Hugh III (1142 – August 25, 1192) was

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

between 1162 and 1192. As duke, Burgundy was invaded by King Philip II and Hugh was forced to sue for peace. Hugh then joined 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 ...

, distinguishing himself at Arsuf and Acre. He died at Acre in 1192.

Life

Hugh was the eldest son of Duke Odo II and Marie, daughter of Theobald II, Count of Champagne. The rule of Hugh III marked the ending of a period of relative peace in the duchy of Burgundy. Hugh was a belligerent man and soon was involved in conflicts against King

Louis VII of France 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 ...

over their borders. When

Philip Augustus 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 m ...

succeeded Louis in 1180, Hugh seized the opportunity and forced several men to change their allegiance to Burgundy. Philip II was not happy with the loss of his vassals and invaded the duchy, besieging Châtillon in 1186. The town fell and with it, its garrison, commanded by Odo, Hugh's heir. A peace was negotiated and Hugh had to pay a high ransom for his son and give up ambitions over French territory. In 1187, Hugh transferred the capital of Burgundy to

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlie ...

, and endeavoured to turn the city into a major commercial centre.

Joins crusade

Hugh then turned his energies to the Holy Land, embarking in the

in the retinue of Philip II. Hugh played a major role in the victory of the

Battle of Arsuf The Battle of Arsuf took place on 7 September 1191, as part of the Third Crusade. It saw a multi-national force of Crusaders, led by Richard I of England, defeat a significantly larger army of the Ayyubid Sultanate, led by Saladin. Follo ...

(September 7, 1191) and at the Siege of Acre. When Philip returned to France in July 1191, he left Hugh in charge of the French troops. In January 1192, Hugh traveled to Ascalon and argued with

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, Duke of Aquitaine, Aquitaine and Duchy of Gascony, Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Co ...

over pay for his troops. He died August 1192 at Acre.

Marriage and issue

He was married twice: Firstly, in 1165, to Alice (1145–1200), daughter of

Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine Matthias I (1119 – 13 May 1176) was the duke of Lorraine from 1138 to his death as the eldest son and successor of Simon I and Adelaide. Like his forefathers going back to Theodoric II and even to Adalbert, he was a stern supporter of the king ...

; he repudiated her in 1183. With his first wife, they had: * Odo III (1166–1218), his successor in the Duchy *Alexander (1170–1206), Lord of Montaigu, married Beatrix of Montaigu *Douce (1175 – c.1219), married in 1196 Simon of Semur (d. 1219), Lord of Luzy *Alice (1177 - 1266), married Béraud VII, Lord of Mercœur and Robert VI, Dauphin d'Auvergne (d. 1252) Secondly, in 1183, to Beatrice, (1161–1228), Countess of Albon and Dauphine of Viennois, daughter of Guigues, Count of Albon and Dauphin of Viennois. With his second wife, they had: * Guigues VI (1184–1237), Dauphin of Viennois * Mahaut (1190–1242), married in 1214 John I, Count of Châlon and Auxonne (1190–1267) *

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

(1192–1243), married in 1222 Amadeus IV (1197–1253),

Count of Savoy The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at ...

Ancestry

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * {{Authority control 1148 births 1192 deaths House of Burgundy Dukes of Burgundy Christians of the Third Crusade