Renaud de Courtenay, (d. 1190) anglicised to Reginald I de Courtenay, of

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, was a French nobleman of the

House of Courtenay The House of Courtenay is a medieval noble house, with branches in France, England and the Holy Land. One branch of the Courtenays became a Royal House of the Capetian Dynasty, cousins of the Bourbons and the Valois, and achieved the title o ...

who took up residence in England and founded the English Courtenay family, who became

Earls of Devon Earl of Devon was created several times in the English peerage, and was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the de Redvers (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.) family, and later by the Courtenay family. It is not to be con ...

in 1335. The title is still held today, by his direct male descendant.

Origins

He was the son of Miles (Milo) de Courtenay, Seigneur (

lord of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

) of Courtenay, in the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

, today in the

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in north-central

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 ...

, by his wife Ermengard de Nevers.

Career

Renaud succeeded his father as Seigneur of Courtenay. He fought in the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusa ...

, with

King Louis VII Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...

of France. He quarrelled with King Louis VII, who seized Renaud's French possessions and gave them along with Renaud's daughter Elizabeth to his youngest brother, Pierre (Peter) of France, who thenceforth became known as

Peter I of Courtenay Peter I of Courtenay (September 1126 – 10 April 1183) was the sixth son of Louis VI of France and his second wife, Adélaide de Maurienne. He was the father of the Latin Emperor Peter II of Courtenay. Peter was born in France and died in Pale ...

(died 1183). Renaud became Lord of the Manor of

in 1161.

Marriages

*(1) Hélène (Hawise) du Donjon, daughter of Frederick du Donjon and Corbeil, sister of Guy du Donjon *(2) Maud du Sap, daughter of

Robert FitzEdith Robert FitzEdith, feudal lord of Okehampton (1093–1172) was an illegitimate son of Henry I of England and Edith Forne, who was a mistress of Henry I. Compared to many of his illegitimate siblings and half-siblings, not much is known about him. R ...

, lord of Okehampton (d.1172) (illegitimate son of

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...

Progeny

By his first marriage: *(1) Renaud II de Courtenay, (b. 1125 - d. 27 September 1194) who in 1172, accompanied King

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 ...

on the Irish Expedition to the

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

. He married Hawise de Curcy (d.1219), heiress of the

feudal barony of Okehampton The feudal barony of Okehampton was a very large feudal barony, the largest mediaeval fiefdom in the county of Devon, England,Thorn & Thorn, part 2, chapter 16 whose ''caput'' was Okehampton Castle and manor. It was one of eight feudal baronies ...

in Devon, and half sister to his father's second wife, Maud du Sap.Sanders, I.J., English Baronies, Oxford, 1960, pp.69-70, Okehampton Through the marriage, he acquired

Okehampton Castle Okehampton Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle in Devon, England. It was built between 1068 and 1086 by Baldwin FitzGilbert following a revolt in Devon against Norman rule, and formed the centre of the Honour of Okehampton, guarding ...

, which remained in the Courtenay family for many generations. They had a son, Robert de Courtenay (d. 1242), who was the great-grandfather of Hugh de Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (d.1340). *(2) Elizabeth de Courtenay (b. 1127 - d. September 1205), who was given in marriage by the French

(d.1180) to his youngest brother, Peter of France (d.1183), who thenceforth became known as "Peter I of Courtenay".

Origins

Career

Marriages

Progeny

Notes

References

Further reading