Ebles II of Roucy
Encyclopedia
Ebles II also called Eble or Ebale, was the second Count of Roucy (1063–1103) of the House of Montdidier
. He was the son and successor of Hilduin IV of Montdidier and Alice (Alix), daughter of Ebles I of Roucy
. He is famous for his participation in the Reconquista
(the war against Muslim Spain
), as well as for being one of the unruly barons of the Île-de-France
subjugated by King Louis VI
while he was still a prince. His life and character are summed up by Suger in his history of the reign of Louis VI: "Ebles was a man of great military prowess—indeed he became so bold that one day he set out for Spain with an army of a size fit only for a king—his feats or arms only made him more outrageous and rapacious in pillage, rape and all over evils."
authorised a new crusade against the Muslims in Spain. (The Barbastro Crusade
of a decade earlier had failed to achieve anything lasting.) In the bull
, addressed to "all the princes [rulers] in the land of Spain", Gregory asserted Papal suzerainty over the Iberian peninsula—"we believe the kingdom of Spain to have been from antiquity the rightful property of Saint Peter"—and informed them that he had ceded this right to Ebles of Roucy. The negotiations between Ebles and the Holy See had been conducted by Gregory as legate
before he became Pope on 22 April, and his letter makes clear there had been prior letters between Ebles and Pope Alexander II
. Ebles made a pact (pactio) with the Holy See whereby the lands he conquered in Spain would be held by him as a Papal fiefdom
"for the honour of Saint Peter". Four fragments of bulls issued by Alexander granting the plenary indulgence for engaging in a holy war have been customarily dated to the campaign against Barbastro (1063–64) but may belong to that of Ebles.
Ebles was probably a relative of Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragon, both descending from the Dukes of Aquitaine. On 25 May Sancho Garcés IV, the ruler of Navarre
, and his neighbour, Ahmad al-Muqtadir
, the ruler of Zaragoza
, concluded an alliance by treaty against the planned crusade. For reasons unknown, the crusade never took place, or at least left no record of its accomplishments, which must in any case have been meagre. According to one historian, the crusade may have been frustrated by Gerald of Ostia, Papal legate, Cardinal and Cluniac, as part of the efforts of the Abbey of Cluny to support the Kingdom of León
–Castile
in its rivalry with the Kingdom of Aragon
. The Papacy under Alexander and Gregory supported the Aragones, and at least some of Alfonso VI of Castile
's actions in 1073 can be seen as a response to the projected crusade. The appointment of Gerald, a former grand prior of Cluny, and the archdeacon Raimbald as legates in Spain may have been intended originally by Alexander II to appease Alfonso VI or his predecessor, Sancho II
, by assuring them that their claims on the parias
of Zaragoza (which, along with allied Navarre, felt threatened by the crusade) were not in jeopardy. Upon becoming Pope, however, Gregory removed Gerald from this position and instated Hugh Candidus
, a veteran of the crusade of Barbastro and a friend of the king of Aragon. In February 1074 Gregory was busy pushing Sancho, a recognised Papal vassal since 1068, to act against the Muslims. Sancho at some point took as his second wife Felicia (Félicie), perhaps the sister of Ebles.
(1060–1108). His son, the future Louis VI, received two or three complaints and gathered an army of seven hundred knights "from the most noble and valiant of French lords" and entered the district of Reims, where he fought Ebles "vigorously" for the next two months, resting his army only on Saturdays and Sundays. Louis made war on all the barons of the region because they were allied by family ties to Ebles, who he describes as "the great men of Lotharingia
". The prince, on the advice of his counsellors, only left the region after Ebles had sworn oaths to respect the peace of the churches and given hostages. Negotiations over the possession of the castle of Neufchâtel
were left off for a later date.
When Thomas de Marle came into possession of the powerful fortress of Montaigu
by marriage, Ebles joined with Enguerrand de Bova to expel him. While they were attempting to "surround him with a wattled stockade, and force him to capitulate through fear of slow starvation", Thomas escaped to the court of Prince Louis and, having bought off his advisors with gifts, convinced the prince to come to his defence. Ebles, respecting his previous oaths, refused to make war on the prince. After Louis destroyed the blockade of Montaigu, the allies turned on him. The princely army and the army of Ebles and Enguerrand menaced each other with trumpets and spear-rattling across a river for two days before the prince impetuously charged (provoked, Suger, says, by the taunts of an enemy jongleur who entered his camp). Impress by Louis's bravery, the rebels made their peace.
Pope Gregory wrote to Ebles after the deposition of Archbishop Manasses I of Reims in 1081 asking him to resist the latter's claims.
