Adela was the third child and first daughter of Theobald II, Count of Champagne and Matilda of Carinthia,[1] and had nine brothers and sisters.

[citation needed] It took five years for Adela to give birth to Louis VII's only son, the future Philip Augustus, also called Philip "Dieu-Donne" or "God-given" because his birth was long-awaited by a kingdom that had enjoyed a long unbroken lineage of undisputed male heirs to the throne.

[4] Adela was active in the political life of the kingdom, along with her brothers Henry I, Theobald V, and William of the White Hands.

Adela formed an alliance with Hugh III of Burgundy and Philip I of Flanders, and even tried to interest Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

According to Gislebert of Mons, Isabella then appeared barefooted and dressed as a penitent in the town's churches to gain public support, which convinced Philip to change his mind.