Name William the | Cousins Hugh II of Vermandois Aunts Eleanor of Champagne | |
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Died September 7, 1202, Laon, France Parents Theobald II, Count of Champagne, Matilda of Carinthia Grandparents Adela of Normandy, Stephen, Count of Blois, Engelbert, Duke of Carinthia, Uta of Passau Great-grandparents William the Conqueror, Matilda of Flanders | ||
William of the White Hands (French: Guillaume aux Blanches Mains; 1135–1202), also called William White Hands, was a French cardinal.
William was born in Brosse, Île-de-France, France. He was a son of Theobald the Great, Count of Blois and Count of Champagne, and Matilda of Carinthia.
William served as Bishop of Chartres in 1165, Archbishop of Sens (1169–1176), Archbishop of Reims (1175–1202), and the first Peer of France to bear that title. He anointed his nephew, Philip II of France, as co-king on 1 November 1179 in Rheims. Pope Alexander III created him Cardinal Priest of Santa Sabina in March 1179; as such, he signed the papal bulls between 8 April 1179 and 23 December 1201. He died on 7 September 1202.
William was portrayed by actor Liam O'Callaghan in the 1978 BBC TV drama series The Devil's Crown.