John I of Dreux (1215–1249),

Count of Dreux The Counts of Dreux were a noble family of France, who took their title from the chief stronghold of their domain, the château of Dreux, which lies near the boundary between Normandy and the Île-de-France. They are notable for inheriting the Du ...

and Braine, was the son of

Robert III of Dreux Robert III of Dreux (1185–1234), Count of Dreux and Braine, was the son of Robert II, Count of Dreux, and Yolanda de Coucy. He was given the byname Gasteblé (lit. wheat-spoiler) when he destroyed a field of wheat while hunting in his youth. ...

and Annora (Aenor) of Saint-Valéry.

Life

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed by King

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

, John accompanied the king on several campaigns, firstly in

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 ...

in 1242, where he fought at the

Battle of Taillebourg The Battle of Taillebourg, a major medieval battle fought in July 1242, was the decisive engagement of the Saintonge War. It pitted a French Capetian army under the command of King Louis IX, also known as Saint Louis, and his younger brother Al ...

. In 1249 he joined the king on the

Seventh Crusade The Seventh Crusade (1248–1254) was the first of the two Crusades led by Louis IX of France. Also known as the Crusade of Louis IX to the Holy Land, it aimed to reclaim the Holy Land by attacking Egypt, the main seat of Muslim power in the Nea ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, but died at

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

in the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (; ) was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade. I ...

before arriving. In 1240 he married Marie (1220–1274), daughter of

Archambaud VIII of Bourbon Archambaud VIII of Bourbon, nicknamed ''the Great'' (1189–1242), was a ruler (''sire'') of Bourbonnais in the modern region of Auvergne, France. His parents were Guy II of Dampierre and Mathilde of Bourbon. Archambaud’s first wife was Alix ...

. They had three children: * Robert IV (1241–1282), succeeded his father. * John, joined Knights Templar * Yolande, became the second wife of

John I, Count of Dammartin Jean de Trie ( – 1298×1304) was the Count of Dammartin (as John I) and lord of Trie and Mouchy (as John II) from 1272. A member of the , John succeeded his father, Mathieu I, on the latter's death in 1272. According to the '' Chronique Tour ...

References

Sources

* * * Dreux, John I, Count of Dreux, John I, Count of Counts of Dreux House of Dreux Christians of the Sixth Crusade Dreux, John I, Count of Burials at the Abbey of Saint-Yved de Braine {{France-noble-stub