Raoul I. de Coucy

Raoul I. de Coucy (* after 1142 ; † November 1191 before Acre ) was a lord (Sire) of Coucy , Marle , Vervins , Pinon , Crépy , Crécy and La Fère .

Life

Raoul was a son of Enguerrand II († before 1147) and his wife, Agnes de Beaugency. In 1181 he supported King Philip II of France in his conflict with Count Philip I of Flanders . He took part in the Third Crusade with his uncle, Robert de Boves , where both died in the siege of Acre . Raoul was buried in the Foigny monastery .

In his first marriage (around 1164) Raoul was married to Agnes von Hennegau, daughter of Count Balduin IV. Von Hennegau . He had three children with her:

• Yolande (* around 1164; † March 18, 1222), ∞ with Count Robert II of Dreux
• Isabella (* / †?), 1st ∞ with Count Raoul I of Roucy ; 2. ∞ with Count Heinrich III. by Grandpré
• Ada

His second wife was Alix von Dreux († around 1217), daughter of Count Robert I von Dreux . Your children were:

• Enguerrand III. the Great († around 1242), Sire of Coucy and Marle
• Thomas († 1252/53), Sire of Vervins
• Robert († around 1234), Sire of Pinon
• Raoul
• Agnes († 1214 or later), ∞ with Gilles de Beaumetz

See also House Boves

Legend

Raoul is often identified as the Châtelain de Coucy who became famous as the Trouvère . He is particularly connected to the legend according to which, lying dying, he told his squire to bring his heart to his lover Gabrielle in a silver capsule. Her husband displeased her and he forced her to eat the heart, whereupon she voluntarily starved herself to death.

Pierre Laurent de Belloy used this material in 1770 in the tragedy Gabrielle de Vergy , after which Gaetano Donizetti composed an opera in 1826.

More likely, however, the actual Châtelain de Coucy was a nephew of Raoul.

literature

• Jean-Benjamin Laborde: Mémoires historiques sur Raoul de Coucy. On ya joint le recueil de ses chansons en vieux langage, avec la Traduction & l'ancienne Musique. 2 volumes. Pierres, Paris 1781.