Bertha of Holland
Bertha of Holland (c.
1055-
1094) was the first wife and queen of
Philippe I, King of France.
She was the daughter of
Floris I, Count of Holland, by his wife
Gertrude of Saxony, the daughter of
Bernard II, Duke of Saxony. After her father died in
1061, her mother remarried to
Robert I, Count of Flanders, called
Le Frisian. In
1072 her stepfather concluded a peace treaty with King Philippe, and part of the terms of the treaty Bertha was married to Philippe.
Nine years passed before Bertha produced the desired son and heir, Louis. Reportedly, her fertility was only restored thanks to the prayers of a hermit, Arnoul, who also named the child. Together, Philippe and Bertha had five children:# Constance (
1078-
1125), wife of
Bohemund I of Antioch#
Louis VI of France (
1081-
1137)# Henri (
1083 - died young)# Charles (
1085 - died young)# Eudes (
1087 -
1096)
In
1092, Philippe repudiated Bertha, alleging that she was too fat. He confined her to the fortress of
Montreuil-sur-Mer, and took up with
Bertrade de Montfort, the countess of Anjou.
* Duby, Georges.
The Knight, the Lady, and the Priest: the making of modern marriage in medieval France, 1983.
*
Encyclopaedia Britannica: A New Survey of Universal Knowledge, 1942, s.v. "Philip I".
