Montmorency

Who he is

Name

Matthew II of Montmorency

Title

Lord of Montmorency

Since

1189, when his father Bouchard V died at the siege of Acre (1189 or 1190)

Born

about 1174 [not pinned]

Family

Son of Bouchard V and Laurette of Hainaut. Married Gertrude, daughter of Raoul, count of Soissons, in 1193 (later annulled); their children include Bouchard, the heir. His sister Alix is the wife of Simon of Montfort. His uncle's line holds Marly.

Confidence

high

en.wikipedia; his later fame (Chateau-Gaillard 1204, Bouvines 1214, constable 1218) lies ahead.

Overlord

Philip II; some lands of the abbey of Saint-Denis and the bishop of Paris

What it holds

• Montmorency and its castle
• Ecouen, Domont, Taverny, Saint-Leu, Deuil, Saint-Brice, Attainville, Ezanville
• Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, held of the bishop of Paris [medium confidence]

How it was acquired

Inherited 1189.

Allies and rivals

Kin of Montfort and Soissons; long rivalry of his house with the abbey of Saint-Denis over rights in the Plaine.

How things stand that morning

In possession and in the king's service.

Wealth

Grain and wine of the Plaine de France, tolls.

Military

Castle of Montmorency; a household of knights.

Places of note

• Castle of Montmorency: Seat.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Holder firm; the list of villages is the classic barony and may include later accretions.

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.