Following on from my last post, here are some of the dangerous and risky women who appear in my ancestral tree...in no particular order...starting with my 30th great grandmother, whose name literally was Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard, her relationship to me is via Eleanor of Aquitaine's mothers side....(see generations at end )
Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard 1079 - 1151
My 30th Great Grandmother
About Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard
http://www.geni.com/people/Dangereuse-de-L-Isle-Bouchard/6000000006906614042Dangereuse#*
De L'Isle-Bouchard (daughter of Barthlmy de Bueil and Gerberge de Blaison) was born Abt. 1079. She married (1) Aimery I de Rochefoucauld, son of Boson II de Chatellerault and Aleanor (Eleanor) de Thouars. She was a concubine of (2) William IX "The Troubador" Duc d'Aquitaine
A lovely account about Dangereuse de L'Isle-Bouchard from Lou Alice Fink (http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/f/i/n/Lou-A-Fink/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0392.html):
Dangereuse de l’Isle-Bouchard was not a conventional woman: concubine of the powerful William IX the Troubadour, Duke of Aquitaine, a member herself of that special cadre of female musicians known to sing the songs of unearthly love, the band of renegade ladies known simply as trobairitz.
The year was 1100, and la Dangerosa of scandal sat in her solitary tower at Poitiers, composing verse, or, at least attempting such a feat. William would be arriving soon for his ministrations and the woman who had abandoned status, home and husband to live in sin with one of a like inclination as herself, wished to present him with a new song, should his own prove worthy the reciprocation.
Because both William and his father had traveled to the land of the Kaliph during the First Crusade, their castle was filled with Barbary women, tropies of war, but also treasured maidens who in the Aquitaine were treated with honor and respect. Dangerosa learned from those foreigners of her own sex many wise and wonderful mysteries: the language of the birds, the counting of stars in the night sky to form hidden verses of cosmic chant, the knowledge of the Magoi. The dark-skinned, lynx-eyed ladies became as her kin, according her the rank of Sultana, reciting hymns to the goddess Isis in her presence, filling what might have become a lonely life with pleasure and hours of enchanted days bathed with the resonance of their exotic timbres.
These sisters of the Levant also schooled their mistress in magic, facilitating visions, creating a secret world within Dangerosa’s tower. A space William would enter into on each visit with amazement, a place where he shed ducal trapping and became lowly serf. At each audience he would play for her a tribute, beseeching the woman he had supposedly kidnapped from her husband, but who in fact had mad him her captive, with words such as:
Good lady, I ask for nothing,
But please take me as your servant,
For I shall serve you as great Goddess,
Whatever fate you send my way.
Even on the jousting field, proud William humbled himself before the Lady Dangerosa, displaying her image on his shield, engraved with the motto: Over me in Battle, Likewise in Bed. The other nobles scoffed at such blatant chivalry, the bishops scowled, but Dangerosa stayed in her tower with her ladies and paid no heed to what silly people might say.
A knock at the bedchamber door informed Dangereuse that her ardent William had arrived. Breathing deeply of jasmine scent burning from a silver censer the noble woman stood, shaking out the skirt of a midnight blue gown. Roses picked earlier by her companions cascaded from the lady’s lap, gracing the plain floor with a floral array. She thought of the proposal she must put to the duke that eve - that her daughter, Aelinore, marry his son and namesake, future leader of Aquitaine - and her mind began to spin, dancing to a sarabande of possibility.
A red-haired, imposing figure dropped down to wooden plank, gathering sweet-smelling flowers to his bosom, drinking in the perfumes of the tower. Lady Dangerosa stared placidly at the subjugation, awaiting her cue.
My heart gladly breaks,
For her again and again;
Accept here poor William,
Most servile of men.
No stranger to such outpourings, Dangerosa was stunned to recognize the power of a mystical transport descending over her person, and without hesitating, the jewel of the House of the Isle-Bouchard replied: Within every woman there is a queen. Speak to that sovereign beauty and the queen will answer.
Inspired by the phrase, the troubadour was quick to answer:
Lady, I am yours and yours I shall stay,
Pledged to thy service, come what may.
This oath I give is full and free,
The type of vow sworn on bended knee.
Of all my joys, you are the first,
And of them all you will be the last,
As long as life endures,
Future, present and past.
