House of Blois chose a wife from the House of Champagne (Adela of Champagne) as a counterpoise to Angevin power. The senior line of the House of Blois became extinct with the death of Joan I of Navarre, wife of Philip IV of France, in 1305. Champagne and Navarre passed to the Capetian dynasty. King Stephen I of England, 1135–1154, was both a member of the House of Blois and the last Anglo-Norman King, being the grandson of William the Conqueror through his daughter Adela of Normandy. A branch of the family was established in Sancerre by Stephen I of Sancerre, a younger
Blois Cathedral the Bishops of Blois. Blois Cathedral The Cathedral of St. Louis of Blois, commonly referred to as Blois Cathedral (French: "Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Blois"; "Cathédrale Blois") is a Late Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral in Blois, France. It has been a monument historique (a national heritage site of France) since 1906. It is the seat of the Bishopric of Blois, established in 1697. The cathedral is in the Late Gothic style. Before becoming a cathedral, the building was a collegiate church dedicated to Saint Solenne. Construction began in the 12th century. However, except for traces in the crypt and in the