General Notes

REFN: 3517AN
REFN: P3518
BertraDe De Montfort (c.1070-1117) was the daughter of Simon I De Montfo
rt and Agnes, Countess of Evreux. Her brother was Amaury III De Montfort.
The oft-married Count Fulk IV of Anjou was married to the mother of his s
on in 1089, when the lovely BertraDe caught his eye. According to the chro
nicler John of Marmoutier:
"The lecherous Fulk then fell passionately in love with the sister of Amau
ry of Montfort, whom no good man ever praised save for her beauty. For h
er sake, he divorced the mother of Geoffrey II Martel..."
BertraDe and Fulk were married, and they became the parents of a son, Ful
k, but in 1092 BertraDe left her husband and took up with King Philippe. P
hilippe married her on May 15, 1092, despite the fact that they both had s
pouses living. He was so enamoured of BertraDe that he refused to leave h
er even when threatened with excommunication. Pope Urban II did excommunic
ate him in 1095, and Philippe was prevented from taking part in the Fir
st Crusade. Astonishingly, BertraDe persuaded Philippe and Fulk to be frie
nds.
BertraDe and Philippe had three children together:
Philippe De France, Count of Mantes (living in 1123)
Fleury De France, seigneur of Nangis (living in 1118)
Cécile (died 1145), married (1) Tancred, Prince of Galilee; married (2) Po
ns of Tripoli
According to Orderic Vitalis, BertraDe was anxious that one of her sons su
cceed Philippe, and sent a letter to King Henry I of England asking h
im to arrest her stepson Louis. Orderic also claims she sought to kill Lou
is first through the arts of sorcery, and then through poison. Whatever t
he truth of these allegations, Louis succeeded Philippe in 1108. Bertra
De lived on until 1117; William of Malmesbury says: "Bertrade, still you
ng and beautiful, took the veil at Fontevraud Abbey, always charming to me
n, pleasing to God, and like an angel." Her son from her first marriage w
as Fulk V of Anjou who later became King of Jerusalem. The dynasties found
ed by Fulk's sons ruled for centuries, one of them in England (Plantagenet
), the other in Jerusalem.