Aénor de Châtellerault
Aénor of Châtellerault (also known as Aénor de Rochefoucauld) Duchess of Aquitaine (born c. 1103 in Châtellerault, died March 1130 in Talmont) was the mother of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who became one of the most powerful women in Europe of her generation.
| Aénor de Châtellerault | |
|---|---|
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| Duchess consort of Aquitaine | |
| Tenure | 10 February 1126 - March 1130 |
| Born | c. 1103 Châtellerault |
| Died | March 1130 Talmont |
| Burial | Abbaye Saint-Vincent de Nieul-sur-l'Autise |
| Spouse | William X of Aquitaine |
| Issue | Eleanor of Aquitaine Petronilla of Aquitaine William Aigret |
| House | Châtellerault |
| Father | Aimery I, Viscount of Châtellerault |
| Mother | Dangereuse de l'Isle Bouchard |
Aenor was a daughter of Viscount Aimery I, Viscount of Châtellerault and his wife, Dangereuse de L' Isle Bouchard (d. 1151). Most likely named after her paternal grandmother,she was the first born daughter of the couple but the third born child. Aénor had two older brothers; Hugh and Raoul and two younger sisters ,Amable and Aois.
Her mother was willingly "abducted" by her future father-in-law, William IX of Aquitaine and became his mistress until his death in 1127. From her mothers second relationship Aénor would have three half-siblings;Henri,Adelaide and Sybille.
Aenor married William X of Aquitaine,[1] (wich had been arranged before the elopement of her mother)[2] the son of her mother's lover, in 1121. The marriage might at the time have been seen as a mesalliance as Aénor came from a much lesser noble house,with her father being only a very minor vassal of the House of Poitiers, and her mothers scandalous reputation.
Not much is known about Aénor and Williams relationship but considering that they had three children fairly close together and that William in a charter referred to Aénor as his "dear wife[3]" it seems at they least were on fairly good terms. Aénor is also attested to have prompted her husband to give out donations and grants to religious.[3]
They had three children.
- Eleanor of Aquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine, and wife of both Louis VII of France, and Henry II of England.[1]
- Petronilla of Aquitaine, wife of Raoul I, Count of Vermandois.
- William Aigret (who died at the age of four with his mother at Talmont-sur-Gironde)
Death
Aenor died suddenly in 1130[4] while hunting with her husband in the marshes of Lower Poitiou[2] possibly of a fever.[3] She was buried nearby in the Saint-Vincent monastery at Nieul-sur-l'Autise
References
- Painter 1955, p. 381.
- Turner, Ralph V. (2009-06-16). Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France, Queen of England. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-15989-9.
- Cockerill, Sara (2019-11-15). Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4618-3.
- Turner, Ralph V. (2009-06-16). Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France, Queen of England. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-15989-9.
Sources
- Painter, Sidney (1955). "The Houses of Lusignan and Chatellerault 1150-1250". Speculum. 30 (3 July). doi:10.2307/2848076. JSTOR 2848076.