Aymer (Adhemar) DE VALENCE (1160?-1202)

Individual Events and Attributes

Marriage

	Isabella Angouleme, Queen Consort of England

Individual Note

Aymer I (c. 1160–16 June 1202), the last Taillefer Count of Angoulême.

Aymer (or Aymar) was the third of the 6 children of William V of Angoulême, the Count of Angoulême, and Marguerite of Turenne. His two elder brothers, Wulgrin III of Angoulême and William VI of Angoulême became the Counts of Angoulême, respectively, after the death of their father in 1179 (Wulgrin first, then William VI succeeding in 1181). Aymer succeeded his brother in 1186 as the Count of Angoulême.

In that same year, he married Alice of Courtenay, the daughter of Peter of Courtenay (the son of Louis VI of France) and Elizabeth of the House of Courtenay. In 1188, they had a daughter who would play an important role in the history of England and France: Isabella of Angoulême.

Aymer died in Limoges, France on June 16, 1202. His daughter and only child Isabella succeeded him as the ruler of the county of Angoulême. Her title, however, was largely empty since her husband John, king of England, denied Isabelle control of her inheritance as well as her marriage dowry and dower. John's appointed governor, Bartholomew le Puy, ran most of the administrative affairs of Angoulême until John's death in 1216. In 1217 Isabelle returned and seized her inheritance from le Puy, who appealed unsuccessfully to the English king for help.

SOURCES:

FMG on Aymar de Taillefer

FMG on Alix de Courtenay²

Sources