And while the Companions of Purity began a desert wail in the garden, their oracular service passed through the eyes, and the person and tripped over the tongue of la Dangerosa:
Our houses unite and a queen will be born,
A founder of dynasties, bright Rose and dark Thorn.
Her name will be Eleanor, her signet the whip,
The lords of two lands feel the sting of her lip.
The troubadours flock to her court of fine Love,
Where women are spotless, respected above
Dukes, earls, even kings
Become Eleanor’s playthings.
A saint named Bernard of the brethren Clairvaux,
Will beseech our granddaughter with vassals to go,
On a crusade abroad, to meet Saracen horde,
To Vezalay she comes amidst tumultuous roars.
She rides a white steed, dressed as Amazon queen
And her cry of To Arms! creates quite a scene.
With ladies attendant they ride to the East
Fitted in armor with lances, a visual feast.
And her sons will be kings and they bow at her foot,
For Eleanor is dame of the golden, bright boot.
The prophecy completed, the barbary chant finished, Dangerosa allowed William to kiss her foot, then reached backwards towards the table to collect that instrument of clairvoyance, a perfect red rose.
Dangereuse married Almeric I de Chastellerault, son of Boso II - Viscomte de Turenne and Aleanor de Thouars. (Almeric I de Chastellerault was born about 1077 in Châtellerault, Poitou-Charentes, France, died on 7 Nov 1151 in Noyers and was buried in Nov 1151.)
William IX was excommunicated twice, the first time in 1114 for some unknown offense. His response to this was to demand absolution from the Bishop of Poitiers at swordpoint. He was excommunicated a second time for abducting Dangereuse (Dangerosa in Occitan), the wife of his vassal Aimery I de Rochefoucauld, Viscount of Châtellerault. He installed her in the Maubergeonne tower of his castle, and, as related by William of Malmesbury, even painted a picture of her on his shield.
This greatly offended both his wife and his son, William. According to Orderic Vitalis, Philippa protested against her treatment in October 1119 at the Council of Reims, claiming to have been abandoned by the duke in favor of Dangereuse. She later retired to the convent of Fontevrault. Relations with his son were only repaired when the younger William married Aenor of Châtellerault, Dangereuse's daughter by her husband.
An anonymous 13th century biography of William, forming part of the collection Biographies des Troubadours, remembers him thus:
"The Count of Poitiers was one of the most courtly men in the world and one of the greatest deceivers of women. He was a fine knight at arms, liberal in his womanizing, and a fine composer and singer of songs. He travelled much through the world, seducing women."
Dangereuse next married Guillaume VII de Poitou - Duc d' Aquitaine, son of Guillaume VIII - Duc d' Aquitaine and Hildegarde Capet de Bourgogne. (Guillaume VII de Poitou - Duc d' Aquitaine was born on 22 Oct 1071 in Aquitaine, France, died on 10 Feb 1127 in France and was buried in France.)
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Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard (d.1151) was a daughter of Barthelemy de L'Isle Bouchard and his wife Gerberge de Blaison. She was the maternal grandmother of the celebrated Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was also mistress to her granddaughters' paternal grandfather William IX, Duke of Aquitaine.[1]
Dangereuse is also known as La Maubergeonne.
Family
Dangereuse's paternal grandparents were Archimbaud Borel de Bueil and Agnes de L'Isle Bouchard. Her maternal grandparents were Eon de Blaison and Tcheletis de Trèves.
Through her granddaughter, Dangereuse was an ancestor of various nobles and monarchs including: Richard I of England, Marie, Countess of Champagne, John of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Joan, Queen of Sicily, Eleanor, Queen of Castile, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Henry the Young King.
Her granddaughter Eleanor was Queen consort of France, Queen consort of England and Duchess of Aquitaine (in her own right).
