Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim
Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. In eleven
Speaker 1: forty one, Eleanor of Aquitaine went with her little sister
Speaker 1: Petronilla on the summer holiday in Poitou. This wasn't unusual,
Speaker 1: as the two were inseparable throughout their lives. Petronilla and
Speaker 1: Eleanor spent their childhood joined at the hip. Even when
Speaker 1: Eleanor got married to the King of France, Louis the Seventh.
Speaker 1: Petronilla joined her household, following her from orlean to parents,
Speaker 1: but Eleanor was a little worried about her little sister.
Speaker 1: By eleven forty one, Petronilla had reached, as historian Marian
Speaker 1: Meade puts it, quote, the spinsterly age of nineteen without
Speaker 1: finding a husband. Petronilla was an attractive bachelorette. She was
Speaker 1: known for her beauty, She had plenty of property to
Speaker 1: her name in Burgundy, and she wielded political power by
Speaker 1: nature of her position in the royal court. But no
Speaker 1: one had come calling on her and she remained single.
Speaker 1: That was all about to change on this trip. Petronilla's
Speaker 1: brother in law Louis the seventh had brought along the
Speaker 1: dashing Count Ralph of Vermandois, Sanchell of France. Petronilla and
Speaker 1: Ralph had actually met before at Louis and Eleanor's wedding,
Speaker 1: but it wasn't until this trip that sparks really began
Speaker 1: to fly. Even though he was thirty five years older
Speaker 1: than Petronilla and had one eye missing from battle, Ralph
Speaker 1: was known for being quite the seducer. According to a
Speaker 1: contemporary he was quote always dominated by lust. Petronilla also
Speaker 1: had a reputation for quote possessing a strong sex drive
Speaker 1: and few inhibitions, in the words of Marion Meade. As
Speaker 1: the court noticed them getting closer and closer, it was
Speaker 1: clear that this affair was hardly platonic. It seemed, after
Speaker 1: all this time Petronilla had found her winning suitor. But
Speaker 1: there was one big problem. Ralph of Vermandois was already married.
Speaker 1: His wife was Eleanor of Blois, either a sister or
Speaker 1: a niece of Count Theobald, the fourth of Plois, one
Speaker 1: of the most powerful nobles in France. That did nothing
Speaker 1: to deter Petronilla, who insisted that she would have no
Speaker 1: other husband, regardless of the cost. I'm Dana Schwartz, and
Speaker 1: this is noble blood. Even though it was certainly controversial
Speaker 1: to set up her sister with a married man, Eleanor
Speaker 1: of Aquitaine actually supported Petronilla's union if you discount the
Speaker 1: whole already married thing. Ralph was a good match for
Speaker 1: Petronilla as a close relative of the king and one
Speaker 1: of the most powerful lords in France. Moreover, a marriage
Speaker 1: between Petronilla and Ralph would have several political advantages. Eleanor
Speaker 1: hated Theobald, the relative of Ralph's current wife, and she
Speaker 1: took particular pleasure in the thought of potentially alienating him
Speaker 1: from the royal family. Her sister's union would also shore
Speaker 1: up King Louis succession plan, because if Eleanor failed to
Speaker 1: produce a child, Ralph could have claimed the ducal title.
Speaker 1: Better that he be married to Eleanor's little sister to
Speaker 1: keep the title and power within the close family, so
Speaker 1: to speak. Besides, if Petronilla married Ralph, Eleanor would get
Speaker 1: to keep her sister near by, and so Eleanor encouraged
Speaker 1: Ralph to have his current marriage annulled and worked on
Speaker 1: getting her own husband to throw his weight behind that decision.
Speaker 1: At Eleanor's prompting, King Louis agreed to the match, and
Speaker 1: so with the royal blessing, Ralph left his wife and
Speaker 1: moved in with Petronilla. Now all they needed to do
Speaker 1: was wait for Ralph's annulment to be officially granted. At
Speaker 1: the end of fourteen eleven, Louis found three bishops, one
Speaker 1: of whom was Ralph's own brother, who were willing to
Speaker 1: perform the annulment on grounds of consanguinity. They alleged that
Speaker 1: Ralph and his soon to be ex wife shared a
Speaker 1: common ancestor, rendering their marriage forbidden, even though there was
Speaker 1: no actual evidence that proved it. No matter, the annulment
Speaker 1: was performed, and shortly after, in the beginning of eleven
Speaker 1: forty two, those same bishops officiated Ralph's wedding to Petronilla.
