Hugh I (est. 885-930) (fl. early tenth century), called ''Venator'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for ''the Hunter''), was the first

Lord of Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries duri ...

. He is mentioned in the ''Chronicle of Saint-Maixent''. It has been hypothesised that he was the huntsman, ('Le Veneur' in his native French), of either the

Count of Poitou Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or ''Poitou'', in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of Aquitaine) are: *Bodilon * Warinus (638–677), son of Bodilon * Hatton (735-778) Carolingian Counts ...

or the

Bishop of Poitiers The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Pictaviensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Poitiers'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers. ...

on the basis of his

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

. The fact that in later years the Lusignans held the forest from the east of their castle from the

suggest that he held his office from that prelate. He was in turn succeeded by his son, Hugh II Carus who built the Castle of Lusignan. Hugh I may be the inspiration of the Raymond of

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

character in ''The Romans of Partenay or of Lusignen: Otherwise known as the Tale of Melusine.''

Sources

* Painter, Sidney.
The Lords of Lusignan in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries.
''Speculum'', Vol. 32, No. 1. (Jan., 1957), pp 27–47. House of Lusignan 10th-century French nobility {{France-noble-stub