Hugh III (French: ''Hugues'') was count of Saint-Pol from 1130 until his death in 1141. He was responsible for massacres and therefore

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

Biography

The son of Hugh II and Elissende of Ponthieu, Hugh waged a vigorous war against the Collet family, whom he forced to take refuge in the abbey of Saint-Riquier. After besieging the fortress, he stormed it on 28 August 1131 and put it to fire and the sword, killing men, women, and children, including the clergy. The survivors, including the abbot, took refuge in Abbeville. The abbot raised a complaint at the

Council of Reims Reims, located in the north-east of modern France, hosted several councils or synods in the Roman Catholic Church. These councils did not universally represent the church and are not counted among the official ecumenical councils. Early synodal cou ...

(1131), which excommunicated Hugh in 1132. The ban was confirmed by

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

. His further atrocities against the clergy brought the intervention of

King Louis VI Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...

, at which point he submitted to penance. He obtained the absolution of

in 1137 by financing the foundation of three abbeys: Cercamp, Klaarkamp, and Ourscamp. In 1140, he joined with the Count of Hainaut against

Thierry, Count of Flanders Theoderic ( nl, Diederik, french: Thierry, german: Dietrich; – 17 January 1168), commonly known as Thierry of Alsace, was the fifteenth count of Flanders from 1128 to 1168. With a record of four campaigns in the Levant and Africa (including p ...

, but was defeated. With his wife, Beatrix of Rollancourt, he had five sons and three daughters: *

Enguerrand Enguerrand (or Engrand, Ingrand) is a medieval French name, derived from a Germanic name ''Engilram'' (''Engelram'', ''Ingelram''), from ''Angil'', the tribal name of the Angles, and ''hramn'' "raven". The Old Frankish name is recorded in various f ...

* Hugh, died without issue in 1150 * Anselm * Ralph, died 4 April 1142, buried in Cercamp * Guy, married Matilda of Doullens * Angélique or Angéline, wife of Anselm of Housdain * Adelaide, wife of

Robert V, Lord of Béthune 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 ...

, with whom she had 8 children including Jean de Béthune, Bishop of Cambrai * Beatrix, wife of Robert, fourth son 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 ...

Beatrix, the mother of these children, is buried at Cercamp.

Sources

Maurus Dantine Maurus Dantine (1688–1746) was a Belgian Benedictine of the Congregation of Saint-Maur and chronologist. Biography He was born at Gonrieux near Namur on 1 April 1688. Like many of the members of his congregation he was one of the so-called App ...

Charles Clémencet Charles Clémencet (17035 August 1778) was a French Benedictine historian. He was born in Painblanc, in present-day Côte-d'Or, and was one of the authors who helped complete the great chronological work (the usual short form of a long title). H ...

Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais (1773 – 1842) was a French genealogist and littérateur. Biography Early life Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais was born on 6 April 1773 in Langres, France. Career During the French Revolution, he served as an Ass ...

Ursin Durand Ursin Durand (20 May 1682, Tours – 31 August 1771, Paris) was a French Benedictine of the Maurist Congregation, and historian. He took vows in the monastery of Marmoutier at the age of nineteen and devoted himself especially to the study of dipl ...

François Clément François Clement ( 714, Bèze, Côte-d'Or">Bèze.html" ;"title="714, Bèze">714, Bèze, Côte-d'Or – 29 March 1793, Paris) was a French historian and member of the Benedictine Congregation of St. Maur. Biography His first studies were at the co ...

, ''L'art de vérifier les dates des faits historiques, des chartes, des chroniques tc..''. 1750 and subsequent editions * G Er Sauvage, ''Histoire de Saint-Pol'' * François César Louandre, ''Histoire ancienne et moderne d'Abbeville et de son arrondissement'' A. Boulanger, 183
(online version)
* Ernest Warlop: ''Campus Avenae: het wapen van de graven van Saint-Pol''. In: Carlos Wyffels u. a. (eds.): ''Gedenkboek Michiel Mispelon. Familia et Patria'', Kortemark-Handzame 1982, pp. 587–599 * Jean-François Nieus: ''Un pouvoir comtal entre Flandre et France. Saint-Pol, 1000–1300''. De Boeck, Brussels 2005 (Bibliothèque du Moyen Âge 23) {{ISBN, 280414772X (also: Louvain-la-Neuve, university dissertation, 2001: ''Le comté de Saint-Pol des origines à la fin du XIIIe siècle'') 1141 deaths Counts of Saint-Pol