Enguerrand III de Boves, Lord of Coucy (c. 1182 – 1242) was a medieval French nobleman. The eldest son and successor of

Ralph I, Lord of Coucy Ralph of Coucy, (c. 1134 – 1191), lord of Coucy, lord of Marle, La Fère, Crécy (sur-Serre), Vervins, Pinon, Landouzy (la-Ville), and Fontaine (lès-Vervins). He was the son of Enguerrand II, Lord of Coucy and Agnes de Beaugency.M. A. Pol ...

(c. 1134 – 1191) and Alix de Dreux,M. A. Pollock, ''Scotland, England and France After the Loss of Normandy, 1204-1296: Auld Amitie''. Boydell & Brewer, 2015. pg. 145. he succeeded as Lord of Coucy (''sieur de Couci'') in 1191, and held it until his death; he was also lord of Marle and Boves.

Biography

Enguerrand III was born in Marle, Picardy, France. He became one of the most ambitious and powerful of all the French nobles, called by one historian "the greatest baron in all Picardy", and earning himself his epithet, ''Enguerrand le Grand'', or Enguerrand "the Great". Enguerrand had an illustrious military career, helping King

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...

reduce the French territories of the King of England. Enguerrand campaigned in

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

in 1205, and in 1214, fought in the French victory over an Anglo-German alliance at the

Battle of Bouvines The Battle of Bouvines was fought on 27 July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders. It was the concluding battle of the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. Although estimates on the number of troops vary considerably among mo ...

. His arms at Bouvines were blazoned: ''Barry of six vair and gules.'' He was a notable member of the French force which invaded the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, ...

(1216–1217) to depose King John. He also participated in the Albigensian Crusade. After the death of King

Louis VIII of France Louis VIII (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (french: Le Lion), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As prince, he invaded England on 21 May 1216 and was excommunicated by a papal legate on 29 May 1216. On 2 June 1216 ...

, Enguerrand was chief among the nobles who resisted the regency of

Blanche of Castile Blanche of Castile ( es, Blanca de Castilla; 4 March 1188 – 27 November 1252) was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX: during his minority from 1226 until 1234, and during ...

for her son Louis IX of France, although he eventually returned to the royal favour. Enguerrand made his mark on the Picardy landscape by constructing Coucy Castle. Enguerrand is said by tradition to have started the famous rhyme associated with his successors:

Relations

Through his mother Alix de Dreux, Enguerrand III was related to King Louis IX of France. Enguerrand also married into the family of King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

, taking as his second wife the latter king's cousin, who was the granddaughter of King

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

. He married three times. His first wife was Beatrice de Vignory, widow of John I, Count of Roucy (1196–1200). They married in 1201. There are no known children from this marriage. His second wife was Matilda (or Richenza) of Bavaria (1172–1209), a daughter of

Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180. Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...

, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, by his second wife,

Matilda of England Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...

, daughter of King Henry II. Matilda of Bavaria was thus also the niece of King

Richard the Lion-hearted Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...

. This marriage took place in 1204. There are no known children from this marriage. His third wife was

Marie de Montmirail Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

( fr), daughter of Jean de Montmirail, Lord of Condé . At the end of the 12th century, Enguerrand built the original

Château de Condé The Château de Condé is a private estate in Condé-en-Brie, Aisne, France, set in a park on the Champagne route 100 km from Paris. The Château de Condé is a private estate, listed as a historic monument and inhabited year round. Its 17 ...

in Condé, Picardy, constructed as a "keep" which had 2 meters thick walls and towering chimneys. Enguerrand and Marie had five children: * Raoul II, Lord of Coucy, married Philippe of Dammartin, the daughter of Simon of Dammartin, Count of Ponthieu. * Enguerrand IV, Lord of Coucy, married 1) Margaret of Gueldres, daughter of

Otto II, Count of Guelders Otto II, Count of Guelders (c. 1215 – 1 January 1271) was a nobleman from the 13th century. He was the son of Gerard III, Count of Guelders and Margaretha of Brabant. Life After Count William II (1227–1256) was slain in 1256 by Frisians h ...

, and 2) Joan of Flanders, daughter of

Robert III, Count of Flanders Robert III (1249 – 17 September 1322), also called Robert of Béthune and nicknamed The Lion of Flanders (''De Leeuw van Vlaanderen''), was the Count of Nevers from 1273 and Count of Flanders from 1305 until his death. History Robert was the o ...

. * John de Coucy, Lord of Amboise (d.1245) * Marie de Coucy, married King

Alexander II of Scotland Alexander II ( Medieval Gaelic: '; Modern Gaelic: '; 24 August 1198 – 6 July 1249) was King of Scotland from 1214 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of York (1237) which defined the boundary between England and Scotland, virtually un ...

. * Alix de Coucy, married Arnold III, Count of Guînes (1233-1283). Their son, Enguerrand V, inherited the title

Lord of Coucy The Lords of Coucy (french: sires de Coucy or ''seigneurs de Coucy''), also spelt Couci, were a medieval lordship based on the barony of Coucy located in the current commune of Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, Picardy. The château de Coucy was founde ...

, after his uncles died.Du Chesne, A. (1631) ''Preuves de l’Histoire des maisons de Guines, d’Ardres, Gand et Coucy''. Paris, p. 395. In 1242, Enguerrand III died by falling off of his horse onto his sword at Coucy, Picardy. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Raoul II.

Notes

External links

*
A History of Coucy Castle
{{S-end Coucy, Enguerrand III Lord of Coucy, Enguerrand III Lord of Enguerrand III Lord of Coucy Coucy, Enguerrand III de Coucy, Enguerrand III de Lords of Coucy