Antigny (family)

The d'Antigny family was one of the most powerful families in the Bresse . Its origins lie in Antigny-le-Château in the Côte-d'Or department . A real strengthening of the sex took place with the second marriage of Guillaume d'Antigny with Béatrix de Vienne , whereby he became lord of Sainte-Croix . The d'Antigny had as vassals of the Dukes of Burgundy , the whole area of the Saône to Lons-le-Saunier and Cuiseaux and kept for several centuries the title as lords of Sainte-Croix . They in turn enfeoffed a large number of feudal men in their rule.

Coat of arms of the family d'Antigny de Sainte-Croix "golden cross in the black field"

Family tree of the d'Antigny de Sainte-Croix

genealogy

The point • denotes the generation after the ancestor.

Eudes, first (known) lord of Antigny , Viscount of Beaune , (lives 1116)

• Philippe d'Antigny (lives 1180), son or grandson of Eudes)

•• Guillaume d'Antigny , Lord of Pagny (lives 1180 † 1229) ⚭ Beatrix de Vienne

••• Hugues de Vienne , Lord of Seurre , Sainte-Croix and Montpont (lives 1241)

••• Henri d'Antigny († 1284) ⚭ Marguerite

•••• Alix de Sainte-Croix ⚭ Knight Guillaume de Saint-Maurice

•••• Jeanne de Sainte-Croix ⚭ Hugues, lord of Vaugrenant

•••• Guillaume II. D'Antigny, lord of Antigny and Sainte-Croix 1.⚭ Guillemette (daughter of Vaucher de Commercy ) 2.⚭ Marguerite de Bourgogne, (daughter of Renaud de Bourgogne, count of Montbéliard and builder of Chastel -Regnault (Châteaurenaud near Louhans))

••••• Étienne de Sainte-Croix, Lord of Savigny-en-Revermont

•••••• Étienne de Sainte-Croix (* around 1300 † after 1362), school canon

•••••• Philippe de Sainte-Croix, Bishop of Mâcon (1363-1380)

••••• Simon de Sainte-Croix, doyen of the Saint-Vincent cathedral in Mâcon

••••• Henri II. D'Antigny ⚭ Marguerite de Bellevesvre

•••••• Guillaume III. d'Antigny, lord of Sainte-Croix

••••••• Henri III. d'Antigny, lord of Sainte-Croix, from his first marriage, died without descendants

••••••• Jeanne de Sainte-Croix ⚭ Henri de Vienne, Lord of Mirebel .

The reign of Sainte-Croix then passed back to the de Vienne family , which had been re-established thanks to Hugues de Vienne . For the sake of completeness, the descendants of Jeanne and Henri:

•••••••• Hugues VI. de Vienne, Lord of Seurre , Sainte-Croix and Montpont

••••••••• Guillaume III. de Vienne , known as the Wise, lord of Saint-Georges and Sainte-Croix († after March 11, 1435, but before 1445) married "into a large and noble family". He became adviser and chamberlain to Duke Philip the Good, governor of the county and duchy of Burgundy, envoy to the Council of Constance, first knight of the golden fleece (1430)

•••••••••• Guillaume IV. De Vienne, lord of Saint-Georges and Sainte-Croix ⚭ 1410 Alix de Chalon, sold the manors and his goods to satisfy his wastefulness. In 1461 he sold Louhans to Rudolf von Hachberg , the husband of Margarethe von Vienne (* 1422, † 1458), Countess von Blamont. Guillaume died in Tours en Touraine.

••••••••••• Jehan de Vienne, "who was lacking even more courage and personality", let the ruins of Saint-Georges and Sainte-Croix completely fall into disrepair and gave his property into the hands of third parties .

