Enguerrand III. de Coucy

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Enguerrand III. de Coucy (* 1182 ; † approx. 1242 ) was lord of the barony of Coucy in Picardy (northern France). His nicknames were "the great" ( le Grand ) or "the builder" ( le Bâtisseur ). He was the eldest son of Raoul I. de Coucy († 1191) and Alice de Dreux (* 1156/57; † approx. 1217), a daughter of Count Robert I of Dreux .

Enguerrand III. was lord of the most powerful barony in France. His awareness of power was reflected in the expansion of his Coucy castle , which began in 1223, into one of the largest medieval castle complexes in Europe.

Death of Enguerrand III. by Coucy from the Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris .

Enguerrand III. took part with his brothers Thomas de Vervins and Robert de Pinon in all the great campaigns of the Capetians : 1205 in Anjou and 1214 in the battle of Bouvines . From 1216 to 1217 he supported Louis VIII the Lion in England, for which he was excommunicated in 1216 by the Archbishops of Reims , Sens and Rouen . In 1219 he was detached from the bishops of Laon and Noyon . In 1219 and 1226 Enguerrand took part in the Albigensian Crusade . In the years 1229–30 he took part in the opposition to the regent Blanka of Castile with a group of barons, led by his cousin from the Dreux house, Peter Mauclerc . Allegedly, Enguerrand is said to have made himself hopes for the royal throne, as he was a great-grandson of King Ludwig VI through his mother . the fat one was. Despite the failure of the revolt, he maintained his proud demeanor, made clear by his now famous saying:

Roi ne suis, ne Prince ne Duc ne Comte aussi; Je suis le sire de Coucy!
(I am not a king, neither prince nor duke nor count, I am the lord of Coucy!)

Enguerrand died when he fell from his saddle while crossing a stream near Vervins and fell into his own sword. His fame is based on his buildings, he had larger fortresses rebuilt and built six more castles.

Marriage and offspring

Enguerrand von Coucy family coat of arms

He was married three times. His first wife was Beatrix de Vignory, widow of Count Rudolf I of Roucy . In his second marriage between 1200 and 1205 he married Mathilde (also Mahaut or Richenza) of Saxony († before 1210), daughter of Duke Henry the Lion , widow of Count Gottfried III. from Le Perche . His third wife was Marie de Montmirail, with whom he had three daughters and two sons:

See also House Boves

literature

predecessor Office successor
Raoul I. de Coucy Lord of Coucy
1191-1243 		Raoul II de Coucy
Johann I. Count of Roucy
1200-? 		Johann II.

footnote

  1. ↑ Annales Londonienses, p. 43 (published in Annales Londoniensis and Annales Paulini by W. Stubbs; London, 1882)
personal data
SURNAME Enguerrand III. de Coucy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Enguerrand the Great; Enguerrand the builder
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lord of Coucy
DATE OF BIRTH 1182
DATE OF DEATH around 1242