Ralph the Red (Ralph le Roux, Raoul II Rufus) of Pont-Echnfrey (1070 – 25 November 1120), son of either Guillaume de Pont-Echanfrey or his brother Raoul I. Ralph was a knight who first served

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard (; Modern ; – 17 July 1085) was a Norman adventurer remembered for the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily. Robert was born into the Hauteville family in Normandy, went on to become count and then duke of Apulia and Calabri ...

and then participated both in the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

and in the Crusade of Robert’s son Bohemond of Antioch-Taranto as part of his first army. A semi-professional soldier loyal to the family of Guiscard, he accompanying Bohemond to

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

in 1107 and then

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

in 1108. Ralph’s brother Guascelin (died 1109 or after) also accompanied Bohemond. In 1119, he had joined the forces of

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

in his campaign against

Louis VI of France Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...

, and helped Henry's son Richard of Lincoln evade capture by the French at

Les Andelys Les Andelys (; Norman: ''Les Aundelys'') is a commune in the northern French department of Eure, in Normandy. Geography It lies on the Seine, about northeast of Évreux. The commune is divided into two parts, Grand-Andely (located about from ...

. Ralph married a daughter, name unknown, of Odeline of Le Puiset and Joscelin of Lèves. Ralph's wife accompanied him on his second crusade, dying in 1109, probably in Byzantium. Odeline was the granddaughter of

Guy I of Montlhéry Guy I (died 1095) was the second lord of Bray and the second lord of Montlhéry (Latin: ''Monte Leterico''). He was probably the son of Thibaud of Montmorency, but some sources say that his father was named Milo. Thibaud may instead have been his ...

. Ralph’s wife was the sister of

Hugh I of Jaffa Hugh I (died between 1112 and 1118) was the Lord of Le Puiset (as Hugh II) from 1097 and Count of Jaffa from 1106. He was the son of Hugh I of Le Puiset and Alice of Montlhéry.''The Lords of Le Puiset on the Crusades'', John L. La Monte, ''Speculum ...

, whose son Hugh II was also a Crusader. They may have had a son (unverified): * Raoul III de Pont-Echnfrey (died after 1130). As a widower, it is believed that he remarried, but no specific information is available on his possible second wife. Ralph drowned in the White Ship disaster on 25 November 1120, which may indicate some relationship with the aristocracy of England, particularly given his comradery with the king's son.

Sources

Riley-Smith, Jonathan, ''The First Crusaders, 1095-1131'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997
Seigneurs de Pont-Echanfrey
Medieval Lands Project.

References

{{Reflist Christians of the First Crusade 1120 deaths 1070 births