Dangereuse de L'Isle Bouchard (died 1151) was a daughter of Barthelemy de L'Isle Bouchard and his wife Gerberge de Blaison. She was the maternal grandmother of the celebrated Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was also mistress to her granddaughters' paternal grandfather William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. Dangereuse is also known as La Maubergeonne.
Dangereuse's paternal grandparents were Archimbaud Borel de Bueil and Agnes de L'Isle Bouchard. Her maternal grandparents were Eon de Blaison and Tcheletis de Trèves. Through her granddaughter, Dangereuse was an ancestor of various nobles and monarchs including: Richard I of England, Marie, Countess of Champagne, John of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Joan, Queen of Sicily, Eleanor, Queen of Castile, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Henry the Young King.
Her granddaughter Eleanor was Queen consort of France, Queen consort of England and Duchess of Aquitaine (in her own right).
Dangereuse married Viscount Aimery I of Châtellerault at an unknown date. She advised her husband to donate property to Saint-Denis en Vaux in a charter dated 1109, which means they were married before this point. Dangereuse was a woman who did as she pleased and cared little for public opinion.
Their marriage produced five children (two sons and three daughters):
Hugh (died before 1176) succeeded his father as Viscount
Raoul (died 1190) married Elisabeth de Faye and had issue
Aenor/Eleanor (c. 1103 – March 1130) married William X, Duke of Aquitaine, mother to Duchess Eleanor and Petronilla
Amable, married Wulgrin II, Count of Angoulême
Aois (fate unknown)
Dangereuse and Aimery were married for around seven years before she left her husband to become the mistress to Duke William IX; this became an infamous liaison.
Whilst travelling through Poitou, Duke William met the "seductive" Dangereuse. This led to her leaving her husband for Duke William IX of Aquitaine, who was excommunicated by the church for "abducting her"; however, she appeared to have been a willing party in the matter. He installed her in the Maubergeonne tower of his castle in Poitiers (leading to her nickname La Maubergeonne), and, as related by William of Malmesbury, even painted a picture of her on his shield.
Upon returning to Poitiers from Toulouse, his wife Philippa of Toulouse was enraged to discover a rival woman living in her palace. She appealed to her friends at court and to the Church; however, no noble could assist her since William was their feudal overlord, and whilst the Papal legate Giraud complained to William and told him to return Dangereuse to her husband, William's only response to the bald legate was, "Curls will grow on your pate before I part with the Viscountess." Humiliated, Philippa chose in 1116 to retire to the Abbey of Fontevrault, where she was befriended, ironically, by Ermengarde of Anjou, William's first wife.
Dangereuse and William had three children:
Henri (died after 1132), a monk and later Prior of Cluny
Adelaide, married Raoul de Faye
Sybille, Abbess of Saintes
Philippa died two years later and William's first wife Ermengarde set out to avenge Philippa. In October 1119, she suddenly appeared at the Council of Reims being held by Pope Calixtus II and demanded that the Pope excommunicate William (again), oust Dangereuse from the ducal palace, and restore herself to her rightful place as Duchess consort. The Pope "declined to accommodate her"; however, she continued to trouble William for several years afterwards.
William died on 10 February 1126; nothing is recorded of Dangereuse after this point. Dangereuse died in 1151.
Dangereuse's paternal grandparents were Archimbaud Borel de Bueil and Agnes de L'Isle Bouchard. Her maternal grandparents were Eon de Blaison and Tcheletis de Trèves. Through her granddaughter, Dangereuse was an ancestor of various nobles and monarchs including: Richard I of England, Marie, Countess of Champagne, John of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Joan, Queen of Sicily, Eleanor, Queen of Castile, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Henry the Young King.
Her granddaughter Eleanor was Queen consort of France, Queen consort of England and Duchess of Aquitaine (in her own right).
Dangereuse married Viscount Aimery I of Châtellerault at an unknown date. She advised her husband to donate property to Saint-Denis en Vaux in a charter dated 1109, which means they were married before this point. Dangereuse was a woman who did as she pleased and cared little for public opinion.
