Guy II de Nesle (died August 14, 1352), Lord of Mello, was a

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

(1348) who was killed in the

Battle of Mauron The Battle of Mauron was fought in 1352 in Brittany during the Breton War of Succession between an Anglo-Breton force supporting the claim of Jean de Montfort and a Franco-Breton force supporting the claim of Charles de Blois. The Anglo-Bret ...

. Guy was the son of Jean I de Nesle (died 1352), Lord of Offemont and a grandson of

Guy I of Clermont Guy I of Clermont-Nesle (c. 1255 – 11 July 1302) was a Marshal of France, Seigneur (Lord) of Offemont '' jure uxoris'', and possibly of Ailly, Maulette and Breteuil. He might have been a Seigneur of Nesle also, or used the title "Sire of Nes ...

, who was killed in the

Battle of the Golden Spurs The Battle of the Golden Spurs ( nl, Guldensporenslag; french: Bataille des éperons d'or) was a military confrontation between the royal army of France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the Franco-Flemis ...

(1302).

Nesle was made a Marshal of France in 1348 by King

Philip VI of France Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 ...

and was commander of the army in

Artois Artois ( ; ; nl, Artesië; English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: ''Atrecht'') ...

Bourbonnais Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins. History The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...

and

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. He was captured in 1351 by the English during the Siege of

Saint-Jean-d'Angély Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Royal abbey Founded in the ...

, but released after paying a ransom. In 1352, Nesle was co-founder, with King

John II of France John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which kill ...

, of the newly created Order of the Star. In August of that same year, Nesle led a contingent of some hundred Knights of the Order into

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. There, near Mauron, they were surprised by a numerically superior English force. Despite having the opportunity to escape, Nesle ordered his Knights to attack, in accordance with the motto of the Order, that fleeing is never an option.
The entire force was killed, which dealt a serious blow to survival of the Order of the Star. Guy de Nesle was married to Jeanne de Bruyères; their son was named Jean II de Nesle. Guy's grandson Guy III de Nesle was killed in the

Battle of Azincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerical ...

(English: Agincourt) in 1415. His brother Guillaume, as well as his cousin

Jean de Clermont Jean de Clermont (died 19 September 1356), Lord of Chantilly and of Beaumont, was a Marshal of France (1352) who was killed fighting in the Hundred Years' War at the Battle of Poitiers. Jean de Clermont served under the Count of Eu in 1340 during ...

(who was made Marshal of France in 1352), were killed in the

Battle of Poitiers (1356) 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 Poiti ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nesle, Guy II de 1352 deaths Marshals of France People of the Hundred Years' War French military personnel killed in action Year of birth unknown French prisoners of war in the Hundred Years' War 14th-century military history of France