Brief lives of women who reigned or ruled in their own right or by marriage by providing their a) proprietary titles, b) parents/pedigree, c) patrimony and properties, d) persona or personality, e) powers exercised, f) patronages and g) partner/progeny.
MABEL DE BELLEME (1026-1082)
a.k.a. Mabel Talvas, Mabel d'Alencon, Mabille de Belleme
Proprietary Titles: Lady of Belleme, 1070-1082; Countess of Alencon.
Notes: " . . . Mabille of Belleme (wife of Roger II of Mont Gomeri) inherited great estates in western Normandy and Maine. In addition to being very wealthy, Mabille was also a cruel, avaricious, and unscrupulous lord, belying feudal stereotypes of sweet, gentle womanhood. She had her own troops to take castles and carry on blood feuds. To settle one squabble, Mabille supposedly poisoned her rival. She apparently hated the monks of St. Evroul even more. Utterly unscrupulous in such fights, Mabille and her troops descended on the unfortunate brothers, who were forced to feed and house the voracious group. In fact, she literally ate the monks out of house and home. Since this was typical behavior for Mabille, she had only herself to blame when an angry, dispossessed vassal murdered her around the year 1079." (Echols: 173)
Notes: " . . . The most famous instance of female succession from Duke William's time was that of Mabel to the lordship of Belleme, a lordship of composite origins including lands held of the duke of Normandy, the count of Maine, and the king of France. The succession to Belleme after the death in 1027 of William de Belleme, who had at least six sons, is difficult to reconstruct. Ivo, bishop of Sees controlled part, and his brother William Talvas the remainder. William's daughter Mabel married a Norman, Roger of Montgomery, and eventually Mabel and Roger succeeded to the whole after Bishop Ivo's death, irrespective of the fact that Mabel had a brother Oliver. Perhaps Oliver's birth was not legitimate, or his claim was passed over, but in either case Mabel was the eventual heiress." (Green: 372)
Notes: "Orderic's portrayal of such powerful women is complex. Mabel of Belleme is depicted as a cruel woman who deserved to meet a miserable end, murdered in her bed by a vassal whom she had deprived of his lands. . . The historicity of the detail is not as important here as the significance of the way in which Mabel's death is described. Orderic depicts Mabel using conventions of the epic genre; such portrayal adds a certain dignity to her reputation whilst paradoxically seeking to destroy it. . . [Her] obituary states that she gave good counsel, provided patronage and largesse, protected her patrimony, was intelligent, energetic in action and possessed honestas -- honour, dignity. . . Orderic's portrayal of Mabel of Belleme is therefore reflective of both contemporary clerical distrust of women in power and the nature of contemporary politics in Normandy." (Johns: 15)
Notes: "The marriage strategy of the Montgomerys is also instructive. Roger of Montgomery's first wife was a great heiress, Mabel de Belleme, whose lands stretched beyond the southern frontiers of the duchy. . . ." (Green: 352)
Notes: " . . . In the early 1050s he [Roger of Montgomery] greatly increased his estates by marrying the forceful Mabel, heiress of the extensive lordship of Belleme. . . ." (Tyerman: 32)
MABEL OF GLOUCESTER (1090-1157)
Parents/Pedigree: Mabel was the daughter of Robert FitzHamon, Lord of Glocester and Glamorgan, and of Sybil de Montgomery.
Proprietary Title: Countess of Gloucester, Lady of Glamorgan, Dame de Sainte-Scholasse-sur-Sarthe, Dame de Evrecy, Dame de Creully.
Countess of Gloucester, 1107-1157, who brought to her husband, Robert of Caen, illegitimate son of Henry I of England, "...the honours of Gloucester in England, Glamorgan in Wales, Sainte-Scholasse-sur-Sarthe, Evercy and Creully in Normandy...."
Notes: "...Mabel was defined in terms of lordship, Roger by his family status. This treaty shows Mabel's role at the epicentre of the Gloucester administration at a critical period in the Angevin cause. It is possible that Mabel acted as regent for Earl Robert whilst he was abroad helping Count Geoffrey of Anjou... Mabel was in control of, and responsible for, the Norman territories of the earldom of Gloucester. Mabel's role, her power and authority changed as she moved through the female life cycle from wife of the earl to dowager countess. " (Johns, p. 95)
MABILLE DE BIRAN (1285-1345)
[Tree1]
Proprietary Title: Dame de Saint-Lery
Partner/Progeny: Married in 1309 Bernard de Montlezun (d. 1345), Seigneur de Saint-Lary, Peyrudette, Castillon and Caussade.
MADELEINE CHARLOTTE BONNE THERESE DE CLERMONT (1635-1701)
Proprietary Titles: 5th Duchess of Piney-Luxemburg and Peer of France, 1661-1701; Princess of Tingry, Countess of Ligny and Baroness of Dangu, 1680-1701.
