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Person Info

• Name: Adelaide Heiress of Chalons
• Sex: F
• Death: After 999 ^d


Parents:

Family:
Marriage:

• Lambert Count Of Chalons, Viconte Of Dijon on Before 960 .^m1
  
• Lambert Count Of Chalons, Viconte Of Dijon Death: 22 Feb 979

Children:

1. Mahaut Heiress Of Chalons Death: Abt 1016
2. Hugh Bishop Of Auxerie Death: 4 Nov 1039
3. Adelheid Of Chalons

Marriage:

• Geoffrey I Grisgonelle Count Of Anjou on Abt 9 Mar 979 .^m2
  
• Geoffrey I Grisgonelle Count Of Anjou Birth: Abt 930 Death: 21 Jul 987 in Marcon (Chateau-du-Loir)

Children:

1. Maurice Of Anjou Birth: Abt 978 Death: 1012

Bibliography

Sources with Inaccurate birth and parent Information

parents:

Giselbert (#10957) & Ermengarde (#10958) [Ref: Moriarty Plantagenet p10],

father:

Giselbert (#10957) [Ref: Moriarty Plantagenet p38]

Sources for death Information

date:

after 999 [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

living 999 [Ref: HenryII geoff001 4/24/2008, HenryII lambe000 4/24/2008, Richardson RoyalAnc v5p485]

Sources with Information about marriage to Lambert Count Of Chalons, Viconte Of Dijon

date:

before 960 [Ref: Moriarty Plantagenet p10]

first marriage of Adelaide [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008, HenryII geoff001 4/24/2008, Richardson RoyalAnc v5p485]

first marriage of Aelis [Ref: Todd Farmerie SGM 5/22/1997-010102]

second marriage of Lambert [Ref: HenryII lambe000 4/24/2008],

child:

[Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008, HenryII lambe000 4/24/2008, Moriarty Plantagenet p38, Settipani LGA p6, Todd Farmerie SGM 5/22/1997-010102]

Sources with Inaccurate marriage information

names:

Lambert Count of Chalons & Adelaide (#269781) [Ref: ES II #189 (as replaced in III.1), ES III.1 #116, ES III.1 #49, ES III.3 #433]

Lambert Count of Chalons & Adele (#10806) [Ref: Redlich CharlemagneDesc p269]

Sources with Information about marriage to Geoffrey I Grisgonelle Count Of Anjou

date:

2 or 9 Mar 979 [Ref: ES III.1 #49]

20 or 9 Mar 979 [Ref: ES III.1 #116, Richardson RoyalAnc v5p485]

second marriage of Adelaide [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

second marriage of Aelis [Ref: Todd Farmerie SGM 5/22/1997-010102]

second marriage of Geoffrey [Ref: HenryII fulk0002 5/29/2012, HenryII geoff001 4/24/2008, Kenneth Finton SGM 3/26/1998, Settipani Anjou p265],

names:

Geoffrey Grisgonelle & Adele who had nothing to do with Vermandois [Ref: Kenneth Finton SGM 3/26/1998],

child:

[Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008, HenryII geoff001 4/24/2008, HenryII lambe000 4/24/2008, Richardson RoyalAnc v5p485, Settipani Anjou p265, Settipani LGA p6]

Sources with Inaccurate marriage information

names:

Geoffory Grisgonelle & Adelaide (#269781) [Ref: ES II #189 (as replaced in III.1), ES III.1 #116, ES III.1 #49, ES III.3 #433, Todd Farmerie SGM 5/22/1997-010102]

Research Notes:
heiress of Chalons [Ref: Moriarty Plantagenet p10]

942: named in a charter with father Giselbert and mother Adelaide [Ref: Matman SGM 5/20/1997-213605]

949: Adelaide dau of Duke Giselbert appears with her husband Robert of Troyes and son Heribert in a charter of 949. [Ref: Matman SGM 5/21/1997-192712]

appears with her husband count Lambert of Chalon, and her son Hugues, in a number of sources [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

chronology of Adelaide's marriages is difficult to determine, because of contradictions in the sources. She appears with her first husband Lambert in the 28th year of Lotair, which would be between 12 Nov 981 and 11 Nov 982 if dated in the usual way, but this contradicts the usual date of 978 given for Lambert's death. [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

appears without a husband with her son Hugues in the 26th year of Lothair [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

it is well documented that after the death of Lambert, Adelaide married a count named Geoffroy. This is proved quite clearly in a charter of her second husband Geoffroy from Cluny, and in a charter of her grandson count Thibaud of Chalon from Saint-Mardel-les-Chalon. [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

appears with her second husband Geoffroy in the 30th year of Lothair [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

appears again with Geoffroy in the "34th year" of Lothair (note that Lothair reigned for less than 32 years) [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

999: signed a charter in which her son Hugues appears as bishop [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

supposed child (chronologically improbably) Gerberge; more probably a daughter of Lambert, count of Chalon, by an earlier marriage [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]

