Isabelle de Hainaut: ancestress of the Capetian, Valois, and Bourbon dynasties

Isabelle de Hainaut, Queen of France, was the first wife of King Philippe II of France known as Augustus. She was born in Valenciennes on the 5th of April 1170 to Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut, and his wife, Countess Marguerite I of Flanders. Isabelle was their oldest daughter and...

Coronation of Richard the Lionheart

On the 3rd of September 1189, King Richard I of England known as the Lionheart was crowned as King of England at Westminster Abbey.  At the age of 32, he was still relatively young, vigorous, and ready to lead the Angevin empire to her new heights.  Tall with reddish-blonde hair,...

A Forgotten Confrontation: the Battle of Bouvines of 1214

Nowadays, few people heard about the Battle of Bouvines fought on the 27th of July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders.  Nonetheless, many remember the Battles of Crécy, of Poitiers, and of Agincourt.  This battle was the decisive confrontation of the Anglo-French War that lasted...

Philippe II of France: a monarch rightfully deserving the epithet ‘Augustus’

Born on the 21st of August 1165, King Philippe II of France died on the 14th of July 1223 in Mantes-la-Jolie en route to Paris at the age of 58.  When his father, Louis VII of France, fell ill, he had his only son crowned at Reims in 1179, making...

End of the Siege of Acre (1189-1191)

On July 12 1191, the long siege of Acre (1189-1191) during the Third Crusade was finally over.  The city of Acre offered terms of surrender to the Crusaders, and this time, these terms were considered suitable and were accepted.  The siege had begun when Guy de Lusignan attacked Acre in...

Isabella of Angoulême, second wife of King John of England

Isabella of Angoulême, second wife of King John of England, died on the 4th of June 1246 at Fontevraud Abbey, where she was buried in the abbey’s churchyard, as if seeking atonement for her misdeeds.  Years after her death, her eldest son with John, King Henry III of England, arrived at Fontevraud...

Death of Queen Adela of France, King Louis VII’s third wife

Queen Adela of France, King Louis VII of France’s third wife, died on the 4th of June 1206 and was buried in the Church of Pontigny Abbey near Auxerre. She was also known as Adelaide, Alix, and Adela of #Champagne. She was the third child of Theobald II, Count of Champagne; she...