Captal de Buch (later Buché from Latin ''capitalis'', "first", "chief") was a medieval feudal title in Gascony held by Jean III de Grailly among others. According to Du Cange, the designation ''captal'' (''capital, captau, capitau'') was applied loosely to the more illustrious nobles of Aquitaine, counts, viscounts, &c., probably as ''capitales domini'', "principal lords", though he quotes more fanciful explanations. As an actual title, the word was used only by the seigneurs of Trene, Puychagut, Epernon and Buch.

Buch Buch (the German word for book or a modification of the German word '' Buche'' for beech) may refer to: People * Buch (surname), a list of people with the surname Buch Geography ;Germany: *Buch am Wald, a town in the district of Ansbach, Bavaria ...

was a strategically located town and port on the Atlantic, in the bay of Arcachon. When Pierre, the seigneur of Grailly (''ca'' 1285 – 1356) married Asalide (the ''captaline de Buch''), the heiress of Pierre-Amanieu de

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, captal de Buch, in 1307, the title passed into the Grailly family, a line of fighting seigneurs with origins in Savoy. The title is best known in connexion with the famous soldier Jean III de Grailly, captal de Buch (r. 1343–1376), the "captal de Buch" par excellence, immortalized by

Jean Froissart Jean Froissart (Old and Middle French: ''Jehan'', – ) (also John Froissart) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meliador'', a long Arthurian ...

as the confidant of the

Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...

and the champion of the English cause against France during the first phase of the Hundred Years' War. He played a decisive role as a cavalry leader in the

Battle of Poitiers The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a French army commanded by King JohnII and an Anglo- Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince, during the Hundred Years' War. It took place in western France, south of Poit ...

(1356). In 1364, he ravaged the country between Paris and Rouen, but was beaten by

Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' Wa ...

at the Battle of Cocherel (1364) and taken prisoner. Released next year, he received the seigniory of Nemours and took the oath of fealty to the French king,

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

, but soon resigned his new fief and returned to his allegiance to the English king. In 1367, he took part in the Battle of Navarrete (1367) in which Du Guesclin was taken prisoner, the captal being entrusted with his safe-keeping. In 1371, Jean de Grailly was appointed constable of Aquitaine, but was taken prisoner next year and interned in the Temple in Paris where, resisting all the tempting offers of the French king, he remained until his death five years later.

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*{{cite web , last=Marek , first=Miroslav , url=http://genealogy.euweb.cz/foix/foix3.html , title= Genealogy of the seigneurs de Grailly, captals de Buch , publisher= Genealogy.EU Buch, Captal de House of Grailly Grailly Medieval titles