Agnes of France ¹

  General Notes:

Agnes of France was the only daughter of Louis VII of France by his third wife Adèle of Champagne.

She was a younger half-sister of Marie de Champagne, Alix of France, Marguerite of France and Alys, Countess of the Vexin. She was a younger sister of Philip II of France.

She was betrothed at an early age to the only son and heir apparent of Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel I Comnenus by his second wife Maria of Antioch. She was sent to Constantinople to be raised alongside her betrothed and trained in the beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Church. She was also introduced there to the Byzantine protocol, both stricter and more complex that the one current to France in the Middle Ages. She was baptized and renamed to Anna Comnena.

On September 24, 1180, Manuel I died and her betrothed succeeded him as Alexius II Comnenus. He was an adolescent of 13 years of age but married Anna shortly after his ascension. However the new Empress consort was living in the shadow of her mother-in-law. Maria exercised more influence in affairs of the state than Anna.

By 1183, Maria was dispaced by a new power behind the throne, Andronicus I Comnenus. Andronicus was a first cousin of Manuel I and harbored imperial ambitions for himself. He was soon crowned co-ruler of Alexius and had him strangled in October of the same year. Anna was a widow at age 12. But not for long, since the approximately 65 year-old Andronicus married her.

Anna continued to serve as Empress consort until the deposition and death of Andronicus I on September 12, 1185. She reportedly survived the fall by becoming mistress to general Alexius Branas who continued to exercise influence under new Emperor Isaac II Angelus.

Anna was not heard again until 1204. Then she married Theodosius Branas, son of her former lover. She is believed to have long survived all three of her husbands.

Agnes married Alexius II Comnenus, son of Manuel I Comnenus and Maria of Antioch, in 1180. (Alexius II Comnenus was born in 1167 and died in 1183.)