Theobald I ( or ) (c. 1191 – 17 February 1220) was the

duke of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings o ...

from 1213 to his death. He was the son and successor of Frederick II and Agnes of Bar.

Battle of Bouvines

Theobald joined

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 11 ...

, on 4 July 1214 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 ...

, where he was taken in prisoner in the rout. He was quickly liberated.

Vassals

As duke of Lorraine Theobald was a powerful lord almost under the Holy Roman Empire almost ruling independently. He had several important vassals but many of them strove for independence quite successfully. These vassals included the Bishops of Metz, the

Bishops of Toul The Diocese of Toul was a Roman Catholic diocese seated at Toul in present-day France. It existed from 365 until 1802. From 1048 until 1552 (''de jure'' until 1648), it was also a state of the Holy Roman Empire. History The diocese was erect ...

, the Bishops of Verdun, the

County of Bar The County of Bar, later Duchy of Bar, was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire encompassing the '' pays de Barrois'' and centred on the city of Bar-le-Duc. It was held by the House of Montbéliard from the 11th century. Part of the county, ...

(though these counts were not de facto part of Lorraine at this point), the lord of

Commercy Commercy () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The 18th-century Lorraine historian Nicolas Luton Durival (1713–1795) was born in Commercy. History Commercy dates back to the 9th century, and at that time ...

, the Count of Vaudémont, and the Counts of Chiny (also lords of Montmédy). However the dukes suzerainty over these lordships was probably not much more than nominal.

Other affairs

He was suggested by the abbot Gervase to be one of the leaders for the 5th crusade but he was probably already embroiled in the Champagne war of succession and had to decline.

Champagne war of Succession

In 1216, in the Champagne War of Succession, he supported Erard I, Count of Brienne, in his quarrel with Theobald IV, Count of Champagne, who was supported by

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French ...

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II ( German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerus ...

, and

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. He ...

. Frederick, the

suzerain Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is calle ...

of Lorraine, considered it a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that res ...

to support a candidate he opposed and occupied the city of Rosheim, which he had given to Frederick II of Lorraine. Theobald responded in 1218, retaking Rosheim and ravaging

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...

. Frederick did not hesitate to counterattack and invaded Lorraine and took and burned Nancy, its capital. He then besieged and took the castle of Amance, where Theobald was taking refuge. He was imprisoned and constrained to recognize the suzerainty of the count of Champagne, the legitimacy of Erard of Brienne's claim to Champagne, and relinquish several lordships to attain liberty again. He never recovered his lost land and prestige and died in 1220.

Kinslayer

Between 3rd-10th of April 1217 (during the Champagne war of Succession) he searched for his problematic paternal uncle the bishop of Toul Matthew de Lorraine found him on the path Void Parupt in Saint-Michel-sur-Meurthe, and killed him with a spear (implying a fight rather than a murder). The weapon he used to kill the unruly bishop was apparently borrowed from Simon of Joinville who was an ally during the Champagne war of Succession and probably also a friend.

Lands and possible Hospitallier Association

As duke of Lorraine his chief seat was at the city of Nancy. In 1212 through his wife Gertrude he inherited the

County of Dagsburg The County of Dagsburg with its capital Dagsburg (now Dabo in France) existed in Lorraine from 11th to 18th centuries when the area was still part of Holy Roman Empire. The ancestral castle in Dabo, the Dagsburg Castle in Lorraine, was acquir ...

and therefore its capital the chateau de Dabo and also Dorlisheim. Considering his ancestors association with the Knights Hospitallier it seems likely that the Hospital was founded by him. Through a grant by the Emperor he also had Rosheim but when he interfered in the War of the Succession of Champagne it was taken away from him. He also held the castles of Amance,

Lunéville Lunéville ( ; German, obsolete: ''Lünstadt'' ) is a commune in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It is a subprefecture of the department and lies on the river Meurthe at its confluence with the Vezouze. History L ...

, Château des Ducs de Lorraine, and many more.

Character/Personality

In accounts the dukes of Lorraine are always referred to as extremely handsome and talented and based on Theobald's military adventures it is not unlikely that he was brave. Despite this he seems to have been either stubborn or loyal after refusing to back down when his liege joined the opposing side of the Champagne War of Succession. Opposing his Liege cost him dearly and his violent reactions against his liege show that he was too proud to seek to smooth things over. The killing of his uncle Matthew bishop of Toul does not reflect well on his personality especially when such actions were considered particularly egregious in the middle ages.

Marriage and Succession

He had married, in 1206, Gertrude, only child and heir of Albert II, count of Dagsburg and

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est ...

. They had no children, and she was just 16 years old when her husband died. His successor was

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot ...

his brother; his widow remarried his old rival, Theobald of Champagne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theobald I, Duke Of Lorraine Dukes of Lorraine Lorraine, Theobald I, Duke of Lorraine, Theobald I, Duke of