Marie I, Countess of Boulogne facts for kids

Marie I, also known as Mary, was an important countess who lived in the 1100s. She was the suo jure Countess of Boulogne from 1159 to 1170. This means she held the title in her own right.

Marie also spent time as an Abbess, a leader in a religious community for women, called an abbey. Her life took an unexpected turn when she was taken from the abbey and married. She is also thought by some to be the famous writer Marie de France.

Marie's Early Life

Marie was born in 1136. Her father was Stephen, King of England, and her mother was Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne. She was born one year after her father became King of England.

Her father's time as king was difficult. There was a civil war known as "The Anarchy." During this time, King Stephen fought to keep his crown from his cousin, Empress Matilda. Marie had three brothers, Eustace, William, and Baldwin, and one sister, Matilda.

Becoming an Abbess

Marie first became a novice, a beginner, at a religious house called the Priory of Lillechurch in Kent. Later, she moved to Romsey Abbey in Hampshire. Her uncle, Henry of Blois, who was a bishop, had helped rebuild this abbey.

Marie officially became a nun at Romsey sometime between 1148 and 1155. In 1155, she was chosen to be the Abbess of Romsey. This was the year after her father died and Henry II, Empress Matilda's son, became the new King of England.

About four years later, on October 11, 1159, her brother William died. He had no children. Because Marie was his only living sister, she became the Countess of Boulogne in her own right.

Countess of Boulogne and Marriage

In 1160, Matthew of Alsace took Marie from the abbey. He then married her, even though she had taken special religious vows. Because of this marriage, Matthew became the Count of Boulogne alongside Marie.

On December 18, 1161, Pope Alexander III wrote a letter about Marie being taken and her marriage. Marie and Matthew had two daughters together.

Marie's marriage to Matthew was officially ended, or "annulled," in 1170. This meant the marriage was declared invalid. This happened in the same year their younger daughter, Mathilde, was born in Louvain.

Later Life and Legacy

After her marriage was annulled, Marie returned to a religious life. She became a Benedictine nun at St. Austrebert, Montreuil. She passed away there on July 25, 1182, when she was about 46 years old.

Her former husband, Matthew, continued to rule as Count of Boulogne until he died in 1173. After his death, their oldest daughter, Ida, became the countess. Later, the county of Boulogne eventually passed to Adelaide of Brabant, who was the daughter of Marie's second daughter, Mathilde.

Marie's Children

• Ida, Countess of Boulogne (born around 1160 or 1161 – died April 21, 1216): Ida married three times. Her third marriage was to Count Renaud de Dammartin. They had one daughter, Matilda II of Boulogne, who later became countess.
• Mathilde of Flanders (born 1170 – died October 16, 1210): Mathilde married Henry I, Duke of Brabant in 1179.