of Blois, Stephen Henry II 1 2a

Birth Name of Blois, Stephen Henry II
Nick Name The Sage
Gender male
Age at Death 57 years, 4 months, 18 days

Narrative

Stephen II Henry (c. 1045 - May 19, 1102), Count of Blois and Count of Chartres, was the son of Theobald III, Count of Blois, and Garsinde du Maine.

In about 1080, in Chartres, France, Stephen married Adela of Normandy, a daughter of William the Conqueror. Their third son Stephen of Blois became king of England after Henry I of England died without a male heir and the English did not think Henry I's daughter Empress Maud a suitable ruler because of her sex. Stephen and Adela's youngest son was Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester.

Count Stephen was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, often writing enthusiastic letters to Adela about the crusade's progress. He returned home in 1098 after the lengthy siege of Antioch, without having fulfilled his crusading vow, which would have been completed only if he had made it all the way to Jerusalem. He was pressured by Adela into making a second pilgrimage, and along with others who faced the same pressures after returning home prematurely, he joined the minor crusade of 1101. In 1102, Stephen was killed in battle at the age of 57, during the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem's siege of Ascalon in what is now Israel.

Events

Event Date Place Description Sources
Birth 1045 Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France   1
Death 1102-05-19 Ramula, Holy Land   3

Cause: battle of Ramla

Age: 57y

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father of Blois, Theobald II10121089-09-00
Mother de Maine, Garsende10191090
         of Blois, Stephen Henry II 1045 1102-05-19

Families

Family of of Blois, Stephen Henry II and of England, Adelidis
Married Wife of England, Adelidis ( * 1062 + 1136-03-08 )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Marriage 1081     4
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
of Charters, Guillaume1080
de Champagne, William10801150
of Blois, Theobald III10901152
of Blois, Henry1092
of Blois, Humbert1094
of Blois of England, Stephen I10971154-10-25
of Blois, Matilda1097
of Bloise, Lithuise10981118
of Blois, Alix1100
of Blois, Eleonore1102
of Blois, Emma
of Blois, Agnes
of Blois, Philip

Source References

  1. RCKarnes: http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=arciek&id=I16905&style=TABLE Carrie's Family Tree
  2. RCKarnes: http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=arciek&id=I00958 Carrie's Family Tree
      • Source text:

        ID: I00958
        Name: Stephen II of BLOIS
        Sex: M
        Name: Stephen II HENRY
        Birth: ABT 1045 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France 1
        Death: 19 MAY 1102 in Battle of Ramla, Jerusalem 1
        Occupation: BET 1089 AND 1102 Count of Blois 2
        Occupation: Count of Chartres 2
        Note:
        Stephen inherited Blois, Chartres and Meaux in 1089, son of Theobald III, Count of Blois, and Garsinde du Maine. In about 1080, in Chartres, France, Stephen married Adela of Normandy, a daughter of William the Conqueror. Their eldest son, Guillaume, was disinherited, supposedly for mental weakness; he was made Count of Chartres instead. Blois then passed to the second son, Theobald. Their third son Stephen of Blois became king of England after Henry I of England died without a male heir and the English did not think Henry I's daughter Empress Maud a suitable ruler because of her sex. Stephen and Adela's youngest son was Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester. A daughter, Lucia-Mahaut de Blois, perished in the White Ship disaster. Count Stephen was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, often writing enthusiastic letters to Adela about the crusade's progress. He returned home in 1098 during the lengthy siege of Antioch, without having fulfilled his crusading vow, which would have been completed only if he had made it all the way to Jerusalem. He was pressured by Adela into making a second pilgrimage, and along with others who faced the same pressures after returning home prematurely, he joined the minor crusade of 1101. In 1102, Stephen was killed in battle at the age of 57, during the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem's siege of Ascalon in what is now Israel.
        (Wikipedia)

         

        Father: *Theobald III of BLOIS b: 1012 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France
        Mother: *Garsende of MAINE b: 1019 in Le Mans, Sarthe, Maine, Pays-de-la-Loire, France

        Marriage 1 *Adela of NORMANDY b: ABT 1067
        Married: 1080 in Chartres, France 1
        Children
        Agnes of BLOIS b: in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        Philip BLOIS b: in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        *Guillaume of CHARTRES b: 1080 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        *Theobald II "the Great" of CHAMPAGNE b: 1090 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France
        Henry of BLOIS b: ABT 1092 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        Humbert BLOIS b: ABT 1094 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        Matilda of BLOIS b: ABT 1097 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        *Stephen of ENGLAND b: 1097 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France
        Lithuise of BLOIS b: ABT 1098 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        Alix of BLOIS b: ABT 1100 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France
        Odo of BLOIS b: 1101 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Orleanais, France
        Eléonore of BLOIS b: 1102 in Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France

        Sources:
        Title: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
        Title: Wikipedia

         

      • Citation:

        arciek@juno.com

  3. http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=jdp-fam&id=I9846&style=TABLE
  4. Mike Lysell: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=jones-lysell&id=I1200&style=TABLE @ RootsWeb Genealogy of the Jones/Lysell Family