Constance of France: Womanhood and Agency in Twelfth-Century Europe (The New Middle Ages)

Constance of France: Womanhood and Agency in Twelfth-Century Europe is a biography of Constance of France, sister of King Louis VII of France. Myra Bom recovers Constance’s life story and puts it in its medieval context by examining the historical evidence of chronicles, charters, seal imprints and letters. The countess’s long and interesting life makes for women’s history with a large geographical scope, including France, England, Toulouse and the Latin East. It touches on many aspects of life during the Middle Ages such as birth, marriage and divorce, gender roles, experience of time, and expectation for the afterlife. Bom demonstrates how and to what extent medieval women could, and did, take control of their own lives. This book is an account of the interplay of historical context and agency. Acknowledgements 7 Book Abstract 8 Contents 9 About the Author 12 Abbreviations 13 List of Figures 14 Chapter 1: Introduction 16 Bibliography and Theory 17 The Evidence 22 The Chapters 25 Chapter 2: Born a Royal Daughter 28 A Girl Is Born 29 Birth 33 The Capetian Family 37 Honour 48 Chapter 3: The Politics of Marriage (I): England 56 Marriage in Theory 57 Marriage in Practice 63 Politics at Play 67 England, 1140–1152 77 Conclusion 88 Chapter 4: Female Role Models 91 The Women in Constance’s Circle 92 Wife and Domina 99 Mother 109 Daughter of the Church 116 Legacy 120 Chapter 5: Politics of Marriage (II): Toulouse 123 The Politics of Divorce 124 Count Raymond V of Toulouse’s Advantage 131 The Siege of Toulouse, 1159 136 Conclusion 142 Chapter 6: Countess of Toulouse 143 The Charters 144 The Letters 150 Titles and Seals 156 The Council of Lombers 169 Conclusion 178 Chapter 7: Separation in Marriage 181 Leaving the Count 182 Papal Objection 187 Claiming Boulogne 199 Baldwin the Bastard? 206 Conclusion 213 Chapter 8: To Jerusalem 215 Pilgrimage and Crusade 216 Bethduras 227 The Hospitallers 231 Going Home 240 Conclusion 244 Chapter 9: Care for the Soul 246 Religious Motivation 247 Constance’s Donations Before 1165 255 Donations After 1165 257 Conclusion 268 Chapter 10: Conclusion 270 Appendix A: Unpublished Charters 274 No. 1. Paris, Archives Nationales, S 2139, No. 17 274 No. 2. Paris, Archives Nationales, S 4440, No. 1 276 Appendix B: Simplified Genealogical Table 277 Capetian Family 277 Boulogne Family 278 Toulouse Family 278 Bibliography 279 Archives, Manuscripts and Objects 279 Printed Primary Sources 280 Secondary Works 288 Index 311