Matthew, Count of Boulogne (–1173), also known as Matthew of Alsace, was the second son of Thierry, Count of Flanders and Sibylla of Anjou. Matthew forcibly abducted the nun Marie de Boulogne, daughter of

Stephen, King of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 ...

, and constrained her into marriage, claiming the title of

Count of Boulogne Count of Boulogne was a historical title in the Kingdom of France. The city of Boulogne-sur-Mer became the centre of the County of Boulogne during the ninth century. Little is known of the early counts, but the first holder of the title is rec ...

in 1160. The forced marriage was opposed by the Church and finally annulled in 1170, but he continued to rule as count until his death. Matthew and Marie had two daughters:

Ida, Countess of Boulogne Ida of Boulogne (c. 1160 – 1216) was suo jure Countess of Boulogne from 1173 until her death. Life Ida was the elder daughter of Matthew of Alsace and Marie I, Countess of Boulogne. Her maternal grandparents were King Stephen of England ...

, and Maud of Boulogne. Maud married Henry I, Duke of Brabant. In 1171, Matthew married

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

, daughter of

Ralph I, Count of Vermandois Ralph I of Vermandois (French language, French: ''Raoul Ier'') (d. 14 October 1152) was Count of Vermandois. He was a son of Hugh, Count of Vermandois and his wife, Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois. Ralph was a grandson of Henry I of France, whil ...

, they had one short-lived daughter. Matthew was a supporter of

Henry the Young King Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive childhood. In 1170, he became titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine. Henry th ...

, and received lands in England. He died fighting at the siege of Driencourt, during the 1173–74 revolt of

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

's sons, under the leadership of Philip of Flanders. Wounded by a

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar f ...

bolt, he did not recover.

References

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* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew Of Alsace 1173 deaths Counts of Boulogne Year of birth uncertain Jure uxoris counts House of Metz Deaths by arrow wounds French military personnel killed in action Remarried jure uxoris officeholders