•••••• Huguette d'Antigny 1.⚭ 1319 Étienne de Saint-Dizier († murdered 1328), Lord of Saint-Laurent-la-Roche 2.⚭ Philippe de Vienne, Lord of Pymont

••••••• Béraud († 1342), from his first marriage, ceded all his goods to his mother and died penniless

••••••• Guillaume, from his second marriage, became prior of Saint-Laurent

••••••• Marguerite († after 1399) ⚭ 1360 Louis I de Chalon , lord of Arguel and Cuiseaux († 1366)

••••••• Jeanne († 1365) ⚭ Tristan de Chalon -Arlay, Lord of Orgelet and Chatel-Belin († murdered 1369)

•••••••• Jean III. de Chalon -Arlay, Prince of Orange, Lord of Saint-Laurent and Arlay († 1396 in Hungary)

Short biographies

Guillaume d'Antigny

Guillaume d'Antigny , lord of Pagny († 1229) was a favorite of Eudes , Duke of Burgundy. By marriage, Eudes came into the possession of the von Vergy family's estates and then gave all possessions beyond (east) the Saône Guillaume d'Antigny as a fief, with the exception of the possessions of the Cîteaux monastery . Through her marriage to Beatrix de Vienne , her goods came into the possession of Guillaume d'Antigny. These included all the possessions in the Louhans region, particularly Sainte-Croix .

Beatrix de Vienne

Beatrix de Vienne is the second daughter of Gerhard II († 1224), Count of Mâcon and Vienne, younger sister of Alix († 1260), Countess of Mâcon and Vienne. Alix married Johann von Dreux (* 1198 † 1239), after his death she sold her goods. 1239 Mâcon to Louis IX. , King of France, in 1240 her other goods passed to her younger sister Beatrix, through which they came into the possession of Guillaume d'Antigny .

Hugues de Vienne

Hugues de Vienne took over the title of Count de Vienne from his mother towards the middle of the 13th century and carried on the name and coat of arms of the de Vienne . He founded the new branch of the family, which continued for several centuries. The family split into a large number of branches and existed until the 17th century. Hugues de Vienne and his brother owned half of the Lons-le-Saunier estate .

Henri d'Antigny

Henri d'Antigny de Sainte-Croix († 1284) ⚭ Marguerite (more is not known about his wife, except that she and her husband donated 10 florins to the Miroir monastery in 1265  ). He received the estates in Antigny-le-Château and Sainte-Croix and from then on called himself Lord of Sainte-Croix and Longepierre. He owns numerous estates to the left (east) of the Saône and founded the branch of the d'Antigny de Sainte-Croix . He and his brother own Lons-le-Saunier.

Louhans owes his license to Henri d'Antigny. He issued it in 1269 before he went on the crusade with King Louis IX . The charter (the original is owned by the city of Louhans) was the basis for the liberation of the citizens, the redemption from serfdom, dead hand and the majority of feudal rights. He envisaged a majour or maire for the city, an elementary administration and privileges for the inhabitants, as well as opportunities to reach the bourgeoisie. The charter was solemnly read and sworn by the Lord and the citizens. A little later, in 1275, Henri d'Antigny also issued a charter for Beaurepaire , which is very similar to that of Louhans . He hoped that this would strengthen his influence over other gentlemen, e.g. B. from Branges, Cuiseaux, Sagy, and more residents to move to Beaurepaire , which is about the same distance from Louhans and Lons-le-Saunier , and what he wanted to make an important center. It is unclear whether the issuing of these charter was a matter of personal interests or pure philanthropy. It is written in the letters of Cuiseaux and Sagy for our benefit , for our gain and that of our heirs, and for the prosperity we desire it is in the letters of Louhans and Beaurepaire . In any case, the cards were a novelty and had a great influence on the development of that time.

Étienne II. De Sainte-Croix

Étienne de Sainte-Croix received extensive training in the first years of the 14th century, studied theology, received a licentiate in civil and canon law and was canon of the Saint Vincent Cathedral of Chalon-sur-Saône and the Church of Notre-Dame in Beaune . In the church of Sainte-Croix (in the wall on the left after the entrance) there is a tomb slab dated from 1350 by Étienne de Sainte-Croix. It shows him as a teacher who teaches his students on a chair , who in turn have open books in front of them in which Latin moral sayings can be recognized. Etienne may have taught in Chalon himself, later he was a school canon and was responsible for running the schools. In 1357 Étienne is mentioned as a member of the Court of Justice in Beaune , there are documents from 1360, sealed by him, confirming the receipt of the compensation as adviser to the Queen of France. In 1361 he acts as a mediator after the Archbishop of Besançon had imposed an interdict on Auxonne . In the following year he becomes commissioner of the bailiwick of Chalon and oversees the collection of the taxes that were levied on the ransom of John the Good . It was not until 1362 that his trace was lost, and although the grave slab indicates the year 1350, this was not the year of his death, but probably the year the slab was made, obviously during his lifetime, while the correct date of death was not added later.

