Enguerrand II (d. 25 October 1053) was the son of Hugh II count of

Ponthieu Ponthieu (; ; ) was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France.Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888-987 Its chief town is Abbeville. History Ponthieu p ...

. He assumed the county upon the death of his father on November 20, 1052.

Life

Enguerrand II was the eldest son and heir of Hugh II, Count of Ponthieu and his wife

Bertha of Aumale The County of Aumale, later elevated to a Duchy, was a medieval fief in the Duchy of Normandy, disputed between France and England during parts of the Hundred Years' War. Norman nobility Aumale was a medieval fief in the Duchy of Normandy and, ...

, heiress of

Aumale Aumale (), formerly known as Albemarle," is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. It lies on the River Bresle. History The town's Latin name was ''Alba Marla''. It was raised by William ...

. Enguerrand was married to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, daughter of

Robert I, Duke of Normandy Robert I of Normandy (22 June 1000– July 1035), also known as Robert the Magnificent and by other names, was a Norman noble of the House of Normandy who ruled as duke of Normandy from 1027 until his death in 1035. He was the son of Duke Ri ...

and sister of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

. But at the Council of Reims in 1049, when the proposed marriage of Duke William with

Matilda of Flanders Matilda of Flanders (; ; German: ''Mechtild)'' ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was the mother of ni ...

was prohibited based on

consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...

, so was Enguerrand's existing marriage to Adelaide, causing him to be

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

. The marriage was apparently annulled c.1049/50. He had given her in

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settlement (law), settled on the bride (being given into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of t ...

, which she retained after the dissolution of their marriage. The Conqueror's uncle, William of Arques, who had originally challenged Duke William's right to the duchy based on his illegitimacy, had been given the county of Talou by Duke William as a fief, but still defiant and on his own authority proceeded to build a strong castle at Arques. Enguerrand was allied to William of Arques by virtue of the latter being married to Enguerrand's sister. By 1053 William of Arques was in open revolt against Duke William and

Henry I of France Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. ...

came to William of Arques' aid invading Normandy and attempting to relieve the castle of Arques.Jim Bradbury, ''The Routledge Companion to Medieval Warfare'' (Routledge, NY, 2004), pp. 160-1 Duke William had put Arques under siege, but had remained mobile with another force in the countryside nearby. To relieve the siege Enguerrand was with Henry I of France and on October 25, 1053 was killed when the Normans feigned a retreat in which Enguerrand and his companions followed and were ambushed, a tactic the Normans used again to great success at the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

Issue

Enguerrand married

Adelaide of Normandy Adelaide of Normandy (or Adeliza) ( 1030 – bef. 1090) was the ruling Countess of Aumale in her own right in 1069–1087. She was the sister of William the Conqueror. Life Born 1030, Adelaide was an illegitimate daughter of the Norman duke ...

, Countess of Aumale, daughter of Robert I, Duke of Normandy.The name of Adelaide's mother remains unsettled. David C. Douglas 'William the Conqueror'', 1964, pp. 381stated that William had a sister or half-sister Adelaide; that she may have been the daughter of Robert I by a mistress other than Herleva, but that "it is more probable she was the Conqueror's sister of the whole blood". As such the question remains open.George Andrews Moriarty, ''The Plantagenet Ancestry of King Edward III and Queen Philippa'' (Mormon Pioneer Genealogy Society, Salt Lake City, UT, 1985), p. 13 By her he had a daughter: * Adelaide, living in 1096.George Edward Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage of England Scotland Ireland Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant Extinct or Dormant'', ed. Vicary Gibbs, Vol. I (The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., London, 1910), p. 351 As Enguerrand died without male issue he was followed by his brother Guy I as

Count of Ponthieu The County of Ponthieu (, ), centered on the mouth of the Somme, became a member of the Norman group of vassal states when Count Guy submitted to William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy after the battle of Mortemer.Dunbabin.France in the Making ...

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Life

Issue

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Further reading