Raoul I of Lusignan (born c. 1160/5 –

Melle Melle may refer to: People * Basil Melle (1891–1966), South African cricketer * Gil Mellé (1931–2004), American artist, jazz musician and film composer * John van Melle (1887–1953), Dutch-born South African author * Melle Mel (born 19 ...

, 1 May 1219) was the second son of Hugh de

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries duri ...

(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 Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

, 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 The House ...

, de

, de Chizé, de Civray and de La Mothe. He also became Count of Eu (c. 1191), by marriage ('' de jure uxoris'') to Alix d'Eu. Since the region of

was contested between kings of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

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 Tickhill is a market town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, close to the border with Nottinghamshire. At the 2001 census it had a population of 5,301, reducing to 5,228 at the 2011 Census. Geography It l ...

, 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 The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by Al-Adil I, al-Adil, brothe ...

, 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 (born c. 1180 – La Mothe-Saint-Heray,

, 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 {{Infobox noble , name = Humphrey de Bohun , title = Earl of Hereford Earl of Essex , image =Arms of the House of de Bohun.svg , caption =Arms of de Bohun: ''Azure, a bend argent cotised or betw ...

, 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 w ...

. She was buried at Llanthony, Gloucester. They were ancestors to Queen Catherine Parr. As lord of

, he is known as: Raoul d'Exoudun, and should not be confused with a contemporary nobleman, Raoul of

Issoudun Issoudun () is a commune in the Indre department, administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is also referred to as ''Issoundun'', which is the ancient name. Geography Location Issoudun is a sub-prefecture, located in the east ...

(''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

Family

See also

References

Sources

External links