Huguette d'Antigny

Huguette d'Antigny , daughter of Henri d'Antigny , sister of Guillaume III. She was famous for her beauty, but also for her incestuous and criminal lifestyle. She was born in Sainte-Croix Castle and married Étienne de Saint-Dizier , Lord of Saint-Laurent-la-Roche , in 1319 . It is assumed that the wedding ceremony took place at Castle Sainte-Croix, in the presence of illustrious guests, knights, squires, vassals from the near and far. They came from all sides, from the Bresse and the Comté, a procession of armored knights, colorful nobles and ladies of honor, the lords of Bellevesvre, Montcony, Mervans, Branches and other places that crossed the town of Louhans, stopped for a moment at the castle , the ladies in shiny clothes, the pages, the squires, the servants and servants prancing their horses . At the bell ringing in the castle and church, the residents, vassals and fiefdoms brought their congratulations and tributes, laden with fat poulards and everything edible that could be found, meat, game, fish.

When the big day came, a solemn ceremony took place, several bishops blessed the couple, then the company took place on the seats and dais in the castle courtyard and the booths, and Tjosten began, afterwards the games of the free farmers and the runners while the peasants, servants and maids lingered with their games of skill in meadows and pastures. In Solnan a mast was erected, it was important to meet with long poles a suspended harness. If this failed, the player risked falling into the water with scornful laughter. The day ended with music and dancing and the tables bent under the weight of the food. One drank wine with ginger, beer and mead in abundance ...

Musicians and minstrels played the guitars and harps, the troubadours played their minnesong, while jugglers showed their skills and jugglers demonstrated their dogs and monkeys.

After a few days, the first invited said goodbye to go to their home castles. The two newlyweds, the beautiful but haughty Huguette and the noble and powerful Étienne de Saint-Dizier, already a bit worn out from many military campaigns, set out with their entourage to move into their Château de Saint-Laurent-la-Roche.

The two spouses lived in their castle for several years. Étienne often left them to follow his master, Jean de Chalon, on the campaigns. Huguette with her charm and her beauty had completely cast a spell on Étienne and he showered her with gifts, yes she ruined him with her wishes and demands.

Little by little her heart cooled, his long absences no longer bothered her, betrayal and malice took possession of her heart. She began to hate Étienne and more and more got criminal thoughts. Nine years after the splendid wedding, in the winter of 1328, Étienne de Saint-Dizier suddenly disappeared from his castle without a trace.

In retrospect, the following was found: Huguette decided to carry out her crime one night in February, with the help of Guillaume de Saint-Dizier, her lover and brother of her husband, who lived in the Alièze fortress . Under his guidance, eight bribed farmers approached the castle and the doors were opened silently for them. They crept into Etienne's room, who was asleep in his bed. "On, on, on the horse, Sire, you wanted to poison Madame!" shouted one of the farmers. "You are lying, traitor who you are," replied the lord of Saint-Laurent indignantly, looked around, saw the weapons and recognized Guillaume, his brother: "Brother," he said quietly, "you are wrong, I have granted you the hospitality and you drank some of my wine. " But he soon found that his requests were unsuccessful, saw the motionless expressions and called on all the saints (he would have heard so many names of saints that he could not count them, one of the defendants later gave on record) to finally himself to surrender and obey. He got up, dressed, but without shoes. The men led him quietly out of the castle, through the orchard, where their horses were waiting. They put him on a black horse and the train quietly makes its way to Alièze Castle.

