Simon de Crépy (c. 1047 – 1081) was Count of Amiens, of the

Vexin Vexin () is a historical county of northern France. It covers a verdant plateau on the right bank (north) of the Seine running roughly east to west between Pontoise and Romilly-sur-Andelle (about 20 km from Rouen), and north to south betw ...

and of Valois from 1074 until 1077. He was the son of Count

Ralph IV of Valois Ralph IV (; born 1025, died 1074) was a northern French nobleman who amassed an extensive array of lordships lying in a crescent around the Île-de-France from the border of the Duchy of Normandy in the northwest to Champagne in the southeast. ...

and Adèle of Bar-sur-Aube and thus the brother of Adele of Valois. He is also known as Simon de Vexin and Saint Simon. Simon was brought up at the court of William of Normandy, and inherited his father's sizable lands in 1074. These lay between the royal domain of King

Philip I of France Philip I ( – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous (French: ''L’Amoureux''), was King of the Franks from 1060 to 1108. His reign, like that of most of the early Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time. The monarchy began a modest recove ...

and the lands of William of Normandy, by then

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 their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

, and made Simon an important man. It is said that at this time William of Normandy proposed a marriage between Simon and his daughter Adela (1064x1066–1137). In the meantime, King Philip attempted to withhold part of Simon’s inheritance and a three-year-long war resulted. A marriage with Adela was within the prohibited degree of

consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...

and Simon went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to meet with

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...

, perhaps to arrange a dispensation. Whether this was his motive, the Pope arranged a truce between Simon and King Philip. Perhaps as part of the papal settlement, Simon married a daughter of the

Count of Auvergne This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne. History In the 7th century Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom of Aquitaine. The cou ...

(chronologically, this would have been either

William V William V may refer to: * William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030) * William V of Montpellier (1075–1121) * William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191) * William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181) * William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361) * Will ...

or Robert II) about 1075. Shortly afterwards Simon and his wife both took religious vows and entered monasteries. His county of Valois passed to his sister's husband, Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois, Amiens to Philip, and the

was partitioned between Philip and William, creating the modern division between the ''Vexin français'' and the ''Vexin normand''. Simon was not content with the relatively luxurious surrounds of the Abbey of Saint-Claude, and decided upon a life as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

in the forests of

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

on the upper reaches of the river

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; ) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Mouthe Mouthe () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. The town is known for having the coldest recorded temperature in France. Geography The town is located south of Pontarlier in the Jura ...

later grew up around the priory. Simon undertook a

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

age to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

, and then again to Rome where he died. He received the

Last Rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...

from Gregory VII. Simon was later

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

and his

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s are still kept at Mouthe where a statue in his honour was erected in 1934.

Sources

* Bury, J. B., ''The Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III: Germany and the Western Empire'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1922, pg. 111 * Cowdrey, H. E. J., ''Count Simon of Crepy's Monastic Conversion. The Crusades and Latin Monasticism, 11th–12th Centuries'', Ashgate Publishing, Brookfield, VT, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon De Crepy Counts of Valois Counts of Vexin 1040s births 1081 deaths Medieval French saints