Renaud de Dammartin (Reginald of Boulogne) (c. 1165 – 1227) was

Count of Boulogne Count of Boulogne was a historical title in the Kingdom of France. The city of Boulogne-sur-Mer became the centre of the County of Boulogne during the ninth century. Little is known of the early counts, but the first holder of the title is rec ...

from 1190, Count of Dammartin from 1200 to 1214 and Count of Aumale from 1204 to 1214. He was the eldest son of

Alberic III of Dammartin Alberic III of Dammartin (Aubry de Dammartin) ( – 19 September 1200) was a French count and son of Alberic II, Count of Dammartin, and Clémence de Bar, daughter of Reginald I, Count of Bar. He married Mathilde, heiress to the county of ...

and Mathilde of Clermont. Brought up at the French court, he was a childhood friend of

Philip Augustus 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 his father's insistence he fought for the

Plantagenets The House of Plantagenet ( /plænˈtædʒənət/ ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct royal houses: the Angevi ...

. Received back into Philip's favour, he married Marie de Châtillon, daughter of Guy II de Châtillon and

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 ...

, a royal cousin. In 1191, Dammartin's father, Alberic, kidnapped and had Dammartin marry

Ida, Countess of Boulogne Ida of Boulogne (c. 1160 – 1216) was suo jure Countess of Boulogne from 1173 until her death. Life Ida was the elder daughter of Matthew of Alsace and Marie I, Countess of Boulogne. Her maternal grandparents were King Stephen of England ...

. The

County of Boulogne The County of Boulogne was a county within the Kingdom of France during the 9th to 15th centuries, centred on the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer. It was ruled by the counts of Flanders in the 10th century, but a separate Count of Boulogne, House of Boul ...

thereby became vassal to the French king, rather than the

count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

. While this marriage made Dammartin a power, it also made enemies in the

Dreux Dreux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise (river), Blaise, a tributary of the Eure (river), Eure, about 35 km north of Cha ...

family and that of the count of Guînes, who had been betrothed to Ida. In 1203, Dammartin and his wife gave a merchant's

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

. This was probably made for a financial consideration. Philip made Danmartin Count of Aumale the following year, but Danmartin began to detach himself. Following the acquisition of Normandy in April 1204, King Philip granted Danmartin the county of Mortain and the honour of Warenne which was centred on the fortresses of Mortemer and

Bellencombre Bellencombre is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A forestry and farming village situated by the banks of the river Varenne in the Pays de Bray, some south of Dieppe at the junctio ...

. Both Mortain and Warenne had been held by William I of Boulogne and it would appear that King Philip recognised the Boulogne claim to them. In 1211, he refused to appear before Philip in a legal matter, a suit with Philippe de Dreux,

bishop of Beauvais The Diocese of Beauvais, Noyon, and Senlis (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese encompasses the department of Oise in the region of Hauts-de-France. The diocese is a suffragan o ...

. Philip II seized his lands and on 4 May 1212 at Lambeth, Dammartin made an agreement with King John who had also lost possessions to Philip. Dammartin brought other continental nobles, including the

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

, into a coalition with John against Philip. In return he was given several

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

s in England and an annuity. Each promised not to make a separate peace with France.''Lambeth, treaty of (4 May 1212)''. In Dictionary of British History. 1999 With the Emperor Otto IV and Ferdinand of Flanders, he took part in the attack on France in 1214 culminating in the

Battle of Bouvines The Battle of Bouvines took place on 27 July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders. It was the concluding battle of the Anglo-French War (1213–14), Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. Although estimates on the number of troo ...

. Commanding the

Brabançons The Brabançons or Brabanters () were ''routiers'' (mercenary troops) originally from the Duchy of Brabant active between 1166 and 1214. Origins Brabant was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. The social origins of the Brabançons are uncertain. Som ...

, he was on the losing side, but was one of the last to surrender, and refused submission to Philip Augustus. His lands were taken away, and given to

Philip Hurepel Philip I of Boulogne (Philip Hurepel) (1200–1235) was a French prince, Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis in his own right, and Count of Boulogne, Mortain, Aumale, and Dammartin-en-Goële ''jure uxoris''. Philip was born in September 1200, the s ...

. Dammartin was kept imprisoned at Péronne for the rest of his life, which ended in suicide. The historian

Jim Bradbury James Bradbury (27 February 1937 – 19 January 2023) was a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages. Life Bradbury was born in East London, the eldest of four to Sarah (née Joel) and George Bradbury. He attend ...

has described Dammartin's last years: His daughter

Matilda II The Infantry Tank Mark II, better known as the Matilda, is a British infantry tank of the Second World War.Jentz, p. 11. The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the mac ...

was married to

References

Sources

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External links

Historique Boulogne
{{Authority control 1160s births 1227 deaths Counts of Boulogne Counts of Dammartin Counts of Aumale House of Dammartin Counts of Mortain Jure uxoris counts