Around 1082 Ebles donated his section of the road at Mortcerf
to the abbey of Saint-Martin at Pontoise
.
Anna Komnene
, in the Alexiad
, records the marriage of the youngest daughter of Robert Guiscard
to a certain Eubulus, a "very illustrious count". This daughter was Sybilla, the wife of Ebles of Roucy.
House of Montdidier
The House of Montdidier was a medieval French noble house which ruled as count of Montdidier, Dammartin and Roucy. Its earliest definite member of the family was a certain Hilduin, who died before 956 and was known as comte de Montdidier....
. He was the son and successor of Hilduin IV of Montdidier and Alice (Alix), daughter of Ebles I of Roucy
Ebles I of Roucy
Ebles I of Roucy was count of Roucy from 1000 to 1033 and archbishop of Reims from 1021 to 1033. His father was Giselbert, Count of Roucy and Reims....
. He is famous for his participation in the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
(the war against Muslim Spain
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
), as well as for being one of the unruly barons of the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (province)
The province of Île-de-France or Isle de France is an historical province of France, and the one at the centre of power during most of French history...
subjugated by King Louis VI
Louis VI of France
Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
while he was still a prince. His life and character are summed up by Suger in his history of the reign of Louis VI: "Ebles was a man of great military prowess—indeed he became so bold that one day he set out for Spain with an army of a size fit only for a king—his feats or arms only made him more outrageous and rapacious in pillage, rape and all over evils."
Spanish crusade of 1073
On 30 April 1073 Pope Gregory VIIPope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
authorised a new crusade against the Muslims in Spain. (The Barbastro Crusade
War of Barbastro
The War of Barbastro was an international expedition, sanctioned by Pope Alexander II, to take the Spanish city of Barbastro from the Moors. A large army composed of elements from all over Western Europe took part in the successful siege of the city...
of a decade earlier had failed to achieve anything lasting.) In the bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
, addressed to "all the princes [rulers] in the land of Spain", Gregory asserted Papal suzerainty over the Iberian peninsula—"we believe the kingdom of Spain to have been from antiquity the rightful property of Saint Peter"—and informed them that he had ceded this right to Ebles of Roucy. The negotiations between Ebles and the Holy See had been conducted by Gregory as legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
before he became Pope on 22 April, and his letter makes clear there had been prior letters between Ebles and Pope Alexander II
Pope Alexander II
Pope Alexander II , born Anselmo da Baggio, was Pope from 1061 to 1073.He was born in Milan. As bishop of Lucca he had been an energetic coadjutor with Hildebrand of Sovana in endeavouring to suppress simony, and to enforce the celibacy of the clergy...
. Ebles made a pact (pactio) with the Holy See whereby the lands he conquered in Spain would be held by him as a Papal fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
"for the honour of Saint Peter". Four fragments of bulls issued by Alexander granting the plenary indulgence for engaging in a holy war have been customarily dated to the campaign against Barbastro (1063–64) but may belong to that of Ebles.
Ebles was probably a relative of Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragon, both descending from the Dukes of Aquitaine. On 25 May Sancho Garcés IV, the ruler of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
, and his neighbour, Ahmad al-Muqtadir
Ahmad al-Muqtadir
Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Muqtadir was a member of the Banu Hud family who ruled the Islamic taifa of Zaragoza, in what is now Spain, from 1049 to 1082. He was the son of the previous ruler, Al-Mustain I, Sulayman ibn Hud al-Judhami.-References:*...
, the ruler of Zaragoza
Taifa of Zaragoza
The taifa of Zaragoza was an independent Muslim state in Moorish Al-Andalus, present day eastern Spain, which was established in 1018 as one of the taifa kingdoms, which emerged in the 11th century following the destruction of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the Moorish Iberian Peninsula.During the...
, concluded an alliance by treaty against the planned crusade. For reasons unknown, the crusade never took place, or at least left no record of its accomplishments, which must in any case have been meagre. According to one historian, the crusade may have been frustrated by Gerald of Ostia, Papal legate, Cardinal and Cluniac, as part of the efforts of the Abbey of Cluny to support the Kingdom of León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
–Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
in its rivalry with the Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
. The Papacy under Alexander and Gregory supported the Aragones, and at least some of Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
's actions in 1073 can be seen as a response to the projected crusade. The appointment of Gerald, a former grand prior of Cluny, and the archdeacon Raimbald as legates in Spain may have been intended originally by Alexander II to appease Alfonso VI or his predecessor, Sancho II
Sancho II of Castile
Sancho II , called the Strong, or in Spanish, el Fuerte, was King of Castile and León .He was the eldest son of Ferdinand I of Castile and Sancha of León, the eventual heiress to the Leonese crown...
