Matthew II or Mathieu II (died 24 November 1230), called ''the Great'' or ''the Great Constable'', was lord of Montmorency from 1189 and

Constable of France The Constable of France (french: Connétable de France, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and ...

from 1218 to 1230. Matthew was the son of

Bouchard V de Montmorency Bouchard, a Norman name with German elements means "fort" (bourgh) and "brave," "strong" (heard), see Burkhardt. It is also a French nickname for someone with a big mouth, "bouche" being French for mouth. Notable people with the name include: * Se ...

and Lauretta de Hainaut, daughter of Baldwin IV of Hainault. His paternal grandparents were Matthieu I of Montmorency,

and Alice FitzRoy, illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England. His father died at the

siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

in either 1189 or 1190 Matthew replaced the fallen

Albéric Clément Albéric Clément (c. 1165 – 3 July 1191) was the first Marshal of France (''Marescallus Franciae''), a position created for him by Philip Augustus in 1185. He also inherited the ''seigneurie'' of Mez (later Mez-le-Maréchal) in Gâtinais after ...

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 ( ...

at the siege of Acre during the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

. After his safe return from the Holy Land, he participated in the French conquest of Normandy by Philip Augustus, where he distinguished himself during the siege of

Château Gaillard Château Gaillard () is a medieval castle ruin overlooking the River Seine above the commune of Les Andelys, in the French department of Eure, in Normandy. It is located some north-west of Paris and from Rouen. Construction began in 1196 unde ...

in 1204. He played a vital role in 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, where he captured twelve enemy banners (in memory of this feat, the shield of Montmorency includes an additional twelve eagles or sixteen altogether instead of four previouslyGabriel Eysenbach, ''History of Heraldry and the Science of Coats-of-Arms'', 1848
p. 321
(Fr)).
In 1215, Matthew joined the Albigensian Crusade, as Constable of France. In the service of King

Louis VIII of France Louis VIII (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (french: Le Lion), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As prince, he invaded England on 21 May 1216 and was excommunicated by a papal legate on 29 May 1216. On 2 June 1216 ...

, he conquered La Rochelle and several other cities from the English in 1224. When the Louis VIII died in 1226, he protected the interests of the infant prince and the Queen-Regent

Blanche of Castile Blanche of Castile ( es, Blanca de Castilla; 4 March 1188 – 27 November 1252) was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX: during his minority from 1226 until 1234, and during ...

. Matthew died in 1230, returning from a campaign against Anjou.

Marriage and Children

Matthieu II married in 1193 with Gertrude of Soissons, daughter of

Ralph, Count of Soissons Raoul le Bon (Ralph the Good) (d. 4 January 1235), also known as Raoul III de Nesle, was the Count of Soissons from 1180.He is described in contemporary writings as ''comes Radulfus Suessionensis''. He was the third son of Raoul II de Nesle and Ger ...

. They had: * Gertrude (died 1256), married Simon III de Parroye and Thierry le Diable, son of

Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine Frederick I ( or ) (c. 1143 – 7 April 1206) was the duke of Lorraine from 1205 to his death. He was the second son of Matthias I and Bertha (also called Judith), daughter of Frederick II, Duke of Swabia. He succeeded his brother, Simon II, w ...

Bouchard VI de Montmorency Bouchard, a Norman name with German elements means "fort" (bourgh) and "brave," "strong" (heard), see Burkhardt. It is also a French nickname for someone with a big mouth, "bouche" being French for mouth. Notable people with the name include: * Se ...

(died 1243), succeeded his father as Lord of Montmorency. * Matthias (died February 1250 in the Battle of Al Mansurah, Egypt), married

Marie, Countess of Ponthieu Marie of Ponthieu (17 April 1199 – 21 September 1250) was ''suo jure'' Countess of Ponthieu and Countess of Montreuil, ruling from 1221 to 1250. Biography Marie was the daughter of William IV of Ponthieu and Alys, Countess of the Vexin, and gra ...

* Jean, Lord of Roissy (1226–36) After this marriage was annulled, Matthieu II remarried with Emma of Laval (1200–1264), daughter and heiress of late

Guy V de Laval Guy V de Laval (died 1210) was the Lord of Laval, Mayenne. Family Guy was the son of Guy IV de Laval and Emma de Dunstanville. He married Avoise de Craon (died 1230), daughter of Maurice II de Craon. They had issue: * Guy VI de Laval kno ...

. They had: *

Guy VII de Laval Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unin ...

(1219–1265), succeeded his mother as Lord of Laval * Avoise, married Jacques de Château-Gontier * Johanna * Alix ?, married to Roger lord of Rozoy (also killed at Al Mansurah)

References

Sources

* *425 * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthieu 02 Of Montmorency 1230 deaths Constables of France 12th-century French people 13th-century French people