Life
Marriage
Dangereuse married Viscount Aimery I of Châttellerault at an unknown date. She advised her husband to donate propery to Saint-Denis en Vaux in a charter dated 1109, this means they were married before this point.[2] Dangereuse was a woman who did as she pleased and cared little for public opinion. [3]
Their marriage produced five children (two sons and three daughters):
Hugh (died before 1176) succeeded his father as Viscount
Raoul (died 1190) married Elisabeth de Faye and had issue
Aenor/Eleanor (c. 1103 – March 1130) married William X, Duke of Aquitaine, mother to Duchess Eleanor and Petronilla
Amable, married Wulgrin II, Count of Angoulême
Aois (fate unknown)
Dangereuse and Aimery were married for around seven years before she left her husband to become the mistress to Duke William IX, this became an infamous liaison. [4]
Whilst travelling through Poitou, Duke William met the "seductive" Dangereuse.[5] This led to her leaving her husband for Duke William IX of Aquitaine, who was excommunicated by the church for "abducting", but she however, appeared to have been a willing party in the matter. He installed her in the Maubergeonne tower of his castle in Poitiers (leading to her nickname La Maubergeonne), and, as related by William of Malmesbury, even painted a picture of her on his shield. [6] [7]
Upon returning to Poitiers from Toulouse, his wife Philippa of Toulouse was enraged to discover a rival woman living in her palace. She appealed to her friends at court and to the Church[8]; however, no noble could assist her since William was their feudal overlord, and whilst the Papal legate Giraud (who was bald) complained to William and told him to return Dangereuse to her husband, William's only response was, "Curls will grow on your pate before I part with the Viscountess." Humiliated, Philippa chose in 1116 to retire to the Abbey of Fontevrault, where she was befriended, ironically, by Ermengarde of Anjou, William's first wife.
Dangereuse and William had three children:
Henri (died after 1132), a monk and later Prior of Cluny
Adelaide, married Raoul de Faye
Sybille, Abbess of Saintes
Some [9] believe that Raymond of Poitiers, was a child of William and Dangereuse, rather than by Philippa of Toulouse. The primary source which names his mother has not so far been identified. However, he is not named in other sources as a legitimate son of Willam IX. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that he was born from the duke's relationship with Dangereuse. If this is the case, Dangereuse was grandmother to Bohemund III of Antioch, Maria of Antioch and Philippa of Antioch.
Philippa died two years later, William's first wife Ermengarde set out to avenge Philippa. In October 1119, she suddenly appeared at the Council of Reims being held by Pope Calixtus II and demanded that the Pope excommunicate William (again), oust Dangereuse from the ducal palace, and restore herself to her rightful place as Duchess consort. The Pope "declined to accommodate her"; however, she continued to trouble William for several years afterwards.
The relationship between William and his legitimate son William were troubled by his father's liaison Dangereuse, this was only settled when the pair arranged the marriage between William the Younger and Dangereuse's daughter Aenor in 1121;[10] the following year Eleanor was born.
William died on 10 February 1126; nothing is recorded of Dangereuse after this point. Dangereuse died in 1151.
Sources
Harvey, Ruth E. The wives of the 'first troubadour', Duke William IX of Aquitaine (Journal of Medieval History), 1993
Parsons, John Carmi. Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady, 2002
Footnotes
^ AQUITAINE, Medieval Lands
^ Documents concernant le Prieuré de Saint-Denis en Vaux, Archives historiques du Poitou Tome VII (Poitiers, 1878) ("Saint-Denis en Vaux") I, p. 346.
