
Gaucher V de Châtillon ( 1249 in
Châtillon-sur-Marne – 1329), Lord of Châtillon, Count of Porcien, was constable of
Champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
in 1284 and then
Constable of France
The Constable of France (, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and chancellor) and the commander-in ...
(1302–1329) during the reigns of five different kings. He was also tutor to the future
Louis X of France
Louis X (4 October 1289 – 5 June 1316), known as the Quarrelsome (), was King of France from 1314 and King of Navarre (as Louis I) from 1305 until his death. He emancipated serfs who could buy their freedom and readmitted Jews into the king ...
and his primary minister.
Biography
Gaucher was the son of
Gaucher IV de Châtillon and Isabelle de Villehardouin, and was the grandson of
Hugues de Châtillon, Count of
Blois
Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...
and Saint-Pol.
In 1284,
King Philip III of France named Gaucher, Constable of Champagne. He traded Philip IV for the county of Chatillon in return for Crecy in 1290, however in 1303 Philip forced the return of the county in exchange for
Château-Porcien
Château-Porcien () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Ardennes department
The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France
France, o ...
. Gaucher kept the castle of Châtillon, which was reserved for him and his descendants.
In 1291, Gaucher repelled the army of
Count Henry III of Bar, son-in-law of
King Edward I of England. He fought the English in Guyenne in 1296. In 1302, during the conflict between
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections t ...
and Philip IV, Gaucher tried to convince the nobility that the King of France was only accountable to God.
The Flanders Revolt
In
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
in 1302, Gaucher quashed the revolt in Bruges and built in that city a citadel at the expense of the inhabitants. He built two others in Lille and Courtray and fortified several other castles that had been demolished.
In fiction
Châtillon is a character in ''
Les Rois maudits'' (''The Accursed Kings''), a series of French
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...
s by
Maurice Druon
Maurice Druon (; 23 April 1918 – 14 April 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Française, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999.
Life and career
Born in Paris, France, Druon was the ...
. He was played by
Jean Chevrier in the 1972 French
miniseries
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
adaptation of the series, and by
Wadeck Stanczak
Wadek Jean André Stanczak (born 30 November 1961) is a French actor. He appeared in more than thirty films since 1984. His parents were immigrants from Poland.
Selected filmography
Awards
* César Award for Most Promising Actor Cesar or C� ...
in the 2005 adaptation.
References
Sources
*
*
1240s births
1329 deaths
13th-century French nobility
14th-century French nobility
Constables of France
Lords in France
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