Alys, Countess of the Vexin
Alys, Countess of the Vexin (October 4, 1160-c.1220) was the daughter of King Louis VII of France and his second wife Constanza of Castile, daughter of Alfonso VII of Castile and Berenguela of Barcelona. Her mother died giving birth to her. Also known as Alaïs, Adélaïde, Adèle, or Alix (but not to be confused with her half-sister Alix of France, the daughter of Louis by his first wife Eleanor of Aquitaine).
Alys was a younger half-sister to Marie de Champagne and Alix of France. She was a younger sister to Marguerite of France. She was also an older half-sister to Philip II of France and Agnes of France.
As a child she was betrothed to Prince Richard of England and sent to England, but once there Alys was seduced by his father King Henry II of England and became his mistress after Eleanor of Aquitaine (ex-wife of Louis VII, wife of Henry II, mother of Richard) had been imprisoned by Henry. There were unsubstantiated rumours at the time that she had a child by Henry. It was said of Alys that "except for her looks, the tales were none too good."
When King Henry died on July 6, 1189, her long-time fiance, Richard, succeeded to the throne but terminated their engagement in Messina in March 1190, on the grounds that she had borne a child by his father. She was sent back to France in 1195.
Her brother, King Philip II of France, had offered her to Richard's younger brother Prince John in 1192, but Queen Mother Eleanor of Aquitaine put a stop to that. Instead Alys was married on August 20, 1195 to William III Talvas, Count of Ponthieu, and they had three daughters: Jean (born dead), Marie, Countess of Ponthieu, and Isabelle. Alys was still alive on July 28, 1218.
Portrayed in Fiction
Alaïs is the narrator of the historical novel Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll Healey (ISBN 0-06-052535-5).
Alys appears briefly as a minor character in Sharon Kay Penman's novel, Time and Chance.
In the 1968 film adaptation of James Goldman's play, The Lion in Winter, Alais is played by actress Jane Merrow. In the 2003 adaptation of the same play, Alais is played by actress Yuliya Vysotskaya.
Sources
- Churchill, Winston. A History of the English Speaking People.
- Poole, A.L. Domesday Book to Magna Carta.
- Ralph of Diceto
- Roger of Hovedon
- Benedict of Peterborough
- Gerald of Wales