Jean II de Rieux (1342 - 1417)

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

Lord of Rieux,

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

and

Ancenis Ancenis (; ) is a former commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Ancenis-Saint-Géréon. It is a former sub-prefecture of the department, and was the seat of the former a ...

, initially in the service of Brittany, but also eventuall 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 ...

in the service of King Charles VI. He was the great-grandfather of

Jean IV de Rieux Jean IV de Rieux (June 27, 1447 – February 9, 1518), was a Breton noble and Marshal. He was the son of Jean III de Rieux and Béatrice de Rohan-Montauban (1385–1414). He ruled Brittany as regent of Anne of Brittany. He is best known for bei ...

Career

With the Duchy of Brittany and the Kingdom of England

Jean fought under the command of the English

Edward 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 ...

, participating in the

Battle of Nájera The Battle of Nájera, also known as the Battle of Navarrete, was fought on 3 April 1367 to the northeast of Nájera, in the province of La Rioja, Castile. It was an episode of the first Castilian Civil War which confronted King Peter of Casti ...

(1367), against the French led 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' W ...

. Although the English won the battle, the Black Prince went bankrupt. He was one of the signatories of the second Treaty of Guérande in 1381 as a representative for the

Duke of Brittany This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...

John IV. The Duke had restored his rights and agreed to make a small tribute to the King Charles VI. Furthermore, Brittany would stay neutral in continuing military conflicts between France and England.

With the Kingdom of France

Jean then offered his services to France. In 1382 he fought at the

Battle of Roosebeke The Battle of Roosebeke (sometimes referred by its contemporary name as Battle of Westrozebeke) took place on 27 November 1382 on the Goudberg between a Flemish army under Philip van Artevelde and a French army under Louis II of Flanders who ha ...

. In 1397 De Rieux was appointed as Marshal of France. In 1405 he was sent to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

to help the Welsh with the

Glyndŵr Rising The Welsh Revolt (also called the Glyndŵr Rising or Last War of Independence) ( cy, Rhyfel Glyndŵr) or ( cy, Gwrthryfel Glyndŵr) was a Welsh rebellion in Wales led by Owain Glyndŵr against the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ag ...

. He had left

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

in July with more than 3,000

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s and men-at-arms. Unfortunately, the army had not been provided with sufficient fresh water and many warhorses had died. He did though bring modern

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

equipment. Joined by

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

's forces the French marched inland and took the town of

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

but failed to take the castle. He then marched on England, but the result of this expedition was not successful. His age and the injuries that he had received over the years eventually prevented him from performing his duties. He was, at his request, relieved from his duties at 12 August 1417. He died the same year in his castle at

, where he was buried.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rieux, Jean 02 Medieval French nobility 1342 births 1417 deaths Marshals of France People of the Hundred Years' War 14th-century French people