In her discussion of the counts of Chalons CBB [Constance Brittain Bouchard *Sword, Mitre and Cloister: Nobility and the Church in Burgundy, 980-1198* (Ithica NY & London, Cornell University Press, 1987)] says: "Lambert married a woman named Adelaide (*). While there is no evidence of her origins in the sources, scholars have repeatedly tried to tie her to the family of Giselbert, count of Burgundy, both because Giselbert did have a daughter named Adelaide and because they feel a need to explain how Lambert could have LEGITIMATELY** succeeded to Chalon#. I prefer to leave Adelaide's origins unknown; since Lambert's succession to Chalon was recognised by the king, he did not need a hereditary claim by his wife to legitimize his rule(##).
"Lambert died in 978, and his wife Adelaide quickly married Geoffrey Greymantle, count of Anjou. Geoffrey acted as count of Chalon from 979 until his own death in 989 (*). ..." p.307f. * Source regerences. ** She uses italics to make the emphasis # A long footnoted discussion of who has said what on the subject. ## Reference. [Ref: Richard Borthwick SGM 12/1/1996]

The consensus opinion seems to be, as given in ES III, 49 that this Adelaide married ROBERT, then LAMBERT, then her son-in-law GEOFFREY. The sequence of events for this most unusual web of intermarriages would be as follows:
950 Robert C of Troyes m. Adelaide of Burgundy & dau. Adele born.
965 Geoffrey Greymantle (age 28) m. Adele of Vermandois/Troyes (age 15).
967 Robert died and his widow almost immediately m. Lambert.
975/8 Adele died and her widower, Geoffrey, m. after a wait of 1 to 5 years, his deceased wife's newly widowed mother, Adelaide of Burgundy.
979 Lambert died. His widow, Adelaide, as stated above, then m, almost immediately, her son-in-law, Geoffrey. [Ref: Jim Stevens SGM 5/16/1997]

Adelaide dau of Duke Giselbert appears with her husband Robert of Troyes and son Heribert in a charter of 949. There is no problem with this. The difference of opinion is whether this Adelaide is the same as the wife of Lambert who later married Geoffrey. Most historians have shied away from making this assumption, eg Maurice Chaume (who was otherwise much given to speculation) in his 'The Origins of Burgundy' 1925, Werner in an article in Die Welt als Geschicht, 1960, p107-13 (especially p111), and more recently Constance Bouchard, 'Sword and Mitre'.
To make them one person does create problems, not least with the chronology. Adelaide was old enough to have children by about 950 (for she had a grandson Fulk the Black by c.970), yet she was still young enough to have children (eg Maurice) c.980 or later. Its possible, but only just. I don't know how common it was for noblewomen to give birth after 40.
Secondly if she only married Lambert after 967, then any children from that marriage could not have been born before that. But Adalbert of Italy first husband of Gerberga had died by 975 at the latest, and Otto-William was their son. So clearly if one accepts that Adelaide was one person, one has to find different parents for Gerberga. Some have got round this by making Gerberga a daughter of Lambert by an earlier wife. As Lambert first appears in 944, and is called count in 959, this may not be impossible. [Ref: Matman SGM 5/21/1997-192712]

the modern seconday literature has a great deal of confusion surrounding the origin and identity of Adelaide, whom we shall here call "of Chalon" for lack of a better name, to distinguish her from her namesakes. She has been confused with two other women, mother and daughter, who are:
Adelaide, wife of count Robert of Troyes, and
her daughter Adele, first wife of Geoffroy Grisegonelle. Several things have contributed to this confusion. The similarity in the women's names has led to problems. This has been even more the case in some French works, which have given the names of all three women in the form "Aelis". The fact that two of the women were married to Geoffroy Grisegonelle of Anjou has certainly aided the confusion. The common conjectured (but doubtful) connection of Adelaide of Chalon as a daughter of granddaughter of Giselbert of Burgundy can be contrasted to Adelaide genuine status as Giselbert's daughter.
The supposed connection of Adelaide of Chalon to the family of Giselbert is based on the fact that her first husband Lambert is indicated as the first count of Chalon (apparently, of his family), and Giselbert was previously count of Chalon. From this, it has been claimed that Lambert's claim to Chalon came through his wife Adelaide, and that Adelaide was therefore closely related to Giselbert. There is no direct evidence to support this claim. Although the parentage of Adelaide of Chalon remains unknown, it is improbable that her relationship to Giselbert, if amy, was that of daughter or granddaughter.
Nevertheless, since Adelaide and Adele were (respectivly) a daughter and granddaughter of Giselbert, the incorrect attempts to place Adelaide of Chalon as a daughter or granddaughter have resulted in several variations in which Adelaide of Chalon is a sister of either Adelaide or Adele, or is identified with one of them, For example, Vajay made Adelaide of Chalon a niece of Adele, while Chizelle made Adele a niece of Adelaide of Chalon. Some of these variations have the very improbable result of making the second wife of Geoffroy Grisegonelle the mother of his first wife. It is also improbable that the second wife of Geoffroy Grisegonelle was a sister of his first wife. Since Adele was married to Geoffroy before 974, when Lambert was still alive, and Adelaide only married Geofroy after the death of Lambert, many variations are impossible. [Ref: HenryII adela003 7/26/2008]



Pedigree of Adelaide Heiress of Chalons
Adelaide Heiress of Chalons



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