Raoul le Bon (Ralph the Good) (d. 4 January 1235), also known as Raoul III de Nesle, was the

Count of Soissons This is a list of those who bore the title Count of Soissons () and ruled Soissons and its ''civitas'' or diocese as a county in the Middle Ages. The title continued in use into modern times, but without ties to the actual Soissonnais. Carolingia ...

from 1180.He is described in contemporary writings as ''comes Radulfus Suessionensis''. He was the third son of Raoul II de Nesle and Gertrude de Montaigu. In 1178 Raoul and his elder brother John subscribed to a charter of the eldest brother,

Conon Conon () (before 443 BC – ) was an Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War, who led the Athenian naval forces when they were defeated by a Peloponnesian fleet in the crucial Battle of Aegospotami; later he contributed significantly ...

, then count, donating property to

Notre-Dame d'Ourscamp Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the ...

. When Alberic de Trois-Fontaines wrote his chronicle, he could refer to count Raoul of Soissons ''qui adhuc vivit'' (who still lives). But he later records his death in 1235. In 1184 Ralph became

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

Noyon Noyon (; ; , Noviomagus of the Viromandui, Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, Northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, about northeast of Paris. The ...

. According to Rigord, he took the Cross alongside

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

and

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...

at a ceremony between Trie and

Gisors Gisors () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Eure, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, France. It is located northwest from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Gisors, together with the ...

on 13 Jan 1188 and joined the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

. Raoul was the fourth husband of

Adèle of Dreux Adèle of Dreux (1145 – after 1210) was a member of Norman French nobility, daughter of Robert I, Count of Dreux Robert I of Dreux, nicknamed ''the Great'' ( – 11 October 1188), was the fifth son of Louis VI of France and Adélaide ...

(b. 1145/1146), daughter of

Robert I of Dreux Robert I of Dreux, nicknamed ''the Great'' ( – 11 October 1188), was the fifth son of Louis VI of France and Adélaide de Maurienne. Life In 1137 he received the County of Dreux as an appanage from his father. He held this title until 118 ...

. She confirmed donations to and

Tremblay-en-France Tremblay-en-France (, ; before 1989: ''Tremblay-lès-Gonesse'',Geoffrey IV of Joinville Geoffrey IV (died August 1190), called the Younger (French ''Geoffroy le Jeune''), was the Lord of Joinville from 1188 until his death on the Third Crusade two years later. He is surnamed ''Valet'' by Alberic of Trois-Fontaines. Family Geoffrey was ...

, before taking as his third wife Ada d'Avesnes, widow of Henry, Count of Grandpré. Raoul and his first wife Adele he had: * Gertrude, married first to Count Jean de Beaumont-sur-Oise (d. 1222), and second to

Mathieu II de Montmorency Matthew II or Mathieu II (died 24 November 1230), called ''the Great'' or ''the Great Constable'', was lord of Montmorency from 1189 and Constable of France from 1218 to 1230. Matthew was the son of Bouchard V de Montmorency and Lauretta de Hai ...

(d.1230),

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 ...

. * Alienor, married first to Count Mathieu III de Beaumont-sur-Oise (d. 1208), and second to Étienne II de Sancerre (d. 1252),

Grand Butler of France The Grand Butler of France () was one of the great offices of state in France, existing between the Middle Ages and the Revolution of 1789. Originally responsible for the maintenance of the Royal vineyards, and provisioning the court with wine, the ...

and son of

Stephen I, Count of Sancerre Stephen I (1133–1190), Count of Sancerre (1151–1190), inherited Sancerre on his father's death. His elder brothers Henry I of Champagne, Henry Ι and Theobald V of Blois, Theobald V received Champagne and Blois. His holdings were the smallest ...

. By his third wife Ada he had three children: * John, Count of Soissons *

Ralph Ralph (pronounced or ) is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Old High German ''Radulf'', cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms are: * Ra ...

(d. 1272), who was probably a

trouvère ''Trouvère'' (, ), sometimes spelled ''trouveur'' (, ), is the Northern French ('' langue d'oïl'') form of the '' langue d'oc'' (Occitan) word ''trobador'', the precursor of the modern French word '' troubadour''. ''Trouvère'' refers to po ...

(troubadour) * Isabelle of Nesle, married to a Viscount of

Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; ) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the residents are cal ...

. Upon the death of Raoul, his son John became Count of Soissons.

References

Sources

* *{{cite book , title=Les seigneurs de Nesle en Picardie (XIIe-XIIIe siècle): Recueil des Chartes , first=William Mendel , last=Newman , publisher= Edition A. & J. Picard , year=1971 , language=French 1235 deaths Counts of Soissons Year of birth unknown 12th-century French nobility 13th-century French nobility 12th-century counts in Europe 13th-century counts in Europe Christians of the Third Crusade