Ancestral Trails 2016 » THOMAS de COUCY I (1073-1131)

Persoonlijke gegevens THOMAS de COUCY I 

• Hij is geboren in het jaar 1073 in Boves, Somme, Picardie, France.
• Titel: Count of Anvers
• Titel: Lord of Coucy/Marle
• (Alternative Name) : Thomas of Marle.
• Hij is overleden in het jaar 1131 in Amiens, Somme, Picardie, France, hij was toen 58 jaar oud.
• Een kind van ENGUERRAND de COUCY en ADA de ROUCY

Gezin van THOMAS de COUCY I

(1) Hij is getrouwd met Ida de HAINAULT.

Zij zijn getrouwd in het jaar 1102, hij was toen 29 jaar oud.

Kind(eren):

1. Ida Basilia de COUCY  ± 1103-????
2. Beatrice de COUCY  ± 1105-????

(2) Hij is getrouwd met MELISENDE de CRECY.

Zij zijn getrouwd in het jaar 1108 te Coucy, Ardennes, Champagne-Ardenne, France, hij was toen 35 jaar oud.

Kind(eren):

1. Robert de COUCY  1111-1191
2. Mathilde de COUCY  1113-????
3. ENGUERRAND de COUCY  1109-1148 
4. MELISENDE de COURCY  1115-1148 

Notities over THOMAS de COUCY I

Thomas of Marle, Lord of Coucy and Boves, was born in 1073 to Enguerrand I of Boves, the Lord of Coucy and his wife Adele of Marle. After the death of his father, Enguerrand I, Thomas would become the Lord of Coucy and his family's other holdings. As the most well-known of the Lords of Coucy, Thomas of Marle would become infamous for his aggressive and brutal tactics in war and his continued rebellion against the authority of Louis VI.

The new Lords of Coucy that Thomas was descended from had not been landed nobles in the area for very long. In 1035, the first lord of Coucy, Dreux, Seigneur de Boves, seized the Castle of Coucy from Alberic, its original owner, and established himself as Lord of Coucy. This move seems to have set the tone for the behavior of the following Lords of Coucy, including his grandson Thomas who would become infamous for his ruthlessness in war.

In 1073, Thomas of Marle was born as the heir of Enguerrand I of Boves, the Lord of Coucy, and his wife the Dame of Marle, Adele. Enguerrand was known as a womanizer but his faults were overlooked by chroniclers due to his continued support of various religious institutions in the area. Although he supported the Catholic Church, Enguerrand I and the previous lords of Coucy were known to participate in a number of local wars in order to gain land and resources.

Thomas and his father grew to become bitter rivals after Thomas' paternity was cast into doubt and his father openly toyed with the notion that Thomas was not his true son. It is possible that because of this uncertainty with whom his father truly was, Thomas would become more associated with the surname of his mother (Marle) instead of his father. Nevertheless, Thomas participated in the numerous private wars that were launched against his father and helped defend his father’s wealth and land. These private battles were fought primarily by household knights and taught Thomas how to use pillaging and destruction as a helpful tool for taking over new territories and crippling his enemies.

After the famous summons to crusade by Pope Urban II in 1095, Thomas and his father Enguerrand rode out with members of their house to participate in the First Crusade. According to familial legend, while they were travelling with a small party of their household Enguerrand and Thomas were set upon by a band of Muslim warriors. Moving quickly, the men of Coucy shredded their cloaks trimmed with squirrel fur (vair) into six pieces to use as banners for recognition and managed to defeat their attackers. The sources are unclear on whether it was Thomas or Enguerrand who created the makeshift banners but this event was commemorated permanently in their coat-of-arms which shows "barry of six, vair and gules".

Both Thomas and his father returned safely from the First Crusade to their holdings in France. By right of marriage, Thomas came into possession of the fortified castle of Montaigu in the district of Laon which he would use as a base for his early military movements. Because of the strength in his holdings, he was a threatening presence in the area to his neighbors who were unhappy with his growing confidence and ambition. According to Suger, Enguerrand was an honorable man and made more effort than anyone to drive Thomas from his castle ‘because of his seditious tyranny.’[6] With Enguerrand's support, several barons attempted to enclose Thomas into his castle with a palisade and starve him into submission.

Luckily for Thomas, he was able to slip away and assembled a host of seven hundred knights to retake the area. The barons learned of this oncoming force and begged Thomas to spare them the shame of lifting their siege and facing their lord-designate. They retreated and Thomas quickly destroyed the palisade and reinforced the castle of Montaigu which angered the retreating magnates.

The barons threatened on oath to honor him no longer and, when they saw him leaving with his army, they followed him as though they would engage in combat. The two forces were prevented from battle by a roaring stream that separated them. Eventually the men of the highest nobility, including Enguerrand, came together for deliberation. Deciding to consider Thomas' youth and valor, they chose to defer to him and pledge their allegiance to his cause. Not long after this, Thomas of Marle lost both the castle of Montaigu and his marriage caused by an annulment due to an incestuous relationship.

In 1116, he succeeded his father, Enguerrand I, as Lord of Coucy and added the lands of his mother to their domains. Following the tradition of his forefathers, Thomas of Marle began waging multiple private wars against his neighbors to expand his holdings.

When Thomas returned home from the Crusades and he married his first wife Ida of Hainaut, the daughter of Baldwin II, Count of Hainaut, in 1102 at the age of 29.

Thomas and his first wife had two children:
Ida (Basilia) de Coucy . Married 1) Alard III de Chimay and 2) Bernard d'Orbais, son of Siger d´Orbais
Beatrix de Coucy married Evrard III de Breteuil, son of Valeran II Sire de Breteuil.

After Ida's death just a few years later, Thomas married again in 1108 to Melisende of Crecy, the daughter of Guy de Crécy. Their marriage produced four children, including his heir:
Enguerrand II Lord of Coucy and Marle.
Robert Lord of Boves (died at Acre in 1191) married Beatrix de Saint-Pol, daughter of Hugo II, count of Saint-Pol and his second wife Marguerite de Clermont.
Melisende de Coucy, was contracted to marry Adelme, Châtelain d'Amiens, son of Adam, Châtelain d´Amiens. She married before 1162-73 (date of charter) Hugh de Gournay, seigneur of Gournay-en-Brie, son and heir of Gerard de Gournay, seigneur of Gournay-en-Brie, by his wife, Ediva, daughter of William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey.
Mathilde de Coucy married Guy Châtelain d'Amiens, son of Adam Châtelain d´Amiens.
SOURCE: Wikipedia

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