Their marriage produced five children (two sons and three daughters):
Hugh (died before 1176) succeeded his father as Viscount
Raoul (died 1190) married Elisabeth de Faye and had issue
Aenor/Eleanor (c. 1103 – March 1130) married William X, Duke of Aquitaine, mother to Duchess Eleanor and Petronilla
Amable, married Wulgrin II, Count of Angoulême
Aois (fate unknown)
Dangereuse and Aimery were married for around seven years before she left her husband to become the mistress to Duke William IX; this became an infamous liaison.
Whilst travelling through Poitou, Duke William met the "seductive" Dangereuse. This led to her leaving her husband for Duke William IX of Aquitaine, who was excommunicated by the church for "abducting her"; however, she appeared to have been a willing party in the matter. He installed her in the Maubergeonne tower of his castle in Poitiers (leading to her nickname La Maubergeonne), and, as related by William of Malmesbury, even painted a picture of her on his shield.
Upon returning to Poitiers from Toulouse, his wife Philippa of Toulouse was enraged to discover a rival woman living in her palace. She appealed to her friends at court and to the Church; however, no noble could assist her since William was their feudal overlord, and whilst the Papal legate Giraud complained to William and told him to return Dangereuse to her husband, William's only response to the bald legate was, "Curls will grow on your pate before I part with the Viscountess." Humiliated, Philippa chose in 1116 to retire to the Abbey of Fontevrault, where she was befriended, ironically, by Ermengarde of Anjou, William's first wife.
Dangereuse and William had three children:
Henri (died after 1132), a monk and later Prior of Cluny
Adelaide, married Raoul de Faye
Sybille, Abbess of Saintes
Philippa died two years later and William's first wife Ermengarde set out to avenge Philippa. In October 1119, she suddenly appeared at the Council of Reims being held by Pope Calixtus II and demanded that the Pope excommunicate William (again), oust Dangereuse from the ducal palace, and restore herself to her rightful place as Duchess consort. The Pope "declined to accommodate her"; however, she continued to trouble William for several years afterwards.
William died on 10 February 1126; nothing is recorded of Dangereuse after this point. Dangereuse died in 1151.
Dangereuse de L'Isle Bouchard (died 1151) was a daughter of Barthelemy de L'Isle Bouchard and his wife Gerberge de Blaison. She was the maternal grandmother of the celebrated Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was also mistress to her granddaughters' paternal grandfather William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. Dangereuse is also known as La Maubergeonne.
Dangereuse's paternal grandparents were Archimbaud Borel de Bueil and Agnes de L'Isle Bouchard. Her maternal grandparents were Eon de Blaison and Tcheletis de Trèves. Through her granddaughter, Dangereuse was an ancestor of various nobles and monarchs including: Richard I of England, Marie, Countess of Champagne, John of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Joan, Queen of Sicily, Eleanor, Queen of Castile, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Henry the Young King.
Her granddaughter Eleanor was Queen consort of France, Queen consort of England and Duchess of Aquitaine (in her own right).
Dangereuse married Viscount Aimery I of Châtellerault at an unknown date. She advised her husband to donate property to Saint-Denis en Vaux in a charter dated 1109, which means they were married before this point. Dangereuse was a woman who did as she pleased and cared little for public opinion.
Their marriage produced five children (two sons and three daughters):
Hugh (died before 1176) succeeded his father as Viscount
Raoul (died 1190) married Elisabeth de Faye and had issue
Aenor/Eleanor (c. 1103 – March 1130) married William X, Duke of Aquitaine, mother to Duchess Eleanor and Petronilla
Amable, married Wulgrin II, Count of Angoulême
Aois (fate unknown)
Dangereuse and Aimery were married for around seven years before she left her husband to become the mistress to Duke William IX; this became an infamous liaison.
Whilst travelling through Poitou, Duke William met the "seductive" Dangereuse. This led to her leaving her husband for Duke William IX of Aquitaine, who was excommunicated by the church for "abducting her"; however, she appeared to have been a willing party in the matter. He installed her in the Maubergeonne tower of his castle in Poitiers (leading to her nickname La Maubergeonne), and, as related by William of Malmesbury, even painted a picture of her on his shield.
