Jean II d'Harcourt

Jean II. D'Harcourt called le Preux (* 1245 ; † December 21, 1302 ), was a French knight, Lord of Harcourt , Baron of Elbeuf and Vice-Count of Châtellerault and Saint-Sauveur . He was the son of Jean I. le Prud'homme , Seigneur d'Harcourt and Baron d'Elbeuf, and Alix de Beaumont.

biography

Coat of arms Jeans II. D'Harcourt

Jean II. D'Harcourt was one of the great barons in the entourage of the French kings Philip III. and Philip IV. In 1270 he took part in the Seventh Crusade to Tunis . He is later found in the suite of Charles of Anjou in Sicily . In 1283 he was appointed Marshal of France . In 1285 he accompanied King Philip III. on his Aragonese Crusade .

In 1295 he resigned as Marshal of France when King Philip IV wanted to carry the war to England, and instead assumed the title of Admiral of France . In this function he led the French fleet to Dover , which he was able to capture and burn down. In 1302 he accompanied Karl von Valois to Sicily , where he commanded the gendarmerie . On his return from this campaign he died on December 21, 1302. He was buried in the park of the Château d'Harcourt.

Jean II. D'Harcourt had a violent feud with the chamberlain Robert de Tancarville, who had caused great excitement and discord at court. This quarrel was a proxy war, because behind the two were Harcourt's old comrade in arms, Karl von Valois, as the king's brother, and on the other side, Enguerrand de Marigny , as close adviser to the king. The strife between Valois and Marigny (who became first minister in 1304) did not end until 1315, 13 years after Harcourt's death, with the execution of Marigny.

Marriages and offspring

Jean II was married twice. His first marriage was with Agnes von Lothringen, a daughter of Duke Friedrich III. and the Marguerite de Champagne. The marriage remained childless.

As a widower, he married Jeanne de Châtellerault in 1275, heiress of the vice-county of Châtellerault . Your children were:

• Jean III († 1329), Sire d'Harcourt
• Jeanne, ∞ Henri, Baron d ' Avaugour , de Goëllo et de Mayenne († 1331)
• Marguerite, ∞ I Robert, Seigneur de Boulainvillers et de Chepoy , ∞ II Raoul d'Estouteville, Seigneur de Rames ( House Estouteville ).

literature

• Chronology historique-militaire. Volume 2. Herissant, Paris 1760, pp. 112-113 .
• Jean Favier : Dictionnaire de la France médiévale. Fayard, Paris 1993, ISBN 2-213-03139-8 , pp. 486-487.