Ellie Wood Keith Genealogy

Adhemar (Aymar) Taillefer, Comte d'Angouleme

Adhemar (Aymar) Taillefer, Comte d'Angouleme

Male Abt 1160 - 1202  (~ 42 years)

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  • Name Adhemar (Aymar) Taillefer 
    Suffix Comte d'Angouleme 
    Born Abt 1160 
    Gender Male 
    History REMARKS:
    Crusader

    BIOGRAPHY
    Adhémar was a younger son of Guillaume VI Taillefer, comte d\'Angoulême, and Marguerite de Turenne. His older brothers Vulgrin III and Guillaume VII Taillefer ruled Angoulême before him. About 1186 he married Alix/Alice de Courtenay, daughter of Pierre I de France, sire de Courtenay, and Elisabeth de Courtenay, who had recently been divorced from Guillaume I, comte de Joigny. Their daughter Isabella would play an important role in the history of England and France, and would have progeny with both her husbands, John, king of England, and Hugues X \'le Brun\' de Lusignan, comte de La Marche et d\'Angoulême.

    After the death of their brother Vulgrin III in 1181, Guillaume VII and Adhémar came into conflict with Richard \'the Lionheart\', the duke of Aquitaine and hence their liege lord. Richard claimed the guardianship over Mathilde, the daughter of Vulgrin III, and thereby the power over Angoulême. Adhémar and his brother denied this and made their own inheritance claim, in the meantime fleeing to their half-brother Boson \'Adémar V\', vicomte de Limoges.

    Guillaume VII died about 1186, and Adhémar revolted against Richard in 1188 in alliance with Geoffroy I de Lusignan, the future count of Jaffa and Caesarea, and Geoffroy IV de Rancon, sire de Taillebourg, prince de Marsillac, but Richard soon gained the upper hand by the conquest of Taillebourg. The rebels made their submission, and their offer to participate in the Third Crusade relieved them from prosecution.

    The capture of Richard the Lionheart in 1192 in Germany favoured the position of the Aquitanian nobles, and Adhémar was now able to take up his rule in Angoulême. With the approval of King Philippe II August, in 1193 he began to devastate Poitou. In 1194 Richard was released and defeated the French at the battle of Fréteval. Adhémar and his allies had to submit to Richard, advancing on Aquitaine, who was able to move unhindered into Angoulême. Adhémar was involved in the truce negotiated in July 1194 at Tillières between Richard and Philippe II August, and so he was able to keep his possessions. The peace did not last long and Adhémar soon joined his half-brother Boson \'Adémar V\', vicomte de Limoges, in reuniting with Philippe II. After Philippe was beaten again in 1198 at the Battle of Gisors, they stood alone against the seemingly invincible king of England. After his victory Richard again advanced into Aquitaine, intending to subdue the viscount of Limoges, and besieged the castle of Châlus. In April 1199 he was seriously wounded and died totally unexpectedly.

    Adhémar and Adémar of Limoges immediately took advantage of the opportunity this presented and that month they declared their loyalty to Philippe II August and took back their sovereignty over their domains from King John, Richard\'s brother and heir. Adémar of Limoges died only a few months later, according to Roger of Hovenden murdered by Philippe de Cognac, King Richard\'s bastard son.

    About 1186 Adhémar married Alix de Courtenay, the daughter of Pierre I de France, sire de Courtenay, and Elisabeth de Courtenay. Their only child and heiress was their daughter Isabella. A conflict arose with the house of Lusignan over the county of La Marche, which since 1177 had been in the immediate possession of the house of Plantagenet as English kings and dukes of Aquitaine, but both Adhémar and Hugues IX \'le Brun\' de Lusignan raised a claim on the inheritance. When Adhémar swore loyalty to Philippe II after the death of Richard the Lionheart, Philippe promised him a hearing over the inheritance of La Marche before the Royal Court, where his claim would be considered favourably. However Hugues de Lusignan found his own way to enforce his claim. He swore loyalty to King John as the new duke of Aquitaine, but took his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine into captivity and so was able to force his investiture with La Marche in January 1200.

    The engagement of Adhémar\'s heiress with Hugues IX\'s son Hugues X \'le Brun\' de Lusignan, probably in the spring of 1200, should be seen against this background. Through the marriage of the heiress to Angoulême with a Lusignan the inheritance dispute would be settled and the claims of both families resolved. However in the subsequent Treaty of Le Goulet (22 May 1200) King Philippe II August reached an agreement with King John that the count of Angoulême and the viscount of Limoges were to return to the suzerainty of John as duke of Aquitaine, and that he in turn should recognise their claims, including Adhémar\'s to La Marche. Shortly after the agreement, John was to go to Aquitaine and reach a contractual reconciliation with Adhémar of Angoulême and Guy V of Limoges.

    However, with the provisions of Le Goulet that favoured Adhémar\'s claim, John had brought into question his investiture of the Lusignans with La Marche a few months earlier. On 24 August 1200 in Bordeaux John married Isabella of Angoulême, according to Roger of Hoveden with the consent of Adhémar, putting aside her engagement to Hugues IX de Lusignan. Obviously this marriage was politically motivated by the personal rapprochement between John and Adhémar. Thereby John could assert a future inheritance claim to both Angoulême and La Marche on behalf of Isabella against the claims of the Lusignans, a family which had previously made exercise of power in Aquitaine very difficult for the house of Plantagenet. Their response followed promptly: they turned to King Philippe II August and before his court accused King John of bride theft. Hugues IX de Lusignan also married Mathilde d\'Angoulême, Adhémar\'s eldest brother Vulgrin III\'s daughter, whom Adhémar had passed over in the inheritance of Angoulême. Through her he intended to put John and Isabella\'s inheritance rights into question.

    Adhémar died in Limoges on 16 June 1202. Isabella succeeded him as the ruler of the county of Angoulême. Her title, however, was largely empty since her husband John, king of England, denied Isabella control of her inheritance as well as her marriage dowry and dower. John\'s appointed governor, Bartholomew le Puy, ran most of the administrative affairs of Angoulême until John\'s death in 1216. In 1217 Isabella returned and seized her inheritance from le Puy, who appealed unsuccessfully to the English king for help.  [1
    Died 18 Jun, 1202  Limoges, Limousin, France age 42 Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I184  Ellie Wood Keith
    Last Modified 28 Apr 2018 

    Father Guillaume VI Taillefer, Comte d\'Angouleme,   b. Abt 1115,   d. 7 Aug 1179, Messina Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 64 years) 
    Relationship putative 
    Mother Marguerite de Turenne,   d. Aft 1201 
    Relationship putative 
    Married 1150 
    Family ID F2101  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Alix (Alice) De Courtenay,   b. 1160, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 12 Feb, 1218, France, age 58 Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 58 years) 
    Children 
    +1. Isabelle D'Angouleme, Queen Consort of England,   b. 1188, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 31 May, 1246, Abaye de Fontevraud, Pays de Loire, France age 58 Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 58 years)
    Last Modified 12 May 2017 
    Family ID F87  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Photos
    Crusader
    Crusader

  • Sources 
    1. [S64] Genealogics, Leo Van de Pas, http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00007615&tree=LEO.