Theobald V, Count of Blois

Who was Theobald V, Count of Blois?

Theobald V of Blois, also known as Theobald the Good, was Count of Blois from 1151 to 1191. He was son of Theobald II of Champagne and Matilda of Carinthia. Although he was the second son, Theobald inherited Blois, while his elder brother, Henry got the more important county of Champagne.

He first married Sybil of Chateaurenault, which made him lord of Chateaurenault. Next he married Alix of France, daughter of Louis VII of France and his first wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.

According to medieval Jewish sources, in 1171 Theobald was responsible for orchestrating the first blood libel in continental Europe. As a result of a church-sponsored trial, 30 or 31 members of the Jewish community were burned at the stake.

Theobald lived primarily in Chartres and had its city walls renovated. After joining his brother Henry and a number of other nobles in opposing the young king Philip II, he reconciled with the king and supported him on the Third Crusade. He arrived in the summer of 1190 in the Holy Land and died on 20 January 1191, during the Siege of Acre.