Engelard de Cigogné was a 13th-century French-born administrator from Touraine who served

King John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

. He was born in the little village of

Cigogné Cigogné () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department The following is a list of the 272 communes of the Indre-et-Loire department of France. The co ...

, just south of Tours in France, a relative (possibly a son or half brother or nephew by marriage) of

Gérard d'Athée Gérard d'Athée (written in the 1215 issue of Magna Carta as Gerardi de Athyes) was a principal military commander and lord from Athée-sur-Cher, near Tours, today in France. He possessed his own castle, arms and badge of "A Lion contrapasssant q ...

, a trusted relative and principal overlord, knight and military commander to King John. John had paid a considerable ransom of between 1000m and 2000m to secure Gérard's freedom after he had been captured in the storming of Loches Castle in 1205, of which he was castellan. Gérard had then joined Engelard and other of his relatives in England and had been appointed

High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...

and

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

in 1208. Engelard was appointed High Sheriff of both

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

and

in 1210, following on from Gérard. The whole family of Gérard, including Engelard, were the only people to be condemned by name in

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...

, which was drawn up in 1215 during the baronial revolt of that year. In it the king made a number of commitments to meet the barons' demands, of which Item 50 specifically promised that Gérard Athée and his whole family would henceforth be banned from office. Engelard was duly relieved of his shrievalties in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, although another member of the proscribed group,

Philip Marc Philip Marc (also Mark) was a High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests in 1208. Marc has been proposed as a candidate for the role of Sheriff of Nottingham in the legend of Robin Hood.

, remained in his post as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire until 1222. Engelard himself was compensated with the post of Constable of Windsor Castle, which he held until 1223. The barons had meanwhile invited Prince Louis of France, the future Louis VIII of France, to be King of England in place of John and the French prince duly occupied southern England and besieged the castles of Odiham, Dover and Windsor. As Constable of Windsor Engelard (De Athe) led its resistance to a besieging force led by the Count of Nevers until the besiegers left to pursue other objectives. After peace was restored Engelard was rewarded for his services by being given the manor of Benson in Oxfordshire. He was also appointed

High Sheriff of Oxfordshire The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much older ...

and

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

for 1233 and reinstated as Constable of Windsor Castle in 1234, holding the post until 1242. He was so trusted by Henry III that he was once appointed to keep

Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany ( – 10 August 1241), also known as Damsel of Brittany, Pearl of Brittany, or Beauty of Brittany, was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Her father was the ...

, in his custody. Eleanor was a cousin of Henry and posed a potential threat to the crown, and was thus confined since 1202, then at

Bristol Castle Bristol Castle was a Norman castle established in the late 11th century on the north bank of the River Avon in Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the ...

. He died in 1244. He had married Agatha and had a son, Oliver. The previous Christmas the king had sent him a personal gift of wine as a tribute to a loyal and valued servant of the Crown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cigogne, Engelard de 1244 deaths People from Tours, France High sheriffs of Gloucestershire High sheriffs of Herefordshire High sheriffs of Oxfordshire High sheriffs of Berkshire People from Windsor, Berkshire