The night was cold and Étienne arrived frozen at his brother's castle, where he was locked in a cellar. Three days later, his murderers put a belt around his neck and strangled him. The body was dragged from the cellar and under the eyes of his brother they tied him to a horse and threw him into a deep hole in the forest. The murderers kept their secret for two years, then the body of Étienne was found by a bird catcher. The Count of Auxerre, Jean II of Chalon, ordered an investigation and assembled his court in Orgelet . He was closely connected with the victim, with whom he had shared innumerable dangers and who had accompanied him on many campaigns. The killers confessed to everything, but their statements were directed against Huguette de Sainte-Croix. She had fled to the castle of her sister-in-law, Marguerite de Montbéliard, whose sister was the wife of Jean de Chalon. Although annoyed with what she was doing, he couldn't harm her for family reasons. Huguette had all of her belongings taken away without showing herself, even though she was summoned three times.

It is not known exactly what happened in the following years, but she reappeared in front of the altar in the Saint-Laurent castle to marry a second time. Her husband became one of the most powerful lords of Burgundy, Philippe III. de Vienne , Lord of Pymont and was related to both his bride and the murdered man. With this connection he united numerous gentlemen and hoped to put an end to the hatred within the family. However, he had not considered that because of his relatives, the marriage would be considered incestuous. The Pope was approached, who stated in a bull of February 1338 that Philippe had only married to end the wars, murders and pillages between the families and that it would be a great danger and a scandal to break this marriage and he therefore allowed Philippe to continue living with Huguette.

Even if the Lord of Pymont had obviously succumbed to the charms of his bride, there seemed to have been a faint doubt about her character, at least the marriage contract of October 23, 1337 contained the clause: If ever a doubt or a discomfort between Philippe and Huguette Should sneak, her brother, Herr von Sainte-Croix, would be entitled to give instructions and make orders.

One wonders how Huguette managed to get into this new marriage, evade punishment and even rehabilitate herself from her guilt. Her famous name, her relationships in the highest circles seemed to have contributed, as did the dissenting opinions of three court experts. All three had checked the files, but only one felt that civil litigation was necessary and the other two did not find enough arguments to argue against them. She had only been accused by peasants, these measly statements were hardly sufficient for a trial against such high nobles . They contented themselves with the simple farmers in Orgelet unbutton ...

Huguette not only escaped trial, she was soon in full possession of her property again, including the castle of Saint-Laurent, where she had planned and carried out the murder of her first husband. Béraud , the only son from her marriage to Étienne, gave her castle to Saint-Laurent and in the same year the castles of Augisey and Sainte-Agnès . These assignments were considered to compensate for debts that Béraud had recognized on behalf of his father and that his mother had paid. At the end of the guardianship relationship, Béraud - at the age of eighteen - also ceded his other assets to his mother. These assignments were later unsuccessfully contested by his heirs.

Huguette lived until 1359, in her will she donated six perpetual masses in the church of Saint-Laurent-la-Roche, she was buried in the monastery of the Cordeliers of Lons-le-Saunier. She left behind her second husband and three children. Guillaume became prior in Saint-Laurent, Marguerite married in 1362 Louis de Chalon, Lord of Arguel and Cuiseaux and Jeanne allied with Tristan von Chalon-Arlay, Lord of Orgelet and Chatel-Belin, their son in turn was Jean de Chalon-Arlay III, Prince of Orange. Due to the debt that Huguette had to her brother-in-law, the fratricide, there is reasonable suspicion that the judges and experts were all bribed.

literature

• Lucien Guillemaut : Armoiries et familles nobles de la Bresse louhannaise: armoiries ouvrières, armoiries particulières et de familles . 1909 ( at gallica.bnf.fr ).
• Lucien Guillemaut: Histoire de la Bresse louhannaise . tape 1 , 1911, p. 424 ff .

Single receipts

1. ↑ Representation of the grave slab of Étienne de Sainte-Croix in the church of Sainte-Croix ( Memento of the original of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , French, accessed December 29, 2014 
2. ^ Article in Le Journal de Saône-et-Loire of July 19, 2011, in French, accessed December 30, 2014
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Translated from Lucien Guillemaut , Histoire de la Bresse Louhannaise , Volume 1, page 430 ff.

Web links

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