and Brie 1152-1181, Count of Blois, Chartres, and Croisé

• m. 1164 in France

1. Theobald Count of Champagne III, b. 13 MAY 1179 in Troyes, Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France     d. 24 MAY 1201 in Troyes, Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France
2. Marie de Champagne, b. 21 MAR 1174 in Troyes, Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France     d. 9 AUG 1204 in Istanbul, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey
3. Henry Count of Champagne II, b. 29 JUL 1166 in Troyes, France     d. 10 SEP 1197 in Saint-Jean-d'Acre, Israel

1. Title: International, Find A Grave Index for Select Locations, 1300s-Current
   Publication: Name: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=60541&h=2098195&indiv=try;
   
2. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Count of Henri de Champagne Champagne -
   Author: France in the Middle Ages 987-1460/ Moyen Abe 987-1460, English, George Duby/ Translated by Juliet Vale, Printed/Bound in Great Britain by MPG Books, Ltd, Page number: Inheritance Pages
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:3243690012
   
3. Title: PHILIPPA de Dreux ([1192]-17 Mar 1242)
   Author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerold,_Prefect_of_Bavaria
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerold,_Prefect_of_Bavaria;
   Note: Inscription on Tome
   Page: France, Northwest & Central - Central France, Nobility, p. 30: HENRI de Blois (1126-Troyes 17 Mar 1181, bur Troyes, Saint-Etienne). "Teobaudus Blesensis comes" made a donation to Montiérender by charter dated 1139 with the consent of "Matildis comitissa uxor mee et Henricus filius meus"[275]. William of Tyre records him as "Henricus comitis Trecensium filius Theobaldi senioris"[276]. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Henricum comitem Trecensem palatinum…Theobaldum comitem Blesenem…Stephanum comitem de Sancerre…et Guillelmus" as the four sons of "comes Campanie Theobaldus"[277]. He succeeded his father in 1152 as HENRI I "le Libéral" Comte de Champagne et de Brie.
   
4. Title: Henri I and II, Comtes de Champagne, in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CHAMPAGNE%20NOBILITY.htm#HenriIChampagnedied1181B [See document in the Memories section]
   Publication: Name: https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/142435728;
   Note: Henri I and II, Comtes de Champagne, in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CHAMPAGNE%20NOBILITY.htm#HenriIChampagnedied1181B [See document in the Memories section]
   Page: Henri I and II, Comtes de Champagne, in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CHAMPAGNE%20NOBILITY.htm#HenriIChampagnedied1181B [See document in the Memories section]
   
