Theobald was the younger son of Henry I of Champagne and Marie, a daughter of Louis VII of France. He succeeded as count of Champagne in 1197 upon the death of his older brother Henry II.
In 1198, Pope Innocent III called the Fourth Crusade. There was little enthusiasm for the crusade at first, but in 1199 various nobles of France gathered at Theobald's court for a tournament, including the preacher Fulk of Neuilly. There, they "took the cross," and elected Theobald their leader, but he died the next year and was replaced by Boniface of Montferrat.
Theobald married Blanche of Navarre, and was succeeded by his posthumous son by Blanche, Theobald IV. She was to rule as regent for the following 21 years, during which the succession was contested by Theobald's nieces.
of Champagne, died before his son's birth, and his mother, Blanche of Navarre, was compelled to resign the guardianship of the young prince to Philip Augustus, king of France, but there is little doubt that the child was acquainted with Chretien de Troyes and the other trouveres who found patronage at the court of Champagne.
The real reason for Thibaut's desertion appears to have been a desire to consolidate his position as heir-apparent of Navarre by an alliance with the disaffected nobility of the south of France, but from this confederation Blanche was skilful enough to detach him.
Thibaut was the most popular of all the I3th century song-writers, and his work is marked by a grace and sweetness which he owes perhaps in part to his association with the troubadours of the south.
Henry II of Champagne (July 29, 1166-September 10, 1197), was count of Champagne from 1181 to 1197, and king of Jerusalem from 1192 to 1197.
Henry was the eldest son of Count Henry I of Champagne and Marie de Champagne, a daughter of King Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
His heir-general was his eldest daughter Alice who was soon married to her stepbrother King Hugh I of Cyprus and whose heirs represent the senior line of Counts of Champagne.
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