John of Béthune (french: Jean de Béthune; died 1238) was a French nobleman and military leader in the County of Artois.Jean-François Nieus, "Élisabeth Candavène, comtesse de Saint-Pol (†1240/47): une héritière face à la Couronne", in ''Femmes de pouvoir, femmes politiques durant les derniers siècles du Moyen Âge et au cours de la première Renaissance'' (De Boeck, 2012), pp. 185–211, esp. 196–200. John was the fifth son of William II, lord of Béthune, and Matilda, heiress of

Dendermonde Dendermonde (; french: Termonde, ) is a city in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-b ...

André Duchesne André Duchesne (; sometimes spelled ''Du Chesne'', Latinized ''Andreas Chesneus'', ''Andreas Quercetanus'', or ''Andreas Querneus''; May 158430 May 1640) was a French geographer and historian, generally styled the father of French history. Duch ...

, ''Histoire généalogique de la maison de Béthune'' (Paris, 1639), pp. 178–180. As such, he inherited little money and no land. His eldest brother,

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

, lord of Béthune, was the first husband of Eustachie, daughter of Lord Gaucher III of Châtillon and the Countess Elisabeth of Saint-Pol. In 1228, between June and November, John married the widowed Elisabeth, who was almost forty. They had no children. John is first attested in 1220. In 1223, he subscribed his mother's act founding an abbey dedicated to

Saint Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...

in Dendermonde. According to Alain Derville, John served the

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

in a military capacity before returning to Artois. According to the chronicler Philippe Mousket, he led the armies of Count Ferdinand of Flanders against Duke Henry I of Brabant in 1227 in support of the lord of Enghien. John's marriage the following year was probably meant to seal an alliance between Elisabeth and Ferdinand against Philip Hurepel, who was challenging Blanche of Castile for the regency of France. The marriage was within the prohibited degree of kinship, but the attempts of Enguerrand of Coucy and Elisabeth's son

Hugh V Hugh V may refer to: * Hugh V of Lusignan (died 1060) * Hugh V, Count of Maine, ruled 1069–1072 * Hugh V, Viscount of Châteaudun (died 1180) * Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy (1294–1315) * Hugh V of Bas Hugh V ( ca, Hug, it, Ugo, Ugone, es, Hugo; ...

to have it annulled failed. As husband of the countess of Saint-Pol, John was deputed to receive the

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

of the

abbot of Anchin Anchin Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1079 in the commune of Pecquencourt in what is now the Nord department of France. Geography Aquicintum then Aquacignium , Anchin (or Chisho ) is an island of 25 hectares, part of the territory ...

. According to William of Andres, Ferdinand invaded Saint-Pol in 1229, but was defeated by Elisabeth's son Hugh, an ally of Hurepel. After this, John's role in his wife's life ceased, although the rights he had acquired in Encre through her were recognized by Hugh in 1233. Afterwards, John went to the

Empire of Constantinople The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. He returned to the west with the Emperor Baldwin II in 1236 and was given command of the army raised by Baldwin to retake Constantinople from John of Brienne. He set out for the east in early 1238. When the army's passage through Italy was blocked by the German emperor Frederick II, who preferred an alliance with Bulgaria over Baldwin, John of Béthune gave himself as a hostage to Frederick. The army was allowed to pass, but soon after his release John died at

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. His death caused the army to disintegrate.Jean Longnon, ''L'empire latin de Constantinople et la principauté de Morée'' (Paris, 1949), p. 179.

References

{{reflist 1238 deaths People from Béthune Latin Empire people