Raoul le Bon (Ralph the Good) (d. 4 January 1235), also known as Raoul III de Nesle, was the

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

from 1180.He is described in contemporary writings as ''comes Radulfus Suessionensis''. He was the third son of Raoul II de Nesle and Gertrude de Montaigu. In 1178 Raoul and his elder brother John subscribed to a charter of the eldest brother,

Conon Conon ( el, Κόνων) (before 443 BC – c. 389 BC) was an Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War, who led the Athenian naval forces when they were defeated by a Peloponnesian fleet in the crucial Battle of Aegospotami; later he c ...

, then count, donating property to

Notre-Dame d'Ourscamp Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the ...

. When

Alberic de Trois-Fontaines Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (french: Aubri or ''Aubry de Trois-Fontaines''; la, Albericus Trium Fontium) (died 1252) was a medieval Cistercian chronicler who wrote in Latin. He was a monk of Trois-Fontaines Abbey in the diocese of Châlons-sur-Mar ...

wrote his chronicle, he could refer to count Raoul of Soissons ''qui adhuc vivit'' (who still lives). But he later records his death in 1235. In 1184 Ralph became castellan of

Noyon Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a commune in the Oise department, northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise, about northeast of Paris. The Oise Canal and the Cana ...

. According to Rigord, he took the Cross alongside

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

and

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...

at a ceremony between Trie and

Gisors Gisors () is a commune of Normandy, France. It is located northwest from the centre of Paris. Gisors, together with the neighbouring communes of Trie-Château and Trie-la-Ville, form an urban area of 13,915 inhabitants (2018). This urban are ...

on 13 Jan 1188 and joined 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 ...

. Raoul was the fourth husband of Adèle of Dreux (b. 1145/1146), daughter of

Robert I of Dreux Robert I of Dreux, nicknamed ''the Great'' ( – 11 October 1188), was the fifth son of Louis VI of France and Adélaide de Maurienne. Life In 1137 he received the County of Dreux as an appanage from his father. He held this title until 1184 ...

. She confirmed donations to and

Tremblay-en-France Tremblay-en-France (; ) is a commune in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. More than one-quarter of Charles de Gaulle Airport lies within the territory of the commune of Tremblay-en-France, in p ...

with him, and died between January 1205 and March 1210. Raoul was briefly married to Yolande, daughter of

Geoffrey IV of Joinville Geoffrey IV (died August 1190), called the Younger (French ''Geoffroy le Jeune''), was the Lord of Joinville from 1188 until his death on the Third Crusade two years later. He is surnamed ''Valet'' by Alberic of Trois-Fontaines. Family Geoffrey wa ...

, before taking as his third wife Ada d'Avesnes, widow of Henry, Count of Grandpré. Raoul and his first wife Adele he had: * Gertrude, married first to Count Jean de Beaumont-sur-Oise (d. 1222), and second to

Mathieu II de Montmorency 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 from 1218 to 1230. Matthew was the son of Bouchard V de Montmorency and Lauretta de Hain ...

(d.1230),

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 ...

. * Alienor, married first to Count Mathieu III de Beaumont-sur-Oise (d. 1208), and second to Étienne II de Sancerre (d. 1252),

Grand Butler of France The Grand Butler of France (french: Grand bouteiller de France) was one of the great offices of state in France, existing between the Middle Ages and the Revolution of 1789. Originally responsible for the maintenance of the Royal vineyards, and prov ...

and son of Stephen I, Count of Sancerre. By his third wife Ada he had three children: * John, Count of Soissons *

Ralph Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

(d. 1272), who was probably a

trouvère ''Trouvère'' (, ), sometimes spelled ''trouveur'' (, ), is the Northern French ('' langue d'oïl'') form of the '' langue d'oc'' (Occitan) word ''trobador'', the precursor of the modern French word ''troubadour''. ''Trouvère'' refers to poet ...

(troubadour) * Isabelle of Nesle, married to a Viscount of Châtellerault. Upon the death of Raoul, his son John became Count of Soissons.

References

Sources

* *{{cite book , title=Les seigneurs de Nesle en Picardie (XIIe-XIIIe siècle): Recueil des Chartes , first=William Mendel , last=Newman , publisher= Edition A. & J. Picard , year=1971 , language=French

External links

Nobility of the Paris region: Chapter 9. Comtes de Soissons, Part C. Nesle
at the Medieval Lands Project. 1235 deaths Counts of Soissons Year of birth unknown 12th-century French people 13th-century French people Christians of the Third Crusade