Adeliza or Adelida (died before 1113) was a daughter of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

and his wife,

Matilda of Flanders Matilda of Flanders (; ; German: ''Mechtild)'' ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was the mother of ni ...

. There is considerable uncertainty about her life, including her dates of birth and death. She was usually the first daughter in lists of William's children, for example in a mortuary roll prepared at her sister's

religious house A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

, and thus probably was the eldest. Her inclusion in the mortuary roll indicates that her death preceded the date of its 1113 compilation.

Biography

In the additions

Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis (; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 6 Working out of ...

made to the ''

Gesta Normannorum Ducum ''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' (''Deeds of the Norman Dukes'') is a chronicle originally created by the monk William of Jumièges just before 1060. In 1070 William I had William of Jumièges extend the work to detail his rights to the throne of Engl ...

'' (''Deeds of the Norman Dukes''), he states that prior to his death at the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the decisive battle of the Norman ...

was betrothed to "Adelidis", a daughter of William, and that she remained single after his death. Calling her "Adelida",

Robert of Torigni Robert of Torigni or Torigny (; –1186), also known as Robert of the Mont (; ; also Robertus de Monte Sancti Michaelis, in reference to the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel), was a Norman monk, prior, and abbot. He is most remembered for his chronicl ...

follows Orderic in showing her as the affianced of Harold. However, in the later books of his ''Historia Ecclesiastica'', Orderic instead states that Adeliza was "a virgin under the protection of Roger de Beaumont" which, in the view of historian

Elisabeth van Houts Elisabeth Maria Cornelia van Houts, Lady Baker, (born 1952) is a Dutch-born British historian specializing in medieval European history. Van Houts was born in Zaandam in the Netherlands. She married historian Sir John Baker in 2010. She is an h ...

, probably means that she was a nun of St Léger at Préaux. Orderic makes a previously unknown sister Agatha the fiancée of Harold, and also of

Alfonso VI of León and Castile Alfonso VI (1 July 1109), nicknamed the Brave (''El Bravo'') or the Valiant, was king of Kingdom of León, León (10651109), Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia (10711109), and Kingdom of Castile, Castile (10721109). After the conquest of Toledo, Spai ...

. She was almost certainly the Adeliza addressed by Archbishop

Anselm of Canterbury Anselm of Canterbury OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also known as (, ) after his birthplace and () after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Canterb ...

in prayers and meditations as a "venerable lady of royal nobility".

Ancestry

References

* * Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain English princesses House of Normandy 11th-century English people 11th-century English women 12th-century English women 12th-century English people Children of William the Conqueror Daughters of kings Harold Godwinson {{UK-royal-stub