Speaker 1: But the happy couple wouldn't have longed to enjoy the
Speaker 1: honey moonfase Ralph's ex wife moved in with her powerful relative,
Speaker 1: Count Theobald, the fourth of Plois, who was not at
Speaker 1: all pleased with the way the situation had unfolded. Theobald
Speaker 1: drew up documents aiming to reverse the bishop's decision. He
Speaker 1: alleged that Ralph's annulment and remarriage were invalid because Ralph
Speaker 1: had not asked for the Pope's permission and had in
Speaker 1: fact gone behind the Church's back by appealing to King
Speaker 1: Louis Instead. Louis, by conscripting three bishops to perform the annulment,
Speaker 1: was flouting the authority of the church and interfering with
Speaker 1: what was clearly a spiritual matter. Bernard of Clervaux, a
Speaker 1: powerful abbot, intervened in the conflict on the side of
Speaker 1: Count Theobald. But Bernard wasn't exactly unbiased. A decade earlier,
Speaker 1: he had actually beefed with Eleanor and Petronilla's father, Duke
Speaker 1: William the Tix, because the Duke initially refused to support
Speaker 1: Pope Innocent the Second. This only fueled Bernard's resentment of
Speaker 1: Ralph's marriage to Petronilla, and he wrote an angry letter
Speaker 1: to Pope Innocent decrying the marriage. That summer, the Pope
Speaker 1: arranged a church council in Champagne. He sent over a
Speaker 1: papal legate from Rome to preside over the council, who,
Speaker 1: in the end reaffirmed the validity of Ralph's first marriage
Speaker 1: and excommunicated Ralph, Petronilla and the three bishops who had
Speaker 1: performed the annulment. Louis and Eleanor were incensed. Separating Ralph
Speaker 1: and Petronilla could potentially cause even more drama now in
Speaker 1: the royal household, because Petronilla was pregnant. Louis refused to
Speaker 1: acknowledge the legate's sentence, which he saw as a threat
Speaker 1: to his authority. He would stop at nothing to keep
Speaker 1: Ralph and Petronilla together and to get revenge on Theobold,
Speaker 1: even if it meant turning to war. In January eleven
Speaker 1: forty three, Louis the Seventh led an army into Champagne.
Speaker 1: This was Theobold's domain, and Louis aimed to punish him
Speaker 1: for meddling in the Petronilla and Ralph affair. Louis took
Speaker 1: refuge in an encampment on the Lfortia Hills, watching his
Speaker 1: troops march towards Theobold's castle. Arrows reined down on Louis's
Speaker 1: forces from the castle towers, but his archers fired back
Speaker 1: by launching flaming arrows over the walls. The castle burst
Speaker 1: into flames, which soon engulfed the entire town. Townspeople took
Speaker 1: shelter in the parish church, but soon it caught fire
Speaker 1: as well, burning to death several hundred people trapped inside,
Speaker 1: among them many women and child children. By the end
Speaker 1: of the battle, over a thousand people had died. It
Speaker 1: was a gruesome scene, according to Marian Mead, Louis's army
Speaker 1: left behind a carpet of ravaged fields and smoking villages,
Speaker 1: corpses pierced by lances, and disemboweled horses lying in frozen
Speaker 1: raspberry pools. King Louis watched from his encampment, filled with
Speaker 1: guilt and grief. For many days after, he would not
Speaker 1: get out of bed, refusing to speak. He returned to
Speaker 1: Paris ashamed and depressed, haunted by the massacre. Eleanor was
Speaker 1: dismayed to find her husband so traumatized by the events
Speaker 1: that had taken place at Vitry. The King would wake
Speaker 1: up in the middle of the night sobbing, or spend
Speaker 1: hours of the day staring into space, completely numb. Eleanor
Speaker 1: tried to convince him that the massacre was not his fault,
Speaker 1: and that this war against Theobald was warranted given that
Speaker 1: it protected the honor of their family, but Louis was
Speaker 1: not convinced. He didn't think that victory over count Theobold
Speaker 1: had called for so much bloodshed and so much innocent bloodshed. Still,
Speaker 1: he went back to Champagne, and the war continued, and
Speaker 1: his army marched through the countryside. After months of fighting,
Speaker 1: Louis and Eleanor presented a peace treaty to count Theobold.