^ Eleanor of Aquitaine: a biography
^ Eleanor of Aquitaine: a biography
^ Pilgrims, heretics, and lovers: a medieval journey
^ Lou Alice Fink of Louisville, KY: Information
^ Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen and Legend
^ Orderic Vitalis, Vol. VI, Book XII, p. 259
^ Aquitaine, Medieval Lands
^ Encyclopedia of women in the Middle Ages
Her relationship to me:
Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard (1079 - 1151)
My 30th great grandmother
Gerberge De Chatellerault (1034 - 1058)
Daughter of Dangereuse
Boson Viscount Chatellerault (1050 - 1092)
Son of Gerberge
Vicomte deChatellerault Aimery I (1075 - 1151)
Son of Boson Viscount
Eleanor Duchess De Chaterlerault De Rochefoucauld deAquitaine (1103 - 1130)
Daughter of Vicomte deChatellerault
Queen Eleanor Aquitaine of England (1122 - 1204)
Daughter of Eleanor Duchess
King John I 'Lackland' Plantagenet Of England (1166 - 1216)
Son of Queen Eleanor
King Henry III Plantagenet of England (1207 - 1272)
Son of King John I 'Lackland'
King Edward I 'Longshanks' Plantagenet Hammer of the Scots (1239 - 1307)
Son of King Henry III
King Edward II Plantagenet King of England (1284 - 1327)
Son of * King Edward I 'Longshanks'
King Edward III Plantagenet King of England (1312 - 1377)
Son of King Edward II
John Gaunt Plantagenet 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340 - 1399)
Son of King Edward III
Joan de Beaufort Countess of Westmorland (1375 - 1440)
Daughter of John Gaunt
Lady Anne de Neville Duchess of Buckingham (1404 - 1480)
Daughter of Joan
Lady Anne Le Strange (1462 - 1520)
Daughter of Lady Anne
Richard Smythe Lord (1480 - 1508)
Son of Lady Anne
William Smythe (1505 - 1550)
Son of Richard
Agnes Smythe (1543 - )
Daughter of William
Reginaldus Gibson (1563 - )
Son of Agnes
William Gibson (1582 - )
Son of Reginaldus
Thomas Gibson (1600 - 1642)
Son of William
Thomas Gibson (1620 - 1652)
Son of Thomas
Marmaduke Gibson (1669 - 1730)
Son of Thomas
Jonathon Gibson (1700 - 1746)
Son of Marmaduke
Marmaduke Gibson (1727 - 1796)
Son of Jonathon
Marmaduke Gibson (1758 - )
Son of Marmaduke
James Gibson (1778 - 1857)
Son of Marmaduke
Eleanor Gibson (1807 - 1894)
Daughter of James
Jane Murgatroyd (1839 - 1929)
Daughter of Eleanor
Alfred Ernest Tonge (1870 - 1939)
Son of Jane
Clarice Barbara Tonge (1898 - 1979)
Daughter of Alfred Ernest
David Astley Jephson (1928 - 2000)
Son of Clarice Barbara
Amanda Ann Jephson
Daughter of David Astley
http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/3971040/person/6091585229
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Isabella of France c.1295-1358
My 21st Great Grandmother
About Isabelle de France, reine consort d'Angleterre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_France
Isabella of France (c. 1295 – 22 August 1358), known as the She-Wolf of France,[1] was the Queen consort of Edward II of England and mother of Edward III. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre.
Although Isabella produced four children, the apparently bisexual king was notorious for lavishing sexual attention on a succession of male favourites, including Piers Gaveston and Hugh le Despenser the younger. Isabella despised the royal favorite, Hugh le Despenser, and in 1321, while pregnant with her youngest child, she dramatically begged Edward to banish Despenser from the kingdom. Despenser was exiled, but Edward recalled him later that year. This act seems finally to have turned Isabella against her husband altogether. While the nature of her relationship with Roger Mortimer is unknown for this time period, she may have helped him escape from the Tower of London in 1323. Later, she openly took Mortimer as her lover. He was married to the wealthy heiress Joan de Geneville, and the father of twelve children.
When Isabella's brother, King Charles IV of France, seized Edward's French possessions in 1325, she returned to France, initially as a delegate of the King charged with negotiating a peace treaty between the two countries. However, her presence in France became a focal point for the many nobles opposed to Edward's reign. Isabella gathered an army to oppose Edward, in alliance with Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. Enraged by this treachery, Edward demanded that Isabella return to England. Her brother, King Charles, replied, "The queen has come of her own will and may freely return if she wishes. But if she prefers to remain here, she is my sister and I refuse to expel her."
Despite this public show of support by the King of France, Isabella and Mortimer left the French court in summer 1326 and went to William I, Count of Hainaut in Holland, whose wife was Isabella's cousin. William provided them with eight men of war ships in return for a marriage contract between his daughter Philippa and Isabella's son, Edward. On 21 September 1326 Isabella and Mortimer landed in Suffolk with an army, most of whom were mercenaries. King Edward II offered a reward for their deaths and is rumoured to have carried a knife in his hose with which to kill his wife. Isabella responded by offering twice as much money for the head of Hugh the younger Despenser. This reward was issued from Wallingford Castle.
Isabella returns to England with her son, Edward III. Jean Fouquet, 1455x1460.
The invasion by Isabella and Mortimer was successful: King Edward's few allies deserted him without a battle; the Despensers were killed, and Edward himself was captured and forced to abdicate in favour of his eldest son, Edward III of England. Since the young king was only fourteen when he was crowned on 1 February 1327, Isabella and Mortimer ruled as regents in his place.
