The king's cousin, a hot-tempered and often excommunicated lord, who ruled all three counties of the house of Nevers by his first marriage.
Defeated and captured by his vassal Herve of Donzy in 1199, he gave up Nevers with his daughter and kept Auxerre and Tonnerre only for his own life. He also holds the Courtenay lands in the Gatinais (covered with the royal demesne). He is Baldwin IX's brother-in-law.
Who he is
- Name
- Peter of Courtenay (Pierre II de Courtenay)
- Title
- Count of Auxerre and Tonnerre (for life), lord of Courtenay
- Since
- 1184-1185 by marriage to Agnes of Nevers; for life only since the 1199 settlement
- Born
- about 1155
- Family
- Son of Peter I of Courtenay (son of Louis VI) and Elizabeth of Courtenay; cousin of Philip Augustus. Second wife (1193) Yolande of Hainaut, sister of Baldwin IX of Flanders. Children by 1 January 1200: Mahaut (about 1188, by Agnes), Margaret (1194), Philip (1195), Sibyl (1197), Elizabeth (1199).
- Confidence
- high
fr.wikipedia Pierre II de Courtenay
Overlord
Philip II, king of France
What it holds
- comital rights in Auxerre, beside Bishop Hugh of Noyers
- the Auxerrois: Coulanges-sur-Yonne, Mailly, Druyes and the vineyards
- the county of Tonnerre: Tonnerre and the Tonnerrois
- (the Courtenay lands in the Gatinais: see the Royal researcher's record)
How it was acquired
By marriage to Agnes I of Nevers (1184); kept after her death (1192); reduced to a life tenure in 1199.
Allies and rivals
Rivals: Herve of Donzy, Bishop Hugh of Noyers of Auxerre. Kin: Philip Augustus, Baldwin IX (through Yolande), William of Brienne (brother-in-law, who rebelled and ravaged the Auxerrois in 1196).
How things stand that morning
Rules Auxerre and Tonnerre in person; resentful after his defeat.
Wealth
The wine of the Auxerrois shipped down the Yonne to Paris; Yonne tolls at Auxerre; the Tonnerrois wines and woods.
Military
Auxerre walled anew in 1193; castles of Druyes, Mailly, Coulanges; Tonnerre.
Threats
- Herve's ambition toward Auxerre and Tonnerre
- the bishop of Auxerre's lawsuits and excommunications
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- during 1200His daughter Yolande is born.Depends on: nothing in play Stopped by: nothing known
Places of note
- Auxerre: comital seat beside the bishop
- Druyes castle: comital castle of the Courtenay counts
- Tonnerre: seat of the county of Tonnerre
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Dates from fr.wikipedia; the boundaries of the Auxerrois and Tonnerrois follow the later counties.
On the map: The bishop of Auxerre's lands (Appoigny, Regennes, Varzy, Cosne) and the abbeys come from the Church map.
Primary sources for Nevers
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Robert of Auxerre, Robert of Auxerre (Robert of Saint-Marien) (about 1190 to 1211; continued at Saint-Marien to 1227). A universal chronicle whose last twenty years are contemporary and well informed from Burgundy and the Auxerrois. Read online
- The Acts of Philip Augustus, with Delisle's Calendar, Various (the French royal chancery) (1179 to 1223). The king's own charters and treaties for the year: the peace of Peronne with Baldwin IX in January 1200, the treaty of Le Goulet with John on 22 May 1200, the marriage settlement for Louis and Blanche, the privilege for the scholars of Paris, grants to towns, abbeys and Norman lords, and the first acts of the king's new acquisitions in the Vexin, Evreux and Berry. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.