Raoul I of Lusignan (born c. 1160/5 – Melle, 1 May 1219) was the second son of Hugh de Lusignan (d. 1169) and the grandson of

Hugh VIII of Lusignan Hugh VIII the Old of Lusignan or (French: ''Hugues le Vieux'') was the Seigneur de Lusignan, Couhé, and Château-Larcher on his father's death in 1151. He went on crusade, was captured at battle of Harim, and died in captivity. Biography Born i ...

. He was a prominent nobleman in the region of Poitou, and lord (''seigneur'') d'

Exoudun Exoudun is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. History During the Middle Ages, Lordship of Exoudun was held in succession by several noble families, including the Lusignans. Lord of Exoud ...

, de Melle, de

Chizé Chizé () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Geography The commune is traversed by the river Boutonne. See also *Communes of the Deux-Sèvres department The following is a list of t ...

, de Civray and de La Mothe. He also became

Count of Eu Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

(c. 1191), by marriage (''

de jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...

'') to Alix d'Eu. Since the region of Poitou was contested between kings of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, local nobility was often changing sides. Up to 1201, Raoul was loyal to kings of England, but than changed his allegiance to king of France. He later rejoined the English side, and took part 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 ...

(1214). For his services to the king England, he was granted possession of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

and Tickhill, in 1216. Earlier, he participated, as a young knight, in 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 ...

, and later again in the Fifth Crusade, and died upon return. He was buried at the Priory of Fontblanche, in

Family

By 1191, Raoul married a young noblewoman Alix d'Eu, heiress of the

County of Eu This is a list of the counts of Eu, a French county in the Middle Ages. ( Eu is in the department of Seine-Maritime, in the extreme north of Normandy.) House of Normandy * 996–1015: Geoffrey, also Count of Brionne, illegitimate son of Duke ...

(born c. 1180 – La Mothe-Saint-Heray, Poitou, May 1246). They had several children, including: * Raoul II de Lusignan, Count of Eu (c. 1200 – 1246) * Matilda de Lusignan (c. 1210 – 14 August 1241), who married Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, 1st Earl of Essex and

Constable of England The Lord High Constable of England is the seventh of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Great Chamberlain and above the Earl Marshal. This office is now called out of abeyance only for coronations. The Lord High Constable was ...

. She was buried at Llanthony, Gloucester. They were ancestors to

Queen Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

. As lord of

, he is known as: Raoul d'Exoudun, and should not be confused with a contemporary nobleman, Raoul of Issoudun (''Raoul d'Issoudun''), who was married to Margaret of Courtenay.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Raoul de Lusignan
House of Lusignan Counts of Eu Christians of the Third Crusade Christians of the Fifth Crusade 1160s births 1219 deaths {{France-noble-stub