Mathilde of Bourbon (; – 1218) was a French noblewoman who was the ruling Lady of

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon, a beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee ma ...

from 1171 until her death.

Life

Mathilde was the only child of Archambault of Bourbon and his wife Alix (or Adelaide) of Burgundy (daughter of Odo II). She was born in the second half of the 1160s. Her father, the heir apparent of Bourbon, died in 1169, without ever inheriting the lordship. Her grandfather, Archambault VII, died in 1171. Mathilde, as his only surviving grandchild, succeeded him. Before 1183, she married Gaucher IV of

Vienne Vienne may refer to: Places *Vienne (department), a department of France named after the river Vienne *Vienne, Isère, a city in the French department of Isère * Vienne-en-Arthies, a village in the French department of Val-d'Oise * Vienne-en-Bessi ...

, Lord of Salins. After he returned from the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

, they frequently quarreled. In the end, he became violent and had her locked up. She fled to her grandmother's estate in

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. During her escape, she allegedly also used violence, and for this she was

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Henri de Sully of

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

. After she arrived in Champagne, she asked

Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III (; c. 1105 – 8 January 1198), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 March or 10 April 1191 to his death in 1198. He had a tense relationship with several monarchs, including Emperor ...

for a divorce from her husband, arguing that Gaucher IV and she were close relatives and that the marriage therefore had been inadmissible. The Pope tasked the bishops of

Autun Autun () is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the e ...

and

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

and the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of Monthiers-en-Argonne with investigating her claim. These men found that Mathilde and her husband were third cousins, as they were both great-great-grandchildren of William II, Count of Burgundy, and that, therefore, her claim that they were too closely related was justified. The pope granted the divorce, and also lifted the excommunication. In September 1196, only a few months after her divorce, she married Lord Guy II of Dampierre. Thus, the

Bourbonnais The Bourbonnais (; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Borbonés'') was a Provinces of France, historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département in France, département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''dépar ...

fell to the

House of Dampierre The House of Dampierre played an important role during the Middle Ages. Named after Dampierre, Aube, Dampierre, in the Champagne region, where members first became prominent, members of the family were later Count of Flanders, Count of Nevers, Cou ...

. This marriage lasted 20 years: he died in 1216. Mathilde died twelve years after her husband. After her death, Margaret, her daughter from her first marriage claimed the Lordship of Bourbon. Guy II had initially recognized Margaret as heir of Bourbon, however, he later claimed the Lordship for his oldest son, Archambault VIII. In the end, Archambault prevailed.

Marriages and issue

Mathilde married Gaucher IV of

, Lord of Salins. Together, they had one daughter: * Margaret of Vienne ( – ), married William III of Forcalquier, later she married Joceran, Lord of Brancion Mathilde's second husband was Guy II of Dampierre. With him, she had: * Archambaud VIII (1189–1242), Lord of Bourbon * William II (1196–1231), married Margaret II, Countess of Flanders and Hainaut (d. 1280), a daughter of

Latin Emperor The Latin Emperor was the ruler of the Latin Empire, the historiographical convention for the Crusader realm, established in Constantinople after the Fourth Crusade (1204) and lasting until the city was reconquered by the Byzantine Greeks in 12 ...

Baldwin I of Constantinople Baldwin I (; ; July 1172 – ) was the first Emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople; Count of Flanders (as Baldwin IX) from 1194 to 1205 and Count of Hainaut (as Baldwin VI) from 1195 to 1205. Baldwin was one of the most prominent lea ...

* Philippa (d. 1223), married in 1205 to Guigues IV, Count of Forez (d. 1241) * Guy of Saint Just (d. 22 March 1275) * Marie, married 1201 to Hervé of

Vierzon Vierzon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher (river), Cher with some light industry and a ...

, later married 1220 to Henry I of Sully * Matilde, married Guigues V of Forez

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathilde 01 Bourbon House of Bourbon 12th-century births 1228 deaths 12th-century French nobility 13th-century French nobility House of Dampierre 13th-century ladies regnant 12th-century women rulers 12th-century French women 13th-century French women 13th-century ladies consort People excommunicated by the Catholic Church