Upon returning to Poitiers from Toulouse, his wife Philippa of Toulouse was enraged to discover a rival woman living in her palace. She appealed to her friends at court and to the Church; however, no noble could assist her since William was their feudal overlord, and whilst the Papal legate Giraud complained to William and told him to return Dangereuse to her husband, William's only response to the bald legate was, "Curls will grow on your pate before I part with the Viscountess." Humiliated, Philippa chose in 1116 to retire to the Abbey of Fontevrault, where she was befriended, ironically, by Ermengarde of Anjou, William's first wife.
Dangereuse and William had three children:
Henri (died after 1132), a monk and later Prior of Cluny
Adelaide, married Raoul de Faye
Sybille, Abbess of Saintes
Philippa died two years later and William's first wife Ermengarde set out to avenge Philippa. In October 1119, she suddenly appeared at the Council of Reims being held by Pope Calixtus II and demanded that the Pope excommunicate William (again), oust Dangereuse from the ducal palace, and restore herself to her rightful place as Duchess consort. The Pope "declined to accommodate her"; however, she continued to trouble William for several years afterwards.
William died on 10 February 1126; nothing is recorded of Dangereuse after this point. Dangereuse died in 1151.
Dangereuse's paternal grandparents were Archimbaud Borel de Bueil and Agnes de L'Isle Bouchard. Her maternal grandparents were Eon de Blaison and Tcheletis de Trèves. Through her granddaughter, Dangereuse was an ancestor of various nobles and monarchs including: Richard I of England, Marie, Countess of Champagne, John of England, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Joan, Queen of Sicily, Eleanor, Queen of Castile, Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Henry the Young King.
Her granddaughter Eleanor was Queen consort of France, Queen consort of England and Duchess of Aquitaine (in her own right).
Dangereuse married Viscount Aimery I of Châtellerault at an unknown date. She advised her husband to donate property to Saint-Denis en Vaux in a charter dated 1109, which means they were married before this point. Dangereuse was a woman who did as she pleased and cared little for public opinion.
Their marriage produced five children (two sons and three daughters):
Hugh (died before 1176) succeeded his father as Viscount
Raoul (died 1190) married Elisabeth de Faye and had issue
Aenor/Eleanor (c. 1103 – March 1130) married William X, Duke of Aquitaine, mother to Duchess Eleanor and Petronilla
Amable, married Wulgrin II, Count of Angoulême
Aois (fate unknown)
Dangereuse and Aimery were married for around seven years before she left her husband to become the mistress to Duke William IX; this became an infamous liaison.
Whilst travelling through Poitou, Duke William met the "seductive" Dangereuse. This led to her leaving her husband for Duke William IX of Aquitaine, who was excommunicated by the church for "abducting her"; however, she appeared to have been a willing party in the matter. He installed her in the Maubergeonne tower of his castle in Poitiers (leading to her nickname La Maubergeonne), and, as related by William of Malmesbury, even painted a picture of her on his shield.
Upon returning to Poitiers from Toulouse, his wife Philippa of Toulouse was enraged to discover a rival woman living in her palace. She appealed to her friends at court and to the Church; however, no noble could assist her since William was their feudal overlord, and whilst the Papal legate Giraud complained to William and told him to return Dangereuse to her husband, William's only response to the bald legate was, "Curls will grow on your pate before I part with the Viscountess." Humiliated, Philippa chose in 1116 to retire to the Abbey of Fontevrault, where she was befriended, ironically, by Ermengarde of Anjou, William's first wife.
Dangereuse and William had three children:
Henri (died after 1132), a monk and later Prior of Cluny
Adelaide, married Raoul de Faye
Sybille, Abbess of Saintes
Philippa died two years later and William's first wife Ermengarde set out to avenge Philippa. In October 1119, she suddenly appeared at the Council of Reims being held by Pope Calixtus II and demanded that the Pope excommunicate William (again), oust Dangereuse from the ducal palace, and restore herself to her rightful place as Duchess consort. The Pope "declined to accommodate her"; however, she continued to trouble William for several years afterwards.
William died on 10 February 1126; nothing is recorded of Dangereuse after this point. Dangereuse died in 1151.
