Bertrade de Monfort was born in 1070, the daughter of Simon de Montfort. She grew into a beautiful woman with the charms to enslave the love of both a count and a king, even managing in the end to persuade them to become friends.
Fulk IV, Count of Anjou fell madly in love with her. They married and had a son, Fulk V. But he was unable to keep the Countess away from his rivals.
Philip of France,(nicknamed Philip the Amorous) son of Henry I was born in 1052 and became King of France at the age of eight. He fell in love with Bertrade and repudiated his wife Bertha on the grounds she was too fat. He married Bertrade, even though they both had a living spouse. For this he was excommunicated by the Pope, making him unable to take part in the First Crusade to Jerusalem. He promised to give Bertrade up in order to be reinstated but could not stay away from her and this series of events happened several more times. Eventually it seems, the Pope gave up excommunicating him.
The strange part of this love triangle is that Bertrade managed to bring the two husbands together in friendship. What an astonishing woman!
Abbot Suger described Bertrade's effect on Philip. "Consumed by desire for the lady he had seized, he gave himself up entirely to the satisfaction of his passion...the only thing that maintained the strength of the state was the fear and love felt for his son and successor." Philip and Bertrade had three children but Louis, his eldest son with first wife Bertha was in line for the throne.
Henry died and was buried at Monastery of St. Benoit and his son became Louis VI, in spite of efforts by Bertrade to slip her offspring into the line of succession.
Bertrade did what many widows of her time did-she retired to a religious institution. William of Malmesbury said, "Bertrade still young and beautiful took the veil at Fontevraud Abbey, always charming to men, pleasing to God, and like an angel."
Although she never realized her high hopes for her children with Philip, her son Fulk V from her first marriage became King of Jerusalem. Through him her bloodline ran through the rulers of Jerusalem and England (the Plantaganets) for centuries.
Fulk IV, Count of Anjou fell madly in love with her. They married and had a son, Fulk V. But he was unable to keep the Countess away from his rivals.
Philip of France,(nicknamed Philip the Amorous) son of Henry I was born in 1052 and became King of France at the age of eight. He fell in love with Bertrade and repudiated his wife Bertha on the grounds she was too fat. He married Bertrade, even though they both had a living spouse. For this he was excommunicated by the Pope, making him unable to take part in the First Crusade to Jerusalem. He promised to give Bertrade up in order to be reinstated but could not stay away from her and this series of events happened several more times. Eventually it seems, the Pope gave up excommunicating him.
The strange part of this love triangle is that Bertrade managed to bring the two husbands together in friendship. What an astonishing woman!
Abbot Suger described Bertrade's effect on Philip. "Consumed by desire for the lady he had seized, he gave himself up entirely to the satisfaction of his passion...the only thing that maintained the strength of the state was the fear and love felt for his son and successor." Philip and Bertrade had three children but Louis, his eldest son with first wife Bertha was in line for the throne.
Henry died and was buried at Monastery of St. Benoit and his son became Louis VI, in spite of efforts by Bertrade to slip her offspring into the line of succession.
Bertrade did what many widows of her time did-she retired to a religious institution. William of Malmesbury said, "Bertrade still young and beautiful took the veil at Fontevraud Abbey, always charming to men, pleasing to God, and like an angel."
Although she never realized her high hopes for her children with Philip, her son Fulk V from her first marriage became King of Jerusalem. Through him her bloodline ran through the rulers of Jerusalem and England (the Plantaganets) for centuries.
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