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Avesgaud (Latin '' Avesgaudus'') (died c. 1036) was a French nobleman, a member of the powerful
House of Bellême
House of Bellême also referred to as the Family of Bellême was an important seigneurial family during the 10th through the 12th centuries. Members of this family held the important castles of Bellême, Alençon, Domfront and Sées as well a ...
and was the
Bishop of Le Mans
The Catholic Diocese of Le Mans (Latin: ''Dioecesis Cenomanensis''; French: ''Diocèse du Mans'') is a Catholic diocese of France. The diocese is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo but had previously been suffrag ...
from 997 until his death. His episcopate was overshadowed by his ongoing wars with
Herbert I, Count of Maine
Herbert I (died 13 April 1035), called Wakedog (from French ''Eveille-chien'', Latinized as ''Evigilans Canis''), was the count of Maine from 1017 until his death. He had a turbulent career with an early victory that may have contributed to his l ...
.
Life
Avesgaud de Bellême was a son of
Yves de Bellême and Godeheu (Latin ''Godehildis'').
[Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 4 (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1989), Tafel 636] His maternal uncle was
Seinfroy (''Sigefroi''), Bishop of Le Mans, whom he succeeded around 997. His bishopric was centered on
St. Julian of Le Mans.
Both Seinfroy and Avesgaud belonged to the powerful and independent
House of Bellême
House of Bellême also referred to as the Family of Bellême was an important seigneurial family during the 10th through the 12th centuries. Members of this family held the important castles of Bellême, Alençon, Domfront and Sées as well a ...
, which controlled the borders of
Perche,
Séez and
Alençon, between the
Île-de-France
The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...
and
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
.
Kate Norgate
Kate Norgate (8 December 1853 – 17 April 1935) was a British historian. She was one of the first women to achieve academic success in this sphere, and is best known for her history of England under the Angevin kings and for coining the name ...
, ''England Under the Angevin Kings'', Vol. I (Macmillan and Co., New York, 1887), p. 204. The Bellêmes were not considered loyal to either Normandy or the French king.
Seinfroy, however, had been an adherent of
Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou
Geoffrey I of Anjou ( – 21 July 987), known as ("Grey Gown" or "Greymantle"), was count of Anjou from 960 to 987.
Life
Geoffrey was the eldest son of Fulk II, Count of Anjou and his first wife Gerberga. He succeeded his father as Count of Anj ...
, to whom he owed his appointment to the see of Le Mans. For possibly the same reason, Avesgaud was aligned with Count Fulk as well.
The first years of his reign as bishop were quiet, until Herbert became Count of Maine about 1017.
[Richard E. Barton, ''Lordship in the County of Maine, c. 890-1160'' (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 2004). p. 47] From that time on, the two were locked in a bitter and endless struggle. Avesgaud resisted all forms of comital control from Herbert Wake-dog and, in addition to his own forces, enlisted help from a knight named Herbrannus, paying him with lands from the church estates.
[R.E. Barton, 'Lordship in Maine, Transformation, Service and Anger',''Anglo-Norman Studies XVII: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1994'', Ed. Christopher Harper-Bill (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK, 1995), p. 51] However, Herbrannus failed to defend the Bishop against Count Herbert.
During his long wars with Herbert, the count attacked and destroyed Avesgaud's castle at
Duneau, causing Avesgaud to flee to the protection of his brother
William's castle at
Bellême
Bellême () is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. The musicologist Guillaume André Villoteau (1759–1839) was born in Bellême, as was Aristide Boucicaut (1810-1877), owner of ''Le'' ''Bon Marché'', the world's first de ...
.
Once he was safe, the Bishop excommunicated Herbert and then continued his warring against him.
Not long after the excommunication was lifted and peace was restored between them, Herbert started raiding the Bishop's estates again.
When Herbert learned the Bishop had built a castle at
La Ferté-Bernard
La Ferté-Bernard () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France.
History
La Ferté-Bernard owes its origin and name to a stronghold (''fermeté'') built about the 11th century and afterwards hel ...
, he attacked Avesgaud there, causing the Bishop to flee again, but this time the castle was repaired. On the last occasion Avesgaud was forced to leave his see, he traveled to the
Holy Land on a pilgrimage. He is said to have died c. 1036 at
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
on his return to Le Mans.
[According to the ''Cartulaire de St. Victeur au Mans'', ed. Bertrand de Broussillon, pp. i3, 10, in 1037 Avesgaud is said to have attested a charter at ]Angers
Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the pr ...
and, in March of 1039/40, another at Mont Saint-Michel. See Geoffrey H. White, 'The First House of Belleme', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Fourth Series, Vol. 22 (1940), p. 75 n 5&6. Other sources date his death from that of Count Herbert I of Maine, suggesting Avesgaud died about five months earlier, in October 1035. See Kate Norgate, ''England Under the Angevin Kings'', Vol. I (Macmillan and Co., New York, 1887), p. 205 n. 1.
Family
He was succeeded as bishop of Le Mans by his nephew
Gervais de Château-du-Loir
Gervais de Château-du-Loir (1007–1067) was a French nobleman, bishop, and a powerful figure of his time in Northern France. He was Bishop of Le Mans from 1036 and Archbishop of Reims from 1055.
His father was Aimon de Château-du-Loir,Jul ...
, son of his sister, Hildeburge de Bellême.
[Steven Fanning, 'A Bishop and His World Before the Gregorian Reform: Hubert of Angers, 1006-1047', ''Transactions of the American Philosophical Society'', Vo. 78, Part 1 (1988), pp. 132-33] His brother, Yves de Bellême (d. 1030), was the Abbot of
Fleury. Another nephew, Ives, son of his brother
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, was Seigneur de Bellême and
Bishop of Sées
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belleme, Avesgaud De
1035 deaths
Bishops of Le Mans
Year of birth unknown