Jean de Béthune (died 1219), a member of the noble
House of Bethune
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
, was a French cleric who became the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
bishop of the
diocese of Cambrai
The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-He ...
and ruler of the
principality of Cambrésis in the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
.
Origins
Born around 1160, presumably at
Béthune
Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.
Geography
Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...
, he was a younger son of Robert V de Béthune (died 1191), hereditary Lord of Béthune and
Advocate of the
Abbey of Saint Vaast at
Arras, and his wife Alice, daughter of Hugh III,
Count of Saint-Pol
The county of Saint-Pol (or ''Sint-Pols'') was a county around the French city of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise (''Sint-Pols-aan-de-Ternas'') on the border of Artois and Picardy, formerly the county of Ternois.
For a long time the county belonged to Fla ...
.
His brothers included:
:Robert VI (died 1193), crusader, who succeeded his father as Lord of Béthune.
[
: William II (died 1214), crusader, who succeeded his brother Robert VI as Lord of Béthune.][
: Baldwin (died 1212), crusader and companion of the English kings Henry II and Richard I Lionheart, who died on his estate in ]Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
.[
:]Conon
Conon ( el, Κόνων) (before 443 BC – c. 389 BC) was an Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War, who led the Athenian naval forces when they were defeated by a Peloponnesian fleet in the crucial Battle of Aegospotami; later he c ...
(died 1220), trouvère
''Trouvère'' (, ), sometimes spelled ''trouveur'' (, ), is the Northern French ('' langue d'oïl'') form of the '' langue d'oc'' (Occitan) word ''trobador'', the precursor of the modern French word ''troubadour''. ''Trouvère'' refers to poet ...
and crusader, who became Regent of the Latin Empire
The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzant ...
of Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
and died in Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
.[
]
Early life
Destined for a church career, by 1182 he was provost of the church of St Amé at Douai
Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...
.[ An appointment to the church of St Piat at ]Seclin
Seclin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille.
Population
Notable residents
* Andre Ayew, Ghana national football team footballer
*Victor Mollet, architect
*Jonathan Rouss ...
was however contested by Matilda of Portugal, widow of Philip I, Count of Flanders
Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land.
Count of Flanders
...
, who complained to Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...
. Innocent put the question to a panel of arbitrators and they in the end accepted Jean.[
With his brother Baldwin, he was a supporter of Richard Lionheart and in 1198 was part of the English delegation to ]Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
for the election and coronation of Richard's nephew and foster son Otto of Brunswick as King of the Romans.
Bishop of Cambrai
For this, Otto nominated him to the bishopric of Cambrai in December 1200. He went to Cologne to seek investiture of the regalities from Otto, who granted them in September 1201.In Otto's ensuing conflicts with the Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
s, he was a loyal supporter.[
In 1208 he was a potential candidate to become Archbishop of Cologne, one of the three most important sees in Germany, but objections were raised because he spoke no German (which suggests that he spoke only French, Latin and maybe Flemish). In 1209, as a prince of the Empire, he accompanied Otto to ]Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
for his coronation in St Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a Church (building), church built in the Renaissance architecture, Renaissanc ...
as Holy Roman Emperor.[
At Cambrai, his position was complex. As bishop, he presided over an extensive diocese which covered a large part of present-day ]Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, including important cities like Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and stretching as far north as Antwerp. He was also secular lord of the town of Cambrai and prince of the independent principality of Cambrésis, which surrounded the city and formed part of the Holy Roman Empire. Relations between the bishops and the inhabitants of the town of Cambrai had often been tense, and in 1212 the townspeople obtained a charter from Otto's rival, Frederick, King of Sicily, granting them rights and privileges which curtailed the power of the bishop and the church.[
The defeat of Otto and his allies 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 ...
in 1214 meant that from then on the major power in the region was France, under the victorious King Philip II Philip II may refer to:
* Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC)
* Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor
* Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374)
* Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404)
* Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497)
* Philip ...
, while much of Germany recognised Frederick. Immediately after the battle, in which Philip had captured Ferdinand, Count of Flanders, Jean was one of three bishops asked by his wife Joan, Countess of Flanders
Joan, often called Joan of Constantinople ( 1199 – 5 December 1244), ruled as Countess of Flanders and Hainaut from 1205 (at the age of six) until her death. She was the elder daughter of Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders and Hainaut, and Marie o ...
, to negotiate the prisoner's ransom and release, but without success.[
Jean was obliged to waive his loyalty to Otto and to accept the authority of Frederick, swearing him fidelity and obtaining a re-grant of the regalities from his hands. In 1215, Frederick granted Jean a new charter in which he recognised him as a prince of the Empire and as a kinsman.][
In 1212, on the death of his brother Baldwin without a surviving son, he had inherited the lordship of Chocques near Béthune. Early in 1219, he joined the Albigensian Crusade, in which King Philip's son ]Louis Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
led an army south and captured the town of Marmande
Marmande (; in Occitan, ''Marmanda'') is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne ''département'' in south-western France.
Geography
Marmande is located 35 km north-west of Agen, on the southern railway from Bordeaux to Sète. The town is situa ...
in June, massacring its inhabitants. The force moved on to besiege Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
, which held out, and it was during this engagement that Jean fell ill and died on 27 July.[
His body was taken back to his diocese and buried in front of the altar in the Cistercian abbey of Vaucelles.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethune, Jean
1160s births
People from Béthune
12th-century French people
13th-century French people
13th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Holy Roman Empire
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
Bishops of Cambrai
Cambrai
People of the Albigensian Crusade
1219 deaths
12th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire
13th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire