Cécile de Réthel

6. CECILE de Rethel (-after 1126). "Cæcilia dominia Tarsi et soror regis Balduini II" donated property to the church of St Marie, Josaphat by charter dated 1126, with the agreement of Bohémond II Prince of Antioch[373]. same person as…? [--- de Rethel ([1085][374]-). Rüdt-Collenberg suggests that Cécile may have been the wife of Lewon of Armenia[375]. He bases this also on a passage in Orderic Vitalis which refers to Lewon as "fils de Turold des Montagnes [incorrect] et oncle de la femme de Boémond" (referring to Bohémond II Prince of Antioch)[376]. Orderic Vitalis relied on contemporary crusader chroniclers for his narrative of events in the Levant. However, the origin of this specific passage concerning Lewon's family has not been traced to the most likely sources, William of Tyre, Fulcher of Chartres or Baudry of Bourgeuil. The wife of Prince Bohémond II was Alix, daughter of Baudouin II King of Jerusalem, who had previously been count of Edessa and was the brother of Cécile (see above). No relationship between Lewon and King Baudouin has been identified in Lewon's paternal ancestry, although the known details of Lewon's paternal family are so sparse that it is not impossible that such a relationship existed (maybe more remote than a strict interpretation of the word "oncle" would imply). Rüdt-Collenberg suggests that the relationship was through Lewon's wife's family and that therefore she was the daughter of Hugues Comte de Rethel[377]. He also refers to her possible name as "Béatrice", but the source on which this is based is unclear from his notes[378]. Turning to the 1126 charter, Rüdt-Collenberg suggests that "Cæcilia dominia Tarsi et soror regis Balduini II" also refers to the wife of Lewon[379], although he does not explain the difference of name. "Dominia Tarsi" certainly suggests a reference to the ruler of Cilician Armenia. Armenian sources record that Lewon's brother Thoros was still "Lord of the Mountains" in 1126. No direct evidence has been found that Thoros shared power with his younger brother Lewon. The marriage of Thoros/Lewon to the sister of Baudouin II King of Jerusalem would have taken place in the early 1100s, assuming that it was a first marriage, when Baudouin was still count of Edessa. It would probably have taken place before Baudouin's period of imprisonment from 1104 to 1107 which followed the battle of Harran. It is clear from his own marriage that Baudouin followed a policy of rapprochement with his Armenian neighbours. However, it is more likely that he would have contracted a marriage alliance with the older son of the ruler in Cilicia, Thoros, rather than his younger brother Lewon whose prospects must not have been good at the time. So what of the other known sisters of Baudouin II King of Jerusalem? As is shown above, William of Tyre names only two, "Mahaldam" (called Mathilde in other sources) and "Hodiernam"[380], although it is possible that there were more who were otherwise unrecorded. Mathilde was still married to Eudes de Vitry in 1126 so can be excluded. The younger sister Hodierna had lost her second husband Roger Prince of Antioch in 1118. It is not impossible that she married again, either Lewon or his older brother Thoros, although the name change from Hodierna is difficult to explain. If this is correct she must have been a later wife who, the chronology suggests, was unlikely to have been the mother of the known children of whichever brother she married. This hypothesis could explain the consent given by Bohémond II Prince of Antioch to the 1126 donation as he would have been her previous husband's successor. In conclusion, the evidence for the precise identification of Lewon's wife is uncertain and confused, although many secondary sources, such as Europäische Stammtafeln[381], show the Rethel marriage as definite without any sign of doubt.

m ( [1101/04] ) [as his first wife], LEWON of Armenia [Rupenid], son of KOSTANDIN Lord of Vaghka and Parzerpert & his wife --- (-Constantinople 14 Oct 1140). He succeeded his nephew in 1129 as LEWON I Lord of the Mountains.]

/!\ Béatrice de Réthel (1080-190) /!\ alias: Cécile de Rethel (...-1126) (missing sister.. edit in this)

• not known daughter of Hugh I, count of Rethel
• not known wife of Thoros II, prince of Armenia
  • not known mother of his daughter NN of Armenia (moved)

Google's first result is: /!\ Béatrix de Rethel, Queen Consort of Sicily (1131-1185) /!\

Source PLZ   (edited)