Péronnelle (c. 1330 – 30 October 1397) was Countess of Dreux from 1365 to 1377 and

Viscountess of Thouars The first viscounts of Thouars appeared at the end of the 9th century, somewhat earlier than those of Châtellerault, Lusignan, etc. They represented the count of Poitou (also the duke of Aquitaine) in the territory he had enfeoffed to them. T ...

from 1370 to 1397. She was the daughter of

Joan II, Countess of Dreux Joan II (1309–1355), Countess of Dreux, was the only child of John II of Dreux John II of Dreux (1265–1309), called John the Good, Count of Dreux and Braine, was the son of Robert IV of Dreux and Beatrice, Countess of Montfort. Robert fought ...

and Louis I, Viscount of Thouars. With her death, the elder branch of the House of Thouars, which had controlled the viscounty for more than five centuries, ended. She first married, in 1345,

Amaury IV de Craon Amaury IV of Craon (16 August 1326 – 30 May 1373), Lord of Craon, Chantocé, Ingrandes, Briollé, Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe, Précigné and Sablé , Sainte-Maure, Nouâtre, Pressigny and Marcillac, Châteauneuf-sur-Charente and Jarnac, w ...

, lord of Craon, Saint-Maure, Chantocé, Ingrande, and Sablé. After he died in 1373, she married in 1376 Rouault de Boisménard, called Tristan, lord of the

Île de Ré Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; en, Isle of Ré, ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its high ...

Marans The Marans, french: Poule de Marans, italic=no, is a French breed of dual-purpose chicken, reared both for meat and for its dark brown eggs. It originated in or near the port town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maritime, in the Nouvel ...

, and Gamanches, son of André I and Marie de Montfaucon. He died in 1396. Both husbands became viscount of Thouars '' jure uxoris'' upon their marriage to Péronnelle. In 1378,

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (french: le Sage; la, Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armi ...

ceded Benon and its dependencies to Péronnelle and Tristan in exchange for the

County of Dreux The Counts of Dreux were a noble family of France, who took their title from the chief stronghold of their domain, the château of Dreux, which lies near the boundary between Normandy and the Île-de-France. They are notable for inheriting the D ...

. Two letters by Gilbert Hasté, castellan and captain of Benon, declared the execution of this order by Charles on 28 August and 1 September. Wealthy due to this sale, the couple made several gifts to churches, notably to the Jacobin convent at

Thouars Thouars () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. On 1 January 2019, the former communes Mauzé-Thouarsais, Missé and Sainte-Radegonde were merged into Thouars. It is on the River Thouet. Its inhabitants are known ...

Sources

* * Dreux, Péronnelle, Countess of Dreux, Péronnelle, Countess of Counts of Dreux 14th-century women rulers {{France-noble-stub