Mathieu de Grailly or Mathieu de Foix (died 1453) was

Count of Comminges This is a list of counts of the County of Comminges. Counts of Comminges House of Comminges House of Lescun ''In 1462, the king of France Louis XI detached the county of Comminges from the royal domain and gave it to his friend.'' * 146 ...

between 1419 and 1443. He was the fourth son of Archambaud de Grailly,

captal de Buch Captal de Buch (later Buché from Latin ''capitalis'', "first", "chief") was a medieval feudal title in Gascony held by Jean III de Grailly among others. According to Du Cange, the designation ''captal'' (''capital, captau, capitau'') was applied ...

and

Isabella, Countess of Foix Isabella of Foix also known as Isabella of Foix-Castelbon (before 2 November 1361 – 1428) was sovereign Countess of Foix and Viscountess of Béarn from 1399 until 1428. She was Countess of Foix in her own right, but shared power with her hu ...

Biography

He was knighted in 1413 and became a member of the entourage of

John the Fearless John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs durin ...

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

. For his loyalty, King

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...

, allied with Philip the Good Duke of Burgundy, gave him Narbonne, of which he couldn't take possession, because it was under control of Dauphin Charles, then at war with his father and Burgundy. At that time, he married Marguerite de Comminges, twenty years older than him, an authoritarian woman who allegedly had her second husband killed in prison. Fearing a similar fate, Mathieu had his wife locked up a few months later in the castle of Bramevaque and governed Comminges alone. Following his brother, he defected from the Burgundian camp to King Charles VII of France, who rewarded him by making him governor of the Dauphiné between 1426 and 1428. After the death of his brother

John I, Count of Foix John I, Count of Foix also known as Jean de Foix-Grailly (1382 – 4 May 1436) was Count of Foix from 1428 until his death in 1436. He succeeded his mother Isabella, Countess of Foix. His father was Archambaud de Grailly. Life Early life As ...

, Matthieu became regent of his nephew Gaston IV and in 1439 he bought off

Rodrigo de Villandrando Rodrigo de Villandrando (died c. 1457) was a Spanish routier from Castile and mercenary military leader in Gascony during the final phase of the Hundred Years' War. He was famous for his pillaging and was consequently known as the Emperor of Pi ...

and his raiders to leave the

County of Foix The County of Foix (french: Comté de Foix, ; oc, Comtat de Fois) was an independent medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern ''département'' of Ariè ...

.
Meanwhile, the unsatisfied people of Comminges petitioned the return of their Countess Marguerite from King Charles VII, who ordered her release. Mathieu refused and transferred his wife to Foix. Again allied with Burgundy, he became a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1440. Charles VII put the County of Comminges under guardianship of

John IV, Count of Armagnac John IV (15 October 1396 – 5 November 1450) was a Count of Armagnac, Fézensac, and Rodez from 1418 to 1450. He was involved in the intrigues related to the Hundred Years' War and in conflicts against the King of France. Biography Born 15 Oc ...

and in 1441 war broke out between Foix and Armagnac, only interrupted in 1442 by a campaign against the English. After this campaign, Charles VII again ordered the liberation of Marguerite on 17 January 1443 and now, Mathieu was forced to obey. Marguerite was released on 9 March but died shortly after, leaving Comminges to the Crown. In 1449 Mathieu accompanied Gaston IV to besiege Mauléon. He died 4 years later.

Marriage and children

On 16 July 1419 he married Marguerite de Comminges (died 1443), no issue. He remarried, in 1446, Catherine de Coarraze, and had two daughters Jeanne and Marguerite. Mathieu had also two illegitimate children by unknown mistresses: * Jean de Foix, Bishop of Dax and Comminges. * Jeanne Catherine de Foix, married Jean de Château-Verdun

Sources

Foundation for Medieval Genealogy : Archambault de Grailly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foix-Comminges, Mathieu de Mathieu Knights of the Golden Fleece Counts of France 1453 deaths Year of birth unknown Counts of Comminges Place of birth unknown