Robert II of Dreux (1154 – 28 December 1218),

Count 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 Du ...

and Braine, was the eldest surviving son of Robert I, Count of Dreux, and Agnes de Baudemont, countess of Braine, and a grandson of King Louis VI of France. He participated 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 ...

, at the

Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

and the Battle of Arsuf. He took part in the war in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

against the Angevin Kings between 1193 and 1204. Count Robert had seized the castle of Nonancourt from

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

while he was imprisoned in Germany in late 1193. The count also participated in the Albigensian Crusade in 1210. In 1214 he fought alongside King Philip Augustus at 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 ...

Marriages and Children

His first marriage with Mahaut of Burgundy (1150–1192) in 1178 ended with separation in 1181 and produced no children. The excuse for the annulment was consanguinity. Mahaut and Robert were both great-great grandchildren of

William I, Count of Burgundy William I (1020 – 12 November 1087), called the Great (''le Grand'' or ''Tête Hardie'', "the Stubborn"), was Count of Burgundy from 1057 to 1087 and Mâcon from 1078 to 1087. He was a son of Renaud I and Alice of Normandy, daughter of Richar ...

and his wife Etiennete and they were both

Capetian The Capetian dynasty (; french: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Ca ...

descendants of

Robert II of France Robert II (c. 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (french: link=no, le Pieux) or the Wise (french: link=no, le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted h ...

. His second marriage to Yolande de Coucy (1164–1222), the daughter of

Ralph I, Lord of Coucy Ralph of Coucy, (c. 1134 – 1191), lord of Coucy, lord of Marle, La Fère, Crécy (sur-Serre), Vervins, Pinon, Landouzy (la-Ville), and Fontaine (lès-Vervins). He was the son of Enguerrand II, Lord of Coucy and Agnes de Beaugency.M. A. Pol ...

and Agnès de Hainaut, produced several children: * Robert III (c. 1185–1234), Count of Dreux and Braine. * Peter Ι (c. 1190–1250),

Duke of Brittany This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...

. *

Henry of Dreux Henri de Dreux (1193–1240) was Archbishop of Reims from 1227 to 1240. He is commemorated by a window in Reims Cathedral. He was an active builder, but his local taxation provoked a revolt in 1233. He was a son of Robert II of DreuxA History of ...

(c. 1193–1240),

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese a ...

. * John of Dreux (c. 1198–1239), Count of Vienne and Mâcon. *

Philippa of Dreux Philippa of Dreux, Dame de Coucy (1192–1242) was a daughter of Robert II of Dreux and his second wife Yolande de Coucy. Family Philippa was the fifth of seven children born to her parents, Robert II of Dreux and his second wife Yolande de Couc ...

(1192–1242), who married

Henry II of Bar Henry II of Bar in French ''Henri II de Bar'', in German ''Heinrich II von Bar'' (1190–13 November 1239) was a Count of Bar who reigned from 1214 to 1239. He was son of Count Theobald I of Bar and his first wife, Ermesinde of Bar-sur-Seine. Hen ...

. * Alix of Dreux, married Walter IV of Vienne, Lord of Salins, then married Renard II of Choiseul. * Agnes of Dreux (1195–1258), married Stephen III of Auxonne. * Yolande of Dreux (1196–1239), married Raoul II of Lusignan.

Tomb

Count Robert's tomb bore the following inscription, in

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functione ...

hexameters Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek and Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of syllables). It w ...

with internal rhyme: :''Stirpe satus rēgum, pius et custōdia lēgum,'' :''Brannę Rōbertus comes hīc requiescit opertus,'' :''Et jacet Agnētis situs ad vestīgia mātris.'' Of which the translation is: "Born from the race of kings, and a devoted guardian of the laws, Robert, Count of Braine, here rests covered, and lies buried by the remains of his mother Agnes." It is also dated ''Anno Gracię M. CC. XVIII. die innocentum'', that is, "In the Year of Grace 1218, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents."

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * * * * ''Mémoires de la Société des lettres, sciences et arts de Bar-le-Duc'', Vol.2, Ed. Société des lettres, sciences et arts de Bar-le-Duc, Contant Laguerre Imprimeur Editeur, 1903. * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robert 02 Of Dreux Dreux, Robert II, Count of Dreux, Robert II, Count of Dreux, Robert II, Count of Dreux, Robert II, Count of Counts of Dreux House of Dreux Burials at the Abbey of Saint-Yved de Braine