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

Sully

The lords of the Loire crossing at Sully, cousins of the counts of Blois and Champagne and of the king, with a rising stake in the Berry through the Charenton heiress.

Their churchmen sit at Paris and, until September 1199, at Bourges.

Who he is

Name
Archambaud (IV) of Sully [not pinned]
Title
Lord of Sully
Since
about 1195, after Gilo of Sully, husband of Luce of Charenton, died [not pinned]
Born
not pinned
Family
A branch of the house of Blois, descended from William, elder brother of Theobald IV and King Stephen, and the heiress of Sully. Kin of Odo de Sully, bishop of Paris, and of the late Henri de Sully, archbishop of Bourges (died 11 September 1199). Gilo III married Luce of Charenton, who died about 1195 and brought Orval, Bruere, Saint-Amand, Epineuil, Vallon, Blet and Ainay to the Sully line.
Confidence
low

The incomplete list of lords of Sully (en.wikipedia, Lord of Sully) runs Gilo (died about 1195), Archambaud IV, Henri I, without dates; fr.wikipedia (Charenton-du-Cher) for the Charenton marriage. Archambaud is the likely lord on 1 January 1200.

Overlord

Philip II (Sully is held of the king and the bishop of Orleans [not pinned])

What it holds

  • Sully-sur-Loire and its bridge and castle
  • A share of the Charenton barony in the Berry through Luce of Charenton [when it falls to them is not pinned]

How it was acquired

Inherited.

Allies and rivals

Bishop Odo of Paris; the counts of Blois; the king.

How things stand that morning

Probably held by Archambaud IV, successor of Gilo (died about 1195); not pinned.

Wealth

Loire tolls.

Military

Castle of Sully.

Places of note

  • Castle of Sully: Seat on the Loire.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Family firm, holder 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 (Sully and Charenton marriage)
  2. Lord of Sully (list)

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