Louis II of Châtillon (died 26 August 1346), son of Guy I, Count of Blois and

Margaret of Valois Margaret of Valois (, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), popularly known as , was List of Navarrese royal consorts, Queen of Navarre from 1572 to 1599 and Queen of France from 1589 to 1599 as the consort of Henry IV of France and III of Navarre. Ma ...

, was

count of Blois Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

and lord of Avesnes from 1342 to 1346. Battle of crecy froissart

Background and family

Louis was the eldest son of Guy I, Count of Blois and

, the sister of King

Philip VI of France Philip VI (; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (), the Catholic (''le Catholique'') and of Valois (''de Valois''), was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign w ...

. Born into the

House of Châtillon The House of Châtillon was a notable French family, with origins in the 9th century. The name comes from that of Châtillon-sur-Marne in Champagne, France, Champagne, where members of the family were tenants in a castle belonging to the Counts o ...

, Louis was part of a prestigious military family with strong connections to the royal

House of Valois The Capetian House of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the List of French monarchs, French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. ...

and with great possessions in northeastern France centred around the

county of Blois The County of Blois was a feudal principality centred on Blois, south of Paris, France. It was created just after king Clovis I conquered Roman Gaul around AD 500. Between the 8th and the 13th centuries, it was amongst the most powerful vassal ...

. His younger brother,

Charles of Blois Charles of Blois-Châtillon (131929 September 1364), nicknamed "the Saint", was the legalist Duke of Brittany from 1341 until his death, via his marriage to Joan, Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Penthièvre, holding the title against the ...

, was wed in 1337 to

Joan of Penthièvre Joan of Penthièvre (; c. 1319 – 10 September 1384), sometimes called Joan the Lame, reigned as Duchess of Brittany together with her husband, Charles of Blois, between 1341 and 1364. Her ducal claims were contested by the House of Mo ...

, the daughter and heiress of

John III, Duke of Brittany John III ''the Good'' (in Breton ''Yann III'', in French ''Jean III''; 8 March 128630 April 1341) was Duke of Brittany, from 1312 to his death and 5th Earl of Richmond from 1334 to his death. He was the son of Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, and ...

, and invested as the duke's own successor. In 1340 in

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

, he married Jeanne of Avesnes,

Countess of Soissons This is a list of those who bore the title Count of Soissons () and ruled Soissons and its ''civitas'' or Diocese of Soissons, diocese as a county in the Middle Ages. The title continued in use into Modern Era, modern times, but without ties to the ...

(d. 1350), daughter of John of Avesnes, Lord of Beaumont. They had three children: * Louis III, Count of Blois and Soissons *

John II, Count of Blois John II ( – 19 May 1381) was a Franco-Dutch nobleman who ruled lands in both France and the Holy Roman Empire. He was the count of Blois and Dunois from 1372 until 1381, the lord of Avesnes, Schoonhoven, Gouda, Beaumont, Chimay and Waard ...

Guy II, Count of Blois Guy II of Châtillon, Count of Blois (died 22 December 1397), the youngest son of Louis I of Châtillon and Joan of Avesnes, was Count of Blois and Soissons, and lord of Avesnes, Schoonhoven, and Gouda 1381–1397, and lord of Beaumont and Chima ...

and Soissons

War with England

When the Duke of Brittany died in April 1341, Charles of Blois' claim on the duchy was contested by the old duke's half-brother

John of Montfort John of Montfort (, ) (1295 – 26 September 1345),Etienne de Jouy. Œuvres complètes d'Etienne Jouy'. J. Didot Ainé. p. 373. sometimes known as John IV, was Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond from 1341 to 1345 in dispute with his niece Jo ...

, leading to the outbreak of the

War of the Breton Succession The War of the Breton Succession (, ) or Breton Civil War was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montfort of Brittany, Montforts of Brittany for control of the Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fou ...

. With the backing of their uncle Philip VI, Louis of Blois supported his brother's claim and served as one of his chief lieutenants, alongside Charles of Spain. On 15 April 1342, Louis joined his brother on a successful attack on

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

, easily capturing the Montforts' easternmost stronghold. Louis was killed at the

battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King Edward III. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France ...

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Counts of Blois
Chatillon, Louis I of Louis II Chatillon, Louis II of Louis II Year of birth unknown People of the Hundred Years' War Jure uxoris counts {{France-noble-stub