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

Coucy

The richest baron of the Laonnois, just of age, lord of the great rock of Coucy and the castellanies of Marle, La Fere, Crecy-sur-Serre and Vervins between the Oise and the Thierache.

His house is famous for violence against churches and for its loyalty to the king in war; he will build the giant keep of Coucy in the 1220s and fight at Bouvines.

Who he is

Name
Enguerrand III of Coucy ('the Great')
Title
Lord (sire) of Coucy, Marle and La Fere
Since
1191, when his father Raoul I died at Acre
Born
about 1182, at Marle; aged about 18
Family
Son of Raoul I of Coucy and Alix of Dreux (sister of Robert II of Dreux); his aunt Yolande is Robert II's wife. Unmarried on 1 January 1200: he marries Beatrice of Vignory, widow of Count John I of Roucy, in 1201. Younger brothers Robert (Pinon) and Thomas (Vervins).
Confidence
high

en.wikipedia.

Overlord

Philip II (some lands of the bishop of Laon and the archbishop of Reims)

What it holds

  • Coucy and its castellany (Folembray, Saint-Gobain, Pinon, Verneuil-sous-Coucy)
  • Marle
  • La Fere on the Oise
  • Crecy-sur-Serre
  • Vervins in the Thierache (later his brother Thomas's)

How it was acquired

Inherited 1191.

Allies and rivals

Kin of Dreux; rivals: the bishop of Laon, the archbishop and chapter of Reims, the abbeys of Saint-Vincent of Laon and Nogent.

How things stand that morning

In possession, a young lord coming into his own.

Wealth

Forests of Coucy and Saint-Gobain, the Oise crossing at La Fere, tolls in the Thierache.

Military

Castles of Coucy, Marle, La Fere, Crecy and Vervins; a large household.

Threats

  • Quarrels with the churches of Laon and Reims.

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.

  1. 1201Marries Beatrice of Vignory, widow of John I of Roucy, gaining a stake in the Roucy inheritance.Depends on: Count John's death (1200). Stopped by: Another match.

Places of note

  • Coucy castle: Seat.
  • Marle: Castle; his birthplace.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Holder firm; castellanies are the classic Coucy lands.

On the map: Approximate castellanies.

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. Enguerrand III, Lord of Coucy

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