Hugues IV (died 1180),

Viscount of Châteaudun A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

, son of

Geoffrey III, Viscount of Châteaudun Geoffrey III (Geoffroy III) (died 1145), Viscount of Châteaudun, son of Hugh IV, Viscount of Châteaudun, and Agnes, Comtesse de Fréteval, daughter of Foucher, Seigneur de Fréteval, and Hildeburge Goët. Geoffrey was also Seigneur of Mondoublea ...

, and Helvise, Dame of Mondoubleau, daughter of Ilbert “Payen” de Mondoubleau. He became Lord of Mondoubleau upon his mother's death, based on her inheritance, and acquired the lordship of Saint-Calais by marriage. Hugues’ father, in a conflict with his uncle Urso, Seigneur de Fréteval, was captured and imprisoned. He was rescued by Hugues with the help of Geoffroy III,

Count of Vendôme Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

. Hugues took his first trip to the Holy Land with his father in 1140. In 1159, Hugues’ second trip to the Holy Land was accompanied by encroachments of his land by his third cousin

Rotrou IV, Count of Perche Rotrou IV (1135-1191), was the Count of Perche. He joined Louis VII of France in a war against Henry II of England, in which he lost lands to the English. Rotrou later went on crusade with Philip II of France and died after the Siege of Acre in 1191 ...

. In response, Hugues captured the land of Villemans, to the detriment of the church and priory of the Holy Sepulchre of Châteaudun. Yves, Abbot of Saint-Denis Nogent-le-Rotrou, supported Rotrou is this dispute. The affair ended in 1166 through a judgement of

Theobald V, Count of Blois Theobald V of Blois (1130 – 20 January 1191), also known as Theobald the Good (), was Count of Blois from 1151 to 1191. Biography Theobald was son of Theobald II of Champagne and Matilda of Carinthia. Although he was the second son, Theobald ...

and his brother

William of the White Hands William of the White Hands (; 1135–1202), also called William White Hands, was a French cardinal. William was born in Brosse, Île-de-France, France. He was a son of Theobald the Great, Count of Blois and Count of Champagne, and Matilda o ...

, then

Bishop of Chartres The oldest known list of bishops of Chartres is found in an 11th-century manuscript of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme. It includes 57 names from Adventus (Saint Aventin) to Aguiertus (Agobert) who died in 1060. The most well-known list is included in the ...

. He founded the Commanderie d’Arville of the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

in 1135 on land donated earlier by his father. The Commanderie remains a unique monument and one of the best preserved Commanderie in France. In 1118, nine French knights led by

Hugues de Payens , commonly known in French as or ( – 24 May 1136), was the co-founder and first Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Origin and early life The Latin text of William of Tyre's ''History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea'', dated , calls him , ...

created a religious militia which was to become the Order of Solomon's Temple, or Knights Templar. The members of the order were monks and soldiers and obeyed the rules elaborated by a council gathered at Troyes Cathedral in France in January 1128. The Templars settled in Arville around 1130 on an estate of 2500 acres, given for their disposal by Hugues’ father Geoffrey (referred to as Lord of Mondoubleau in local historical records). The Commanderie became a farming center, a recruitment center, a place of worship, and a training base for the knights waiting for their departure to the Holy Land. The Templars lived here until their arrest, accused of heresy by Philip IV of France in 1307. At the request of Theobald V, he imprisoned Sulpice II d’Amboise and his sons in a dungeon of the castle of Chateaudun in order to force him to transfer his Chateau de Chaumont to Theobald's control. Sulpice was killed in 1153 after being tortured, but with his chateau's ownership intact. His sons were released upon intervention by their cousin

Henry Plantagenet Henry II () was Monarchy of the United Kingdom, King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. During his reign he controlled Kingdom of England, England, substantial parts of Wales in the High Middle Ages, Wales and Lordship of Ireland ...

, future King of England. In 1154, Hugues married Marguerite de Saint-Calais, daughter of Sylvestre de Saint-Calais, and heiress to the lordship of Saint-Calais. Hugues and Marguerite had six children *

Geoffrey IV, Viscount of Châteaudun Geoffrey IV (Geoffroy IV) (died 1176), Viscount of Châteaudun, son of Hugh V, Viscount of Châteaudun Hugues IV (died 1180), Counts of Châteaudun, Viscount of Châteaudun, son of Geoffrey III, Viscount of Châteaudun, and Helvise, Dame of Mondou ...

Hugh VI, Viscount of Châteaudun Hugues VI (died 1191), Viscount of Châteaudun, known as the Clever (''Callidus''), son of Hugues IV, Viscount of Châteaudun, and Marguerite de Saint-Calais, daughter of Sylvestre de Saint-Calais. He presumably succeeded his brother Geoffrey IV ...

* Payen (d. 1190 or after), Lord of Mondoubleau * Eudes (d. before 1175) * Hélvise (d. after 1163) * Alix (d. after 1176). Given the ties of Hugues’ family with the Knights Templar, the common use of the name Payen, and the relationships with the House of Montdidier (see

Geoffrey II, Count of Perche Geoffrey II (died October 1100), Count of Mortagne and Count of Perche, was the son of Rotrou I, Viscount of Châteaudun, and Adelise de Bellême, daughter of Guérin de Domfron. Geoffrey was Count of Mortagne and Seigneur of Nogent from 1060 to 109 ...

), it is possible that Payen de Montdidier, one of the founding nine knights, is related to the family. Hughes was a benefactor of the Abbey of Tiron (see

Tironensian Order The Tironensian Order or the Order of Tiron was a medieval Roman Catholic religious order, monastic order named after the location of the Mother Church, mother abbey (Tiron Abbey, , established in 1109) in the woods of Thiron-Gardais (sometimes '' ...

) and he, like his father before him, is buried at the abbey. He was succeeded by his son Hugh.

References

Sources

* * Settipani, Christian, ''Les vicomtes de Châteaudun et leurs alliés, dans Onomastique et Parenté dans l'Occident médiéval'', Oxford, Linacre, Unit for Prosopographical Research, 2000 *

Europäische Stammtafeln ''Europäische Stammtafeln'' - German for ''European Family Trees'' - is a series of twenty-nine books which contain sets of genealogical tables of the most influential families of Medieval European history. It is a standard reference work for t ...

, ''Vol. III, Les Vicomtes de Châteaudun'' * Histoire du Perche, Par Philippe Siguret, Michel Fleury, ''Publié par Fédération des amis du Perche'', 2000
Commanderie d’Arville
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugues IV, Viscount of Chateaudun Viscounts of Châteaudun 1180 deaths Year of birth unknown