Stephen of Blois (1045-1102) or Stephen Henry, the eldest son of Count Thibaut of Champagne by his first wife, was born between 1045 and 1048. Sometime between 1080 and 1084 he married Adela, a daughter of William the Conqueror, who was herself born between 1067 and 1069. Why Stephen did not marry until so late in life is unknown but at the time of their marriage he must already have been in his mid to late thirties while Adela was probably still in her mid teens.? On the one hand, it is important to appreciate that Adela had been born after William had become King of England in 1066 and that she was thus a king's daughter, a porphyrogenita, not just the daughter of someone who later became a king. The difference was important. Adela was named for her maternal grandmother, Adela of France, daughter of Robert II the Pious (996-1031), thus emphasising her royal descent on both sides. For Stephen the marriage was extremely advantageous both for him personally and for his house of Champagne, Blois, Chartres in its internecine struggles with the Capetian royal house and the Counts of Anjou. Their children might hope to wear a crown, as indeed their second son, Stephen, eventually would. On the other hand, although Adela was the daughter of a king, her lineage could not compare in antiquity to that of Stephen. He could trace his back to Herbert II of Vermandois, who had married Adela, a daughter of King Robert I of France, and who was himself directly descended from Charlemagne, even if by an illegitimate line. Moreover, Stephen's house of Champagne was the most powerful noble family in Northern France. William the Bastard would not have been unhappy with this marriage.
Stephen succeeded to his father's counties of Chartres, Blois, Meaux, and Chateaudun in 1089 and as such he became one of the most important barons of the Kingdom of France. According to Guibert of Nogent, he had extensive lands and was very powerful.
Very little is known about his life before the Crusade, but he appears to have been a conventionally pious man, like most of the other leaders of the Crusade. Despite some dispute with bishop Ivo of Chartres, he was apparently generous to the Church; however, this was only normal for a man of his status. (In fact the reputations of various Crusader leaders for piety or lack of it in modern scholarship are quite misleading. Godfrey of Bouillon's reputation for piety was a creation of his own legend. Because he became the first ruler of the new Crusader state in Jerusalem, ipso facto a deep religiosity became attributed to him. But in fact the sources which we have for him before the Crusade show a man who was frequently in conflict with the Church, even fighting with Emperor Henry IV against Papal forces in Italy. Bohemond of Taranto, on the other hand, has acquired a reputation for lack of any religiosity, largely because he stayed in Antioch after its capture and became its first Prince rather than marching on with the other armies to Jerusalem. But the sources for his life before the Crusade show a man who was unusually generous to the Church, had close relations with Pope Urban II, and even attended several Church Reform Councils.)
Stephen and his two fellow leaders marched south across the Alps into Italy, where they met the Pope at Lucca and had an interview with him and received his blessing. They then went to Rome, where they prostrated themselves and prayed in the Basilica of St. Peter. Then, because it was already late in the year, Stephen and Robert of Normandy wintered with Norman friends in Calabria.32 They crossed from Brindisi to Durazzo in Albania at Easter 1097, and then followed the ancient Via Egnatia to Constantinople.
References:
Pryor (J. H.):
"Stephen of Blois: Sensitive New-Age Crusader or Victim of History?", Arts: journal of the Sydney University Arts Association, (20) 1998, PP. 26-74.
Logistics of Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, Ashgate, 2006.
Murray (A. V.), The Crusades: an encyclopedia, CA : ABC-CLIO, 2006.
Asbridge (T.), The First Crusade: A New History, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Stephen succeeded to his father's counties of Chartres, Blois, Meaux, and Chateaudun in 1089 and as such he became one of the most important barons of the Kingdom of France. According to Guibert of Nogent, he had extensive lands and was very powerful.
Very little is known about his life before the Crusade, but he appears to have been a conventionally pious man, like most of the other leaders of the Crusade. Despite some dispute with bishop Ivo of Chartres, he was apparently generous to the Church; however, this was only normal for a man of his status. (In fact the reputations of various Crusader leaders for piety or lack of it in modern scholarship are quite misleading. Godfrey of Bouillon's reputation for piety was a creation of his own legend. Because he became the first ruler of the new Crusader state in Jerusalem, ipso facto a deep religiosity became attributed to him. But in fact the sources which we have for him before the Crusade show a man who was frequently in conflict with the Church, even fighting with Emperor Henry IV against Papal forces in Italy. Bohemond of Taranto, on the other hand, has acquired a reputation for lack of any religiosity, largely because he stayed in Antioch after its capture and became its first Prince rather than marching on with the other armies to Jerusalem. But the sources for his life before the Crusade show a man who was unusually generous to the Church, had close relations with Pope Urban II, and even attended several Church Reform Councils.)
Stephen and his two fellow leaders marched south across the Alps into Italy, where they met the Pope at Lucca and had an interview with him and received his blessing. They then went to Rome, where they prostrated themselves and prayed in the Basilica of St. Peter. Then, because it was already late in the year, Stephen and Robert of Normandy wintered with Norman friends in Calabria.32 They crossed from Brindisi to Durazzo in Albania at Easter 1097, and then followed the ancient Via Egnatia to Constantinople.
References:
Pryor (J. H.):
"Stephen of Blois: Sensitive New-Age Crusader or Victim of History?", Arts: journal of the Sydney University Arts Association, (20) 1998, PP. 26-74.
Logistics of Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, Ashgate, 2006.
Murray (A. V.), The Crusades: an encyclopedia, CA : ABC-CLIO, 2006.
Asbridge (T.), The First Crusade: A New History, Oxford University Press, 2004.