Barons and castellans · Held directly of the king · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Charenton

A large Berry barony south-east of Bourges along the Cher and the Marmande, founded on the castles of Charenton, Montrond above Saint-Amand, Orval, Bruere and Meillant, with the Cistercian abbey of Noirlac founded by the family.

In 1179 Philip led a punitive expedition into the Berry against its lord for oppressing churches. Its last male lord died at the end of the century and his sisters' husbands, the Sully above all, take the inheritance.

Who he is

Name
Ebbes (Ebe V or VII) of Charenton, the last of his line, if still alive [not pinned]
Title
Lord of Charenton
Since
after his father Ebbes, who went on crusade in 1188-89
Born
not pinned
Family
His sister Luce married Gilo III of Sully; another sister, Agnes, lady of Meillant, married Raoul VI of Deols, and her granddaughter's line holds Chateauroux.
Confidence
low

fr.wikipedia (Charenton-du-Cher): Ebbes drowned in the Cher at the end of the twelfth century (the article also gives 1226); the barony was divided between the Sully and other heirs.

Overlord

Not pinned: the king as lord of Bourges, with Bourbon influence over the area

What it holds

  • Charenton
  • Montrond and Saint-Amand
  • Orval, Bruere, Epineuil, Vallon, Blet, Ainay
  • Meillant (Agnes's share)

How it was acquired

Old Berry lineage.

Allies and rivals

The Sully, the Deols-Chauvigny of Chateauroux (Angevin side), the lords of Bourbon.

How things stand that morning

Not pinned: either under the last Ebbes or already divided among the heirs.

Wealth

Cher valley lands, the Saint-Amand market.

Military

Castles of Charenton and Montrond.

Threats

  • Partition among heirs on both sides of the Angevin border.

Places of note

  • Charenton: Seat.
  • Montrond: Castle above Saint-Amand.

Where the sources disagree

  • fr.wikipedia (Charenton-du-Cher) gives two different dates for the drowning of the last Ebbes (end of the twelfth century, and 1226).

Evidence: Holder and division on this date not pinned.

On the map: Approximate.

Primary sources for Held of the king

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 Andres, William of Andres (about 1220 to 1234). The chronicle and cartulary of a small abbey between Guines and Ardres, near the border of Flanders and Boulogne. Read online
  • Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
  • Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
  • The Great Chronicle of Tours, Anonymous (a canon of Saint-Martin of Tours) (about 1227). The Loire valley's view of the Angevin succession. Read online
  • Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
  • Deeds of Philip Augustus, Rigord (about 1186 to 1206, in stages). The French court's own chronicle for the year, from the monk of Saint-Denis who called himself the king's chronographer. Read online
  • Deeds of Philip Augustus; The Philippide, William the Breton (Guillaume le Breton) (Gesta about 1214 to 1220; Philippide 1214 to 1224). William abridged Rigord for the years before 1207 and then continued him, so for 1200 the Gesta is a shortened Rigord with a few added touches: the Le Goulet settlement, Blanche's marriage, and the interdict. Read online
  • History of the Counts of Guines, Lambert of Ardres (about 1196 to 1203, unfinished). A house history of the counts of Guines and lords of Ardres, written while Count Baldwin II and his son Arnold were alive and finishing in 1203. Read online

4 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.

Sources and studies

  1. Charenton-du-Cher

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.