Elias I (also ''Hélie'' or ''Élie'') (died 11 July 1110), called de la Flèche or de Baugency, was the
Count of Maine
This is a list of counts and dukes of Maine. The capital of Maine was Le Mans. In the thirteenth century it was annexed by France to the royal domain.
Dukes of Maine (''duces Cenomannici'')
* Charivius ( fl. 723) – appears as ''dux'' in a docu ...
, succeeding his cousin
Hugh V, Count of Maine
Hugh V (c. 1055/1062 – 1131) was the count of Maine from 1069 until c. 1093.
Life
He was the son of Margrave Albert Azzo II of Milan and Gersendis, a sister of Count Hugh IV of Maine. In 1070, the citizens of Le Mans and some of the Mancea ...
.
He was the son of
Jean de la Flèche Jean de la Flèche, also known as Jean de Beaugency, Seigneur de la Flèche (c. 1030 – c. 1097) was an 11th-century French nobleman. He was the youngest son of Lancelin I de Beaugency (possible son of Landry Sore de Beaugency (died 1042)) and Ad ...
and Paula, daughter of
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 la ...
.
Life
During the revolt of 1091, which installed his cousin
Hugh V of Maine
Hugh may refer to:
*Hugh (given name)
Noblemen and clergy French
* Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks
* Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II
* Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...
as count, Elias supported him, taking over the castle of
Ballon
Ballon may refer to:
Places
* Ballon, County Carlow (''Balana'' in Irish), a village in Ireland
*Grand Ballon, the apex of the Vosges Mountains in France
*Ballon, Charente-Maritime, France
*Ballon, Sarthe, France
Others
* Ballon (ballet), the ap ...
, and imprisoning
Hoel, Bishop of Le Mans at his castle of
La Flèche
La Flèche () is a town and commune in the French department of Sarthe, in the Pays de la Loire region in the Loire Valley. It is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton, and the second most po ...
. Hugh was finally unable to build a sustainable position in the county, and sold it to Elias for 10,000 shillings in 1092.
After some peaceful years, he declared for the crusade in 1096, but later decided not to go, since
William Rufus
William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...
let him know that he planned to retake Maine. There was a first round of conflict in February–April 1098, where
Robert of Bellême
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
played a key role as William's ally. After some initial successes against Robert, Elias was captured and imprisoned (28 April 1098). At this point,
Fulk IV, Count of Anjou Fulk is an old European personal name, probably deriving from the Germanic ''folk'' ("people" or "chieftain"). It is cognate with the French Foulques, the German Volk, the Italian Fulco and the Swedish Folke, along with other variants such as F ...
, whose son Geoffrey was engaged to Elias's daughter
Ermengarde, intervened, entering Le Mans. William started campaigning again in June, obtained the surrender of the castle of Ballon but was unable to take Le Mans. An unsuccessful Angevin attack on Ballon allowed William to take many prisoners and force a peace treaty. By its terms, Helias was released, but Maine remained under William's control.
Elias was unhappy with the outcome, and there was a fallout between him and William. Elias's wife Mathilde died in March 1099, and soon afterwards, he resumed the war against William, besieging Le Mans. The ensuing hostilities burned the city, but the Norman garrison resisted in the forts. A quick and strong intervention by William forced Elias's retreat, but William could not press his advantage, since he was unable to take Mayet, where Elias's troops made a stand.
After William's death in 1100, Elias and Fulk took over Le Mans and expelled the Norman garrison, which surrendered after not obtaining help either from the Duke
Robert Curthose
Robert Curthose, or Robert II of Normandy ( 1051 – 3 February 1134, french: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. ...
or
King Henry. It is likely that Henry surrendered his claims to Maine in exchange for Elias's support, since from this point on Elias supported the king in almost all his regional conflicts. In the King's conflict with Robert Curthose, he led a sizable Manceaux contingent in the campaign of 1105, was present at the siege of Bayeux, and was a crucial ally at the decisive
Battle of Tinchebray
The Battle of Tinchebray (alternative spellings: Tinchebrai or Tenchebrai) took place on 28 September 1106, in Tinchebray (today in the Orne ''département'' of France), Normandy, between an invading force led by King Henry I of England, and th ...
, where he commanded the Manceaux/Breton infantry which inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. The only exception was his abrupt withdrawal at the siege of
Falaise
Falaise may refer to:
Places
* Falaise, Ardennes, France
* Falaise, Calvados, France
** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War
* La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France
* The Falaise escarpment in Quebe ...
.
After Elias death, the county of Maine passed to his daughter
Ermengarde, who was married to
Fulk V of Anjou
Fulk ( la, Fulco, french: Foulque or ''Foulques''; c. 1089/1092 – 13 November 1143), also known as Fulk the Younger, was the count of Anjou (as Fulk V) from 1109 to 1129 and the king of Jerusalem with his wife from 1131 to his death. During t ...
. After her death, the county passed definitely to the control of the counts of Anjou.
Family
In 1090 Elias married Matilda, daughter of
Gervais II, Lord of Château-du-Loir. They had a daughter, Ermengarde, who married
Fulk V of Anjou
Fulk ( la, Fulco, french: Foulque or ''Foulques''; c. 1089/1092 – 13 November 1143), also known as Fulk the Younger, was the count of Anjou (as Fulk V) from 1109 to 1129 and the king of Jerusalem with his wife from 1131 to his death. During t ...
.
In 1109, says
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis ( la, Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Modern historia ...
, Elias remarried to Agnes, the daughter of
William VIII, Duke of Aquitaine
William VIII ( – 25 September 1086), born Guy-Geoffrey (''Gui-Geoffroi''), was duke of Gascony (1052–1086), and then duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitiers (as William VI) between 1058 and 1086, succeeding his brother William VII (Pierre-Gui ...
and widow of King
Alfonso VI of Castile
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
. However, it seems likely that Orderic confused two different wives of Alfonso, and that it was the latter's widow, the Frenchwoman Beatrice, known to have returned to her homeland on Alfonso's death, whom Elias married. She died the following year, however.
He died on 11 July 1110 and was buried in the choir of the abbey church
Notre-Dame de la Couture
Notre-Dame de la Couture (''église de la Couture'') is a church in Le Mans. Formerly the abbey church of Saint-Pierre de la Couture Abbey, it is in the centre of the present-day town. It mainly dates to the 12th century - it shows many similaritie ...
in Le Mans.
References
Sources
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Further reading
*
Hélias de la Flèche.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elias 01 of Maine
11th-century births
1110 deaths
11th-century French people
12th-century French people
Counts of Maine
Year of birth unknown
William II of England