According to legend, Isabella and Mortimer famously plotted to murder the deposed king in such a way as not to draw blame on themselves, sending the famous order (in Latin): "Eduardum occidere nolite timere bonum est" which, depending on where the comma was inserted, could mean either "Do not be afraid to kill Edward; it is good" or "Do not kill Edward; it is good to fear". In actuality, there is little evidence of just who decided to have Edward assassinated, and none whatsoever of the note ever having been written. Alison Weir's biography of Isabella puts forward the theory that Edward II in fact escaped death and fled to Europe, where he lived as a hermit for twenty years.
When Edward III turned 18, he and a few trusted companions staged a coup on 19 October 1330 and had both Isabella and Mortimer taken prisoner. Despite Isabella's cries of "Fair son, have pity on gentle Mortimer", Mortimer was executed for treason one month later in November of 1330.
Her son spared Isabella's life and she was allowed to retire to Castle Rising in Norfolk. She did not, as legend would have it, go insane; she enjoyed a comfortable retirement and made many visits to her son's court, doting on her grandchildren. Isabella took the habit of the Poor Clares before she died on 22 August 1358, and her body was returned to London for burial at the Franciscan church at Newgate. She was buried in her wedding dress. Edward's heart was interred with her.
1. ID: I04139
2. Name: Isabelle , Queen Of England
3. Sex: F
4. Title: Queen
5. Birth: 1292 in Paris, Seine, France
6. Death: 22 Aug 1358 in Hertford Castle, H, England
7. Buried: Grey Friars Church, London, England
Father: Philippe IV , King Of France b: 1268 in Fontainebleau, Seine-Et-Marne, France
Mother: Joan I , Of Navarre, Queen Of France b: 14 Jan 1271/72 in Bar-Sur-Seine, Aube, France
Marriage 1 Edward II , Of Caernarvon, King Of England b: 25 Apr 1284 in Caernarvon Castle, Wales
* Married: 22 Jan 1307/08 in Boulogne, Pas-De-Calais, France
Children
1. Adam b: 1310
2. Edward III , King Of England b: 13 Nov 1312 in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England
3. John Of Eltham, Earl Of Cornwall b: 15 Aug 1315 in ELTHAM, KENT, ENGLAND
4. Eleanor Plantagenet , Princess Of England b: 8 Jun 1318 in Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England
5. Joanna , Of the Tower, Princess Of England b: 5 Jul 1321 in Tower of London,Middlesex,England
Her relationship to me:
My 21st great grandmother
King Edward III Plantagenet King of England (1312 - 1377)
Son of Isabella
John Gaunt Plantagenet 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340 - 1399)
Son of King Edward III
Joan de Beaufort Countess of Westmorland (1375 - 1440)
Daughter of John Gaunt
Lady Anne de Neville Duchess of Buckingham (1404 - 1480)
Daughter of Joan
Lady Anne Le Strange (1462 - 1520)
Daughter of Lady Anne
Richard Smythe Lord (1480 - 1508)
Son of Lady Anne
William Smythe (1505 - 1550)
Son of Richard
Agnes Smythe (1543 - )
Daughter of William
Reginaldus Gibson (1563 - )
Son of Agnes
William Gibson (1582 - )
Son of Reginaldus
Thomas Gibson (1600 - 1642)
Son of William
Thomas Gibson (1620 - 1652)
Son of Thomas
Marmaduke Gibson (1669 - 1730)
Son of Thomas
Jonathon Gibson (1700 - 1746)
Son of Marmaduke
Marmaduke Gibson (1727 - 1796)
Son of Jonathon
Marmaduke Gibson (1758 - )
Son of Marmaduke
James Gibson (1778 - 1857)
Son of Marmaduke
Eleanor Gibson (1807 - 1894)
Daughter of James
Jane Murgatroyd (1839 - 1929)
Daughter of Eleanor
Alfred Ernest Tonge (1870 - 1939)
Son of Jane
Clarice Barbara Tonge (1898 - 1979)
Daughter of Alfred Ernest
David Astley Jephson (1928 - 2000)
Son of Clarice Barbara
Amanda Ann Jephson
Daughter of David Astley