MAFALDA OF APULIA-CALABRIA (1059/60-1108)
[Bio1]
MAFALDA MANRIQUE DE LARA
a.k.a. Mafalda Gonzalez
Proprietary Title: Lady of Molina, 1239-1248
MAGDALENA DE ANGLESOLA
[Bio1]
Proprietary Title:Lady of Miralcamp, c1399-?.
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Hug II d'Anglesola, Lord of Miralcamp, and his 2nd wife Elieta de Rocaberti. She married Felip Galceran de Castre i de Pinos.
Proper Name: MAGDALENA VON NEUENAHR-ALPEN (1550-1626)
Also known as: Heiress of the House of Neuenahr-Alpen
Proprietary Titles:
Countess of Neuenahr & Limburg 1590-1616 (succeeded sister Amalia)
Lady of Alpen, Helpenstein, Linnep and the office of city advocatus of Cologne 1589 (succeeded brother Adolf)
Other Titles:
Countess of Tecklenburg
Regent of Bentheim & Tecklenburg 1605-1609
Parents/Pedigree: Gumprecht II von Neuenahr-Alpen & Amöna of Daun-Falkenstein
Partner: Arnold III of Bentheim-Tecklenburg
Progeny/Posterity: 7 sons, 4 daughters
Patrimony/Properties: Hohenlimburg Castle [See for more information]
MAGDALENE CHRISTINA VON SAYN
Proprietary Title: Countess Sayn-Hachenburg, 1661-1715.
MAHAUD D'AMBOISE (1200-1256)
[Tree1]
Proprietary Titles: Countess of Chartres, Lady of Amboise.
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Sulpice III d'Amboise, and of Isabelle de Blois.
Partners/Progeny: Married (1) Richard II, Viscount of Beaumont-sur-Sarthe; (2) in 1240 Jean II de Nesle (1224-1272), with whom she had no issue.
MAHAUT D'ARTOIS (1268-1329)
Proprietary Titles: Countess of Artois, 1302-1329
Parents/Pedigree: Eldest child and only daughter of Robert II of Artois and Amicie de Courtenay.
Progeny/Posterity: Married 1285 Otto IV of Burgundy, with whom she had 13 children
Power Exercised: "Robert d'Artois, Lord of Beaumont-le-Roger, was of royal blood, and connected with the greatest families in the kingdom of France. He was the son of Philippe d'Artois, Lord of Couches, who died before his father, leaving Robert and other children under age. Upon the death of the Count d'Artois, Matilda, Countess of Burgundy, aunt of Philippe, claimed the county as the next of kin to her brother, while Robert claimed it by right of representation. Philippe le Bel, king of France--two of whose sons, Philippe le Long and Charles le Bel, were married respectively to Jeanne and Blanche, the daughters of Matilda--in the year 1309, adjudged the fief to the Countess of Burgundy; and the decree was confirmed in the year 1318 by Philippe le Long, who had married Jeanne, the eldest of the daughters." (Jamiseon, p. 39).
Notes: "...Mahaut's brother died in 1297, her father in 1302, and her husband a year later, leaving her a considerable heiress. She inherited the county of Artois and also served as regent of the county of Burgundy for her five-year-old son...." (Labarge, p. 109)
Notes: "...After losing her father during the battle of Courtrai in 1302, Mahaut was widowed in March 1303, and the County of Burgundy was split in two: one half became Mahaut's dower, and the other half was managed by Philip the Fair's agents before reverting to her daughter Jeanne. Philip the Fair, however, allotted the inheritance of the County of Artois to Mahaut to the detriment of his nephew Robert. Mahaut thus became a peer of France. Robert tried in vain to assert his inheritance rights against Mahaut in 1308-1309. In 1314 he began a new trial, accusing Mahaut of casting spells and attempting to poison King Louis X, Philip the Fair's first son who had just acceded to the throne, but the court cleared her of all charges....Mahaut's rule over Artois did not go uncontested: in 1306, she had to squelch a revolt harshly at Saint-Omer. In 1316, Robert d'Artois launched a nobiliary uprising against her and plundered and looted her property. Condemned by Philip the Tall (that is, Philip of Poitiers, who had acceded to the throne in 1317), he had to compensate for the damage the countess had incurred: Mahaut was thus repaid for the aid she had given her son-in-law to reach the throne in place and on behalf of Louis X's daughter Jeanne (which marks the origin of a masculine monopoly over the French throne). Mahaut launched endless lawsuits against all kinds of opponents, the nobility, royalty and the clergy. The so-called affair of "Philip the Fair's daughters-in-law", in 1324, was another dramatic moment for the Countess of Artois, since two of the three young women accused of adultery were her own daughters: Jeanne was released, but Blanche was condemned and imprisoned at Château-Gaillard. She was freed in 1324, at the time of her own husband's accession to the French throne (Charles IV the Fair), yet died in 1326 in Maubuisson." "...One of the best recorded widows of the later Middle Ages is Mahaut, countess of Artois and Burgundy, who was left in 1303 with three young children. Herself the heiress of Artois, she first had to fight off the claims of Robert, her nephew, before settling down to rule the territory, maintaining law and order through her officials, regularly checking her accounts, issuing charters to local towns to encourage trade, and distributing patronage to extend her networks of control...." (Schaus, p. 8)
MAHAUT DE BETHUNE (1220-1264)
[Bio1]
Proprietary Titles: Heiress of Bethune, Dendermonde, Richebourh and Warneton. (Fegley, p. 104)
Parents/Pedigree: Robert VII de Bethune and Elisabeth de Morialmez
Partner/Progeny: Married in 1246, as his first wife, Gui de Dampierre (1226-1305), Count of Flanders, 1251-1305, and Margrave of Namur, 1268-1297, with whom she had 5 sons and 3 daughters.