5. Title: HENRI de Blois (1126-1181), The Medieval Lands Project
   Author: fmg.ac
   Publication: Name: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CHAMPAGNE%20NOBILITY.htm#HenriIChampagnedied1181B;
   Note: HENRI de Blois, son of THIBAUT IV Comte de Blois & his wife Mathilde von Sponheim [Carinthia] (1126-Troyes 17 Mar 1181, bur Troyes, Saint-Etienne). "Teobaudus Blesensis comes" made a donation to Montiérender by charter dated 1139 with the consent of "Matildis comitissa uxor mee et Henricus filius meus"[1]. He left France with King Louis VII in Jun 1147 on the Second Crusade[2]. He succeeded his father in 1152 as HENRI I "le Libéral" Comte de Champagne et de Brie. During his rule, Champagne became a centre of commerce. He was one of the most respected counsellors of the king of France. "Henricus Trecensium comes palatinus" made donations to the abbey of Mores by charter dated 1154[3]. He left France on crusade once more in 1179, with Philippe Count of Flanders. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines records the death in 1181 of "comes Henricus Trecensis" after returning from overseas[4]. Robert of Torigny records the death in 1182 of "Henricus comes Trecensis" and the succession of "Henricus filius eius natus ex filia Ludovici regis Francorum"[5]. The necrology of the abbey of Mores records the death "XVI Kal Apr" of "comes Henricus Trecensis"[6]. The necrology of Sens cathedral records the death "XVI Kal Apr" of "Henricus comes Campanie"[7]. The necrology of Saint-Loup, Troyes records the death "17 Mar 1180" (presumably O.S.) of "Henricus comes Trecenses"[8]. The necrology of Saint-Etienne, Troyes records the death "17 Mar" of "comes Henricus Campanie"[9]. The Livre d'Anniversaires of Chartres cathedral records the death "XVI Kal Apr" of "Henrici comitis Trecensi"[10]. m (1164) MARIE de France, daughter of LOUIS VII King of France & his first wife Eléonore d’Aquitaine (1145-3 or 11 Mar 1198, bur Cathedral of Meaux, Seine-et-Marne). The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Mariam comitissam Trecensum et Aelidem comitissam Blesensem" as the two daughters of "regi Francie Ludovico" and his wife "Alienor Guilielmi filia comits Pictavorum et Aquitanie ducis"[11]. Her parentage is confirmed by Matthew Paris, who specifies that Marie was the older sister and married the older brother "Henricus filius magni comitis Theodbaldi Flandrensis", although he does not state her name[12]. She was regent of Champagne during the absence of her husband on Crusade 1179-1181, during the minority of her son Henri II 1181-1187, during the latter's absence on Crusade 1190-1197, and during the minority of her grandson Thibaut III 1197-1198. She was the author of “le Lai du Chèvrefeuille”, and made her court a literary centre. Philippe d'Alsace Count of Flanders sought to marry her in 1184. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines records the death in 1198 of "comitissa Maria Campaniensis"[13]. The necrology of Sens cathedral records the death "V Non Mar" of "Maria Trecensis comitissa"[14]. The necrology of Saint-Etienne, Troyes records the death "4 Mar" of "Maria Trecensis comitissa, regis Francorum filia"[15]. Comte Henri & his wife had four children: (Henri, Marie, Scholastique and Thibaut).
   
6. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Henri I de Champagne Count Champagne -
   Author: The Plantagenet Ancestry, by William Henry Turton {1968}, Page number: 15
   Note: Source Media Type: Book
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2736742370
   
7. Title: Henry I, Count of Champagne (1127-1181), Wikipedia
   Author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I,_Count_of_Champagne
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I,_Count_of_Champagne;
   Note: Henry I (December 1127 – March 16, 1181), known as the Liberal, was count of Champagne from 1152 to 1181. He was the eldest son of Count Theobald II of Champagne, who was also count of Blois, and his wife, Matilda of Carinthia. Henry took part in the Second Crusade under the leadership of Louis VII of France. In 1179, Henry went to Jerusalem again with a party of French knights. In 1164, Henry married Marie of France, daughter of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine. They had four children. Count of Champagne (1152–1181) Died: 17 March 1181 (aged 53) at Troyes
   
8. Title: Henry I de Champagne (1127-1181), "Find A Grave Index"
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLW-9HRY : 6 August 2020), Henry I de Champagne, ; Burial, Troyes, Departement de l'Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France, Cathedrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes; citing record ID 87399123, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLW-9HRY;
   Note: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87399123/henry_i-de-champagne Henry I de Champagne BIRTH Dec 1127 France DEATH 17 Mar 1181 (aged 53) Troyes, Departement de l'Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France BURIAL Cathedrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes Troyes, Departement de l'Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France MEMORIAL ID 87399123 Eldest son of Count Thibaut II of Champagne (Count Thibaut IV of Blois) and his wife, Matilda of Carinthia. Husband of Marie of France, the daughter of Louis VII King of France and Eleanor of Aquitane. They were married in 1164 and had four children. Henry was a participant in the second Crusade. His father died in 1152, and he became the Count of Champagne. Henry returned to the Crusades in 1179 with other French knights.
   
9. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Henry I "The Liberal" of Champaigne Count of Champaigne And Brie -
   Author: Royal Index, University of Hull, England, Internet, Internet, www.dcs.hull.ac.uk
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:2332880681