, by assuring them that their claims on the parias
Parias
In medieval Spain, parias were a form of tribute paid by the taifas of al-Andalus to the Christian kingdoms of the north...
of Zaragoza (which, along with allied Navarre, felt threatened by the crusade) were not in jeopardy. Upon becoming Pope, however, Gregory removed Gerald from this position and instated Hugh Candidus
Hugh Candidus
Hugh Candidus was a monk of the Benedictine monastery at Peterborough, who wrote a Medieval Latin account of its history, from its foundation as Medeshamstede in the mid 7th century up to the mid 12th century.-Life:...
, a veteran of the crusade of Barbastro and a friend of the king of Aragon. In February 1074 Gregory was busy pushing Sancho, a recognised Papal vassal since 1068, to act against the Muslims. Sancho at some point took as his second wife Felicia (Félicie), perhaps the sister of Ebles.
Feudal conflict in France
According to Suger, the "tyrannical, valiant and turbulent baron Ebles of Roucy and his son Guischard" frequently plundered the Archdiocese of Reims ("the noble church of Reims and the churches dependant on it"), and over one hundred formal complaints against Ebles were made to the Crown during the time of Philip IPhilip I of France
Philip I , called the Amorous, was King of France from 1060 to his death. His reign, like that of most of the early Direct Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time...
(1060–1108). His son, the future Louis VI, received two or three complaints and gathered an army of seven hundred knights "from the most noble and valiant of French lords" and entered the district of Reims, where he fought Ebles "vigorously" for the next two months, resting his army only on Saturdays and Sundays. Louis made war on all the barons of the region because they were allied by family ties to Ebles, who he describes as "the great men of Lotharingia
Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
". The prince, on the advice of his counsellors, only left the region after Ebles had sworn oaths to respect the peace of the churches and given hostages. Negotiations over the possession of the castle of Neufchâtel
Neufchâtel-sur-Aisne
Neufchâtel-sur-Aisne is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...
were left off for a later date.
When Thomas de Marle came into possession of the powerful fortress of Montaigu
Montaigu
-In France:*Montaigu, in the Aisne département*Montaigu, in the Jura département*Montaigu, in the Vendée département*Montaigu-de-Quercy, in the Tarn-et-Garonne département*Montaigu-la-Brisette, in the Manche département...
by marriage, Ebles joined with Enguerrand de Bova to expel him. While they were attempting to "surround him with a wattled stockade, and force him to capitulate through fear of slow starvation", Thomas escaped to the court of Prince Louis and, having bought off his advisors with gifts, convinced the prince to come to his defence. Ebles, respecting his previous oaths, refused to make war on the prince. After Louis destroyed the blockade of Montaigu, the allies turned on him. The princely army and the army of Ebles and Enguerrand menaced each other with trumpets and spear-rattling across a river for two days before the prince impetuously charged (provoked, Suger, says, by the taunts of an enemy jongleur who entered his camp). Impress by Louis's bravery, the rebels made their peace.
Pope Gregory wrote to Ebles after the deposition of Archbishop Manasses I of Reims in 1081 asking him to resist the latter's claims.
Around 1082 Ebles donated his section of the road at Mortcerf
Mortcerf
Mortcerf is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...
to the abbey of Saint-Martin at Pontoise
Pontoise
Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.-Administration:...
.
Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene, Latinized as Comnena was a Greek princess and scholar and the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium and Irene Doukaina...
, in the Alexiad
Alexiad
The Alexiad is a medieval biographical text written around the year 1148 by the Byzantine historian Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I....
, records the marriage of the youngest daughter of Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
to a certain Eubulus, a "very illustrious count". This daughter was Sybilla, the wife of Ebles of Roucy.
Further reading
- Ángel Canellas López. "Las cruzadas de Aragón en el siglo XII." Argensola: Revista de Ciencias Sociales del Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses 7 (1951): 217–28.
- Lynn H. Nelson. "The Foundation of Jaca (1076): Urban Growth in Early Aragon." SpeculumSpeculum (journal)Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies is a quarterly academic journal published by the Medieval Academy of America. It was established in 1926. The journal's primary focus is on the time period from 500-1500 in Western Europe, but also on related subjects such as Byzantine, Hebrew, Arabic, and...
53, 4 (1978): 688–708. - Joseph F. O'Callaghan. Reconquest and Crusade in Medieval Spain. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004.