| Philippa of Champagne | |
|---|---|
| Lady of Ramerupt and de Vénisy | |
 Philippa of Champagne's seal | |
| Born | c. 1197 Holy Land |
| Died | 20 December 1250 (aged about 53) |
| Spouse | |
| Issue Detail | 9 |
| House | |
| Father | Henry II, Count of Champagne |
| Mother | Isabella I, Queen of Jerusalem |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Philippa of Champagne (French:Philippe de Champagne) (c. 1197 – 20 December 1250) was the third daughter of QueenIsabella I of Jerusalem and CountHenry II of Champagne. She was the wife ofErard de Brienne-Ramerupt, who encouraged her in 1216 to claim the county ofChampagne which belonged to her cousinTheobald IV, who was still a minor. This provoked the conflict with Theobald's mother, theRegent,Blanche of Navarre, which erupted into open warfare, and came to be known as theChampagne War of Succession. Blanche's son Theobald, who had the support of KingPhilip II of France,Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, andEudes III of Burgundy, eventually emerged the victor. Philippa renounced her claim in April 1222, but Theobald was constrained to pay Erard and Philippa a large monetary settlement for his rights to the county.
Philippa was born in about 1197 in theHoly Land, the youngest daughter of QueenIsabella I of Jerusalem and CountHenry II of Champagne.[1] She had two older sisters, Margaret (died as a child) andAlice of Champagne, who was the wife of KingHugh I of Cyprus.[1] Philippa had an older half-sisterMaria of Montferrat from her mother's second marriage toConrad of Montferrat. In the year of Philippa's birth her father was killed after falling from a first floor window inAcre. The county of Champagne passed to his brotherTheobald III. Following his death, Philippa's mother married her fourth husband, KingAmalric II of Jerusalem. The marriage produced three half-siblings for Philippa:Sybilla,Melisende, and Amalric. In 1205, her mother, stepfather, and infant half-brother all died, leaving Philippa an orphan at the age of eight. Her eldest half-sister, Maria of Montferrat succeeded asQueen of Jerusalem.
On 15 August 1214 Philippa married as her husband Erard I of Ramerupt, a powerful noble fromChampagne, France.[1][2] The couple married clandestinely in defiance ofPope Innocent III's prohibition of their marriage, due to the couple having been related within theprohibited degree of kinship.[3] Pope Innocent was prompted by the machinations of her aunt Blanche of Navarre, who had also seized Erard's fiefs.[4] Shortly after their marriage, Erard encouraged Philippa to claim her father's county of Champagne which had succeeded to her cousin Theobald IV, who was still a minor. His mother Blanche of Navarre acted as his regent and she violently defended her son's rights which soon led to open warfare. (See main article:Champagne War of Succession). In early 1216, Erard and Philippa returned to France, where they took up a position atNevers, but were besieged by the forces of Blanche of Navarre. Most of the Champagne barons rallied around Erard and Philippa, however, the French king, Philippe II, Emperor Frederick II, and the Duke of Burgundy intervened on behalf of Blanche and her son. Supporters of Blanche also convinced apapal legate that the divorce between Queen Isabella and her first husband,Humphrey IV of Toron had been invalid, thus making Philippa and her sister Alice illegitimate. However, the validity of the divorce was upheld, as there had been no impediment to Maria of Montferrat's accession to the throne in 1205. The war finally ended upon Theobald reaching his majority in 1222, and in April of that year, Philippa was persuaded to renounce her claim to Champagne on behalf of her cousin.[5] Theobald was however, obliged to pay Erard, Philippa and Alice a large monetary compensation. In addition to the generous financial settlement, Erard and Philippa were exempted from all payment of outstanding debts, andexcommunication.[4] After this time, Philippa and Alice abandoned their claim on Champagne.
Together Erard and Philippa had:
Philippa died on 20 December 1250, a little more than six years after her husband. She was aged about fifty-three.