MAHAUT DE CHATILLON (d.1378)
Proprietary Title: Countess of St. Pol, 1360
MAHAUT I DE COURTENAY (1185-1257)
[Gen1]
Proprietary Titles: Countess of Nevers, 1207-1257; Countess of Auxerre and Tonnerre, 1218-1257
Notes: "In 1199 Countess Mathilda married Herve IV, lord of Donzy, who acted as count of Nevers... They had one daughter, named Agnes... Herve and Mathilda left on Crusade together in 1218... Mathilda outlived Herve, who died in 1222... In that year she confirmed his gifts to Pontigny, promised the king she would not marry again without his permission, and received homage as countess of Nevers. She married Wigo (or Gui), count of Forez, a few years later. In 1239 Wigo left for the Holy Land, where he died in 1241. In 1242 his son and heir Gui, born to his first wife, agreed to let Mathilda have her dotal property in Gorez and gave up any claim to his father's acquisitions in the Nivernais. Bouchard, p, 350)
MAHAUT DE COURTENAY (c1254-1303)
Proprietary Title: Countess of Chieti, 1271-1303.
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Raoul de Courtenay (d.1271), and of Marguerite de Tonnerre. "...The branch of the family that made a significant contribution to Charles of Anjou's ability to rule the Regno was that descended from Robert de Courtenay, lord of Champignelles (near Auxerre) and his wife, Mahaut de Mehun-sur-Yevre. Among the children of this marriage, all great-grandchildren of King Louis VI, was Raoul, lord of Tanlay. Raoul, heir to Champignelles, and married to Agnes de Montfort, countess of Bigorre, risked his French lands to accompany Charles on the conquest of the Regno. By 1269, he was rewarded with the countship of Chieti in the Abruzzi, an area crucial to the defence of Charles's new realm. Charles always spoke of him as a relation and showed warmth to him. But the friendship was short. Like many other Frenchmen who attempted to make a home in the Regno, Raoul became the victim of a killer disease (probably malaria), and died in 1271. His small daughter Mahaud, who had probably come to the Regno in the train of Marguerite of Tonnerre in 1268, succeeded her father. We have already followed her story as the first wife of Philippe de Chieti, son of Gui de Dampierre. She died, apparently childless, in 1301." (Dunbabin, pp. 136-137)
Partner/Progeny: "...Philippe de Dampierre, his fifth son, became Comte di Teano after his marriage to the Italian Countess of Chieti, Mahaut de Courtenay...." (Fegley, p. 104)
MAHAUT DE DAMMARTIN
Proprietary Title: Countess of Aumale, 1216-1259
MAHAUT DE GRIGNON (d.1192)
Proprietary Title: Countess of Grignon and Tonnerre
MAHAUT DE MEHUN
[Gen1]
Proprietary Title: Lady of Mehun-sur-Yevre
Parents/Pedigree: Philippe de Mehun-sur-Yevre, and of unknown
Progeny/Posterity: Married (1) Jean III de Beaugency; (2) Robert I of Courtenay (1168-1239), Lord of Champignelles, 1205-1239, with whom she had issue.
MARCHESELLA DEGLI ADELARDI
Partner/Progeny: "Towards the year 1200, Azzo V, Marquis of Este, married Marchesella degli Adelardi, daughter of one of the most conspicuous Guelphs at Ferrara, where the influence of the house of Este was thus first established." (Gallenga: 63)
"The Estense family was one of the most distinguished in Italy, and ruled over various territories for 900 years. The family came from Este, south of the Euganean hills near Padua, and they were Lords of that town in the eleventh century. The family interest in Ferrara began in 1185 when Azzo d'Este married Marchesella degli Adelardi, heiress to the family that had been Lords of the city, but continuous rule was not achieved until Azzo Novello d'Este (1242-64) established control of the city with Venetian helpo in 1242...." (Tuohy: 3)
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