Adeliza of
Louvain (
1103-
1151) is the daughter of a
French Count,
Godfrey of Louvain[?]. She married King
Henry I of England when she was eighteen and he was fifty three.
It is believed that Henry's only reason for marrying her was his desire for an heir. No children were born and when her husband died Adeliza lived as a nun at
Wilton, near
Salisbury.
As she was still young she came out of mourning and married
William de Albini[?],
Duke of Norfolk, and seven of their children were to survive.
Among the descendants of this marriage came two girls destined to become tragic queens;
Anne Boleyn and
Catherine Howard.
Adeliza spent her final years in
Flanders in a convent.