Speaker 1: The royal couple promised to restore his possessions if he
Speaker 1: reversed Ralph and Petronilla's excommunication and allowed them to marry.
Speaker 1: Abbot Bernard again stepped into the conflict, suggesting that Pope
Speaker 1: Innocent accept Louis and Eleanor's demands for long enough for
Speaker 1: Louis to recall his troops and then reinstate Petronilla and
Speaker 1: Ralph's excommunication immediately after he wrote quote. Thus, artifice would
Speaker 1: be outwitted by artifice, and peace obtained without the tyrant
Speaker 1: gaining anything. Sure Enough, according to Bernard's plan, the Pope
Speaker 1: undid the excommunication and Louis extracted his troops from Theobald's territory.
Speaker 1: Then the Pope asked Ralph to leave Petronilla. Ralph refused,
Speaker 1: and the Pope excommunicated them both again. Louis, in a frenzy,
Speaker 1: sent his army back to Champagne, and the war continued.
Speaker 1: Bernard wrote Louis a letter condemning him for the destruction
Speaker 1: he had wrought, writing quote, I can tell you that,
Speaker 1: provoked by constant excesses you commit almost daily, I am
Speaker 1: determined that in the future, to the best of my
Speaker 1: limited capacity, I shall expose the whole truth about you.
Speaker 1: I have spoken harshly because I fear an even harsher
Speaker 1: fate for you. By this summer of a life forty three,
Speaker 1: it seemed as though the conflict would never be resolved.
Speaker 1: Louis the Seventh refused to back down, and Theobold was
Speaker 1: threatening to involve the entire north of France in the war.
Speaker 1: The enmity between Louis and Theobold grew even stronger when
Speaker 1: Louis accused Theobold of hypocritically flouting the Church's rules by
Speaker 1: setting up consanguineous marriages for his relatives. Bernard fired back
Speaker 1: at Louis, quote, how has the king got the effrontery
Speaker 1: to try so hard to lay down laws for others
Speaker 1: about consanguinity when it is clear that he himself is
Speaker 1: living with his cousin with the third degree. There actually
Speaker 1: was nothing to back up his allegation that Louis and
Speaker 1: Eleanor were related, but Bernard figured that if Louis and
Speaker 1: Eleanor could make up false rumors, he could too. Any
Speaker 1: attempt to resolve this impasse stalled. When Pope Innocent died
Speaker 1: on September twenty fourth, eleven forty three, there was the
Speaker 1: opportunity for his successor to lift the second excommunication on
Speaker 1: Petronilla and Ralph and finally put an end to this conflict,
Speaker 1: but the new pope refused. In early fourteen forty four,
Speaker 1: Bernard arranged a peace conference that devolved into chaos when
Speaker 1: a baron accused Louis of being Ralph's puppet. Finally, in
Speaker 1: October eleven forty four, Eleanor of Aquitaine had it towards
Speaker 1: a deserted chamber of the Abbey of Saint Denis to
Speaker 1: meet privately with Bernard of Clervaux. We don't know whether
Speaker 1: Louis or Bernard, or even the Queen herself had been
Speaker 1: the one to call the meeting, but its results would
Speaker 1: determine once and for all if the war would continue.
Speaker 1: It was in Eleanor's hands. Despite being two of the
Speaker 1: most powerful figures in France. Before this meeting, Bernard and
Speaker 1: Eleanor of Aquitaine had actually never met. When they were
Speaker 1: in the same room together, they had regarded each other
Speaker 1: from a distance. Bernard was suspicious of women in general,
Speaker 1: seeing them as quote Snares of Satan. Legend has it
Speaker 1: that Bernard once looked at an attractive girl and was
Speaker 1: filled with such shame that he threw himself into an
Speaker 1: icy pond and stayed there until he almost froze. Because
Speaker 1: no one else was in the room during this meeting
Speaker 1: between Bernard and Eleanor, we don't know for sure how
Speaker 1: things went down. That said one of Bernard's hey geographers
Speaker 1: recorded an account of what happened as the more powerful
Speaker 1: one in the room. Allegedly, Eleanor started off emphatically pleading
Speaker 1: her case, trying to convince Bernard to pardon Petronilla and
Speaker 1: Ralph and allow them to marry, But over the course
Speaker 1: of their conversation Bernard took the other hand. Bernard ordered
Speaker 1: Eleanor to stop interfering in political matters, perhaps shocked by
Speaker 1: his harshness, or perhaps realizing that her sister's marriage was
Speaker 1: a lost cause. Eleanor allegedly burst into tears. She explained
Speaker 1: that she had thrown herself into politics as a means
Speaker 1: of escaping her personal woes. She had a miscarriage during
Speaker 1: the first months of her marriage and had not gotten pregnant.
