Jean II de Croÿ (1390? – Valenciennes, 25 March 1473) was

Count of Chimay Prince of Chimay is a title of Belgian and Dutch nobility associated with the town of Chimay in what is now Belgium. The title is currently held by Philippe de Caraman-Chimay, 22nd Prince de Chimay. The main residence of the princely family is Ch ...

and progenitor of the line of Croÿ-Solre. Jean belonged to the powerful House of Croÿ.

Life

Jean was the second surviving son of Jean I de Croÿ and Marie de Craon. His elder brother was

Antoine I de Croÿ Antoine I de Croÿ (''the Great'' or ''Le Grand de Croÿ''), Seigneur de Croÿ, Renty and Le Roeulx, Count of Porcéan (c. 1383/1387 – 21 September 1475), was a member of the House of Croÿ. Antoine was the eldest surviving son and heir of J ...

. He was a prominent member of the Burgundian court. He governed Hainaut and

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

in the name of the Dukes of Burgundy as ''grand bailli de Hainaut''. Jean's dominions were centred on the town of

Chimay Chimay (, wa, Chimai) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a populatio ...

, of which he became the first count. In 1430, he was made one of the first Knights of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

. Jean was godfather to Charles the Bold in 1433 and to the Dauphin in 1459. In 1435 he played an important part in the formation of the

Congress of Arras The Congress of Arras was a diplomatic congregation established at Arras in the summer of 1435 during the Hundred Years' War, between representatives of England, France, and Burgundy. It was the first negotiation since the Treaty of Troyes and rep ...

. He was subsequently charged with bringing the city of Amiens under Burgundian control. In 1436, Jean commanded the Burgundian-Flemish army that besieged Calais and was blamed for the complete failure of the expedition. During the

Revolt of Ghent (1449–1453) The Revolt of Ghent was a rebellion by the city of Ghent against the Burgundian State. It lasted from 1449 to 1453. The rebellion was eventually suppressed by the Burgundians. Background After their efforts in the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1 ...

, he lifted the siege of Oudenaarde and in 1453, he defeated

William I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...

at Thionville, securing the

Duchy of Luxembourg The Duchy of Luxemburg ( nl, Luxemburg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg; lb, Lëtzebuerg) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg. The House of Luxembourg, now Duke of Limburg, becam ...

for Burgundy. Jean was also amongst those who took the Vow of the Pheasant in 1454. Jean had a great influence on

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

, for which he was hated by Charles the Bold. When Charles the Bold came to power in 1465, he exiled Jean, as well as his son

Philip I of Croÿ-Chimay Philip I of Croÿ-Chimay (November 1436 – Bruges, 14 September 1482), count of Chimay, Lord of Quiévrain, was a noble from the House of Croÿ, in the service of the Dukes of Burgundy. Life Philip was the eldest son of Jean II de Croÿ, confid ...

and his brother

. Jean only reconciled with Charles in 1473, the year of his death.

Marriage and children

Jean was the progenitor of the only line of the House of Croÿ extant today, that of Croÿ-Solre. He married Marie of Lalaing (1390–1474) and had five children. * Jacqueline (1430–1500), married in 1463 Jean IV de Nesle * Philip de Croy-Chimay (Mons, 1430 – Bruges, 18 September 1482), lord of Quievrain, his successor * Jacques (1436–1516), Bishop of Cambrai *

Michel de Croy, Seigneur de Sempy Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

(died 1516), Order of the Golden Fleece * Catherine (1440–1515), married Adrien de Brimeu who died in the Battle of Marignano (1515)

References

Sources

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Life

Marriage and children

References

Sources

Further reading