, Adèle Of Champagne

Adèle of Champagne (c. 1140 – 4 June 1206), also known as Adelaide andAlix, was the third wife of Louis VII of France (they married October 18,1160, five weeks after his previous wife Constance of Castile had died atchildbirth) and the mother of his only male heir, who became PhilipII.[2] She was the daughter of Theobald II, Count of Champagne andMatilda of Carinthia and was named after her grandmother.

She was active in the political life of the kingdom, along with herbrothers Henry I, Theobald V, and Guillaume aux Blanches Mains. Henry andTheobald were married to daughters of Louis VII and Eleanor ofAquitaine.[3] Adèle and her brothers felt their position threatened whenthe heiress of Artois, Isabella of Hainault, married Adèle''s son Philip.Adèle formed an alliance with Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy and Count Philipof Flanders, and even tried to interest Frederick Barbarossa. War brokeout in 1181, and relations became so bad that Philip attempted to divorceIsabella in 1184.

Although her power decreased after the accession of Philip in 1180, sheacted as regent of the kingdom in 1190 while Philip was away on the ThirdCrusade. She returned to the shadows when he returned in 1192 butparticipated in the founding of many abbeys.

She died on 4 June 1206 in Paris, Île-de-France, France, and was buriedin the church of Pontigny Abbey near Auxerre.

She had two children with Louis VII of France:[4]
Dieudonné, the future Philip Augustus[5]
Agnes of France, Byzantine Empress

Her grandchildren were King Louis VIII of France, wife of Narjot deToucy, Duchess Marie and Philip I, Count of Boulogne.[6]