Simon de Crépy (c. 1047 – 1081) was

Count of Amiens The County of Amiens (also: ''Amiénois'') was a feudal state centred on the city of Amiens, northern France, that existed from the 9th century until 1077 when the last count became a monk and the county reverted to the French crown. In 1185 the co ...

, of the

Vexin Vexin () is an historical county of northwestern France. It covers a verdant plateau on the right bank (north) of the Seine running roughly east to west between Pontoise and Romilly-sur-Andelle (about 20 km from Rouen), and north to south ...

and of Valois from 1074 until 1077. He was the son of Count Ralph IV of Valois and Adèle of

Bar-sur-Aube Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of France. Surrounded by hills and Champagne vineyards, the city is traversed by the river Aube, from which it derive ...

and thus the brother of

Adele of Valois Adele of Valois (''Adèle/Adélaïde'') was a daughter of Ralph IV of Valois and Adele of Bar-sur-Aube. She married firstly Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois and they had: # Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois # Odo I, Count of Vermandois She was a ...

. He is also known as Simon de Vexin and Saint Simon. Simon was brought up at the court of William of Normandy, and inherited his father's sizable lands in 1074. These lay between the royal domain of King

Philip I of France Philip I (23 May 1052 – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous, was King of the Franks from 1060 to 1108. His reign, like that of most of the early Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time. The monarchy began a modest recovery from the low i ...

and the lands of William of Normandy, by then

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Baili ...

, and made Simon an important man. It is said that at this time William of Normandy proposed a marriage between Simon and his daughter

Adela Adela may refer to: * ''Adela'', a 1933 Romanian novel by Garabet Ibrăileanu * ''Adela'' (1985 film), a 1985 Romanian film directed by Mircea Veroiu * ''Adela'' (2000 film), a 2000 Argentine thriller film directed and written by Eduardo Mign ...

(1064x1066–1137). In the meantime, King Philip attempted to withhold part of Simon’s inheritance and a three-year-long war resulted. A marriage with Adela was within the prohibited degree of

consanguinity Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...

and Simon went to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to meet with

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...

, perhaps to arrange a dispensation. Whether this was his motive, the Pope arranged a truce between Simon and King Philip. Perhaps as part of the papal settlement, Simon married a daughter of the

Count of Auvergne This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne. History In the 7th century Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom of Aquitaine. The c ...

(chronologically, this would have been either

William V William V may refer to: * William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030) *William V of Montpellier (1075–1121) * William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191) * William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181) *William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361) * Willia ...

or Robert II) about 1075. Shortly afterwards Simon and his wife both took religious vows and entered monasteries. His county of Valois passed to his sister's husband,

Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois Herbert IV of Vermandois (1028–1080), Count of Vermandois, was the son of Otto of Vermandois and Parvie (Pavia or Patia). Family and children Herbert married Adele of Valois, daughter of Ralph IV of Valois and Adele of Bar-sur-Aube. They had: * ...

, Amiens to Philip, and the

was partitioned between Philip and William, creating the modern division between the ''Vexin français'' and the ''Vexin normand''. Simon was not content with the relatively luxurious surrounds of the Abbey of Saint-Claude, and decided upon a life as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite ( adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a C ...

in the forests of

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

on the upper reaches of the river

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Mouthe Mouthe () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. The town is known for having the coldest recorded temperature in France. Geography The town is located south of Pontarlier in the Jura Mou ...

later grew up around the priory. Simon undertook a

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

age to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, and then again to Rome where he died. He received the

Last Rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

from Gregory VII. Simon was later

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their n ...

and his

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s are still kept at Mouthe where a statue in his honour was erected in 1934.

Sources

* Bury, J. B., ''The Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III: Germany and the Western Empire'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1922, pg. 111 * Cowdrey, H. E. J., ''Count Simon of Crepy's Monastic Conversion. The Crusades and Latin Monasticism, 11th–12th Centuries'', Ashgate Publishing, Brookfield, VT, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon De Crepy Counts of Valois Counts of Vexin 1040s births 1081 deaths Medieval French saints