Speaker 1: Since she worried that her infertility was God's punishment for
Speaker 1: defending Petronilla's bigamous marriage, she asked Bernard if he could
Speaker 1: plead to God on her behalf to grant her a child.
Speaker 1: Bernard replied that if she convinced Louis to make peace
Speaker 1: with Theobald, she would have a child within weeks. Louis
Speaker 1: removed his troops from Theobold's territory, while the pope continued
Speaker 1: to hold his ban on Petronilla and Ralph's union. Even
Speaker 1: though Eleanor did not successful campaigned for her sister's marriage,
Speaker 1: she did get something she wanted. In eleven forty five,
Speaker 1: Eleanor conceived and gave birth to a daughter, Marie, Countess
Speaker 1: of Champagne. Meanwhile, even though Ralph and Petronilla were still excommunicated,
Speaker 1: they tried to remain in the good graces of the
Speaker 1: church by establishing religious houses Eleanor and Louis continued to
Speaker 1: press the couple's case before they left on Crusade in
Speaker 1: eleven forty seven. Finally, when Ralph's first wife died in
Speaker 1: eleven forty eight, Pope Eugenius the Third recognized the validity
Speaker 1: of Ralph and Petronilla's marriage. This good news was likely
Speaker 1: a relief to Petronilla, Ralph, Eleanor, and Louis, who had
Speaker 1: all been fighting tirelessly for the couple's official recognition for years.
Speaker 1: But Bernard of Clervaux couldn't help but interfere one more time.
Speaker 1: He responded with two ominous predictions that their marriage would
Speaker 1: not last long and that their children would have no
Speaker 1: children of their own. Both of these predictions would ultimately
Speaker 1: come true. Ralph died just four years later on October fourteenth,
Speaker 1: eleven fifty two, and though the couple had three children,
Speaker 1: they would not have any grandchildren. Their son died in
Speaker 1: his early twenties, and their two daughters married four times
Speaker 1: between them, but did not produce any children of their own.
Speaker 1: It seems that God might have had something to say
Speaker 1: about their marriage, after all, that's the story of Petronilla
Speaker 1: of Aquitaine. But stick around after a brief sponsor break
Speaker 1: to hear about how a charged interaction between Bernard of
Speaker 1: Clervaux and Petronilla's father became a myth. In eleven thirty one,
Speaker 1: Eleanor and Petronilla's father, Duke William the tenth of Aquitaine,
Speaker 1: refused to support Pope Innocent after a conflict about papal succession.
Speaker 1: Bernard of Clervaux, a fierce supporter of Pope Innocent, headed
Speaker 1: to Aquitaine to change his mind. According to legend, Bernard
Speaker 1: invited Duke William to a mass at the Church of
Speaker 1: La Caldre. William stood by the door since he was
Speaker 1: under threat of excommunication because of his refusal to align
Speaker 1: with the new pope. In a dramatic flourish, right as
Speaker 1: communion was being passed out, Bernard marched right up to
Speaker 1: the Duke and begged him not to despise God as
Speaker 1: he did God's servants. At that moment, William fell to
Speaker 1: his knees and pledged his allegiance to Pope Innocent. Dramatic
Speaker 1: as that scene sounds, it's unlikely that it actually happened.
Speaker 1: In reality, Duke William didn't yield to Pope Innocent. Authority
Speaker 1: until eleven thirty five, but this image of Duke William's
Speaker 1: quote conversion became a common motif in Catholic art. Depictions
Speaker 1: of Bernard placidly offering the Eucharist while William is fainting
Speaker 1: or falling over appear in churches and museums throughout Europe.
Speaker 1: In most of these images, William's crown lies on the
Speaker 1: ground as a symbol of his submission. It makes for
Speaker 1: a pretty good painting. Noble Blood is a production of
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood
Speaker 1: is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and
Speaker 1: research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit and
Speaker 1: Julia Milani. The show is at It Did and produced
Speaker 1: by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il Kaali and
Speaker 1: executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For
Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.