Peter de Preaux
Encyclopedia
Peter de Preaux was a Norman
knight
in the service of the Angevin
kings of England. Osbert, Peter's father, was a minor Norman baron in the Roumois (the neighborhood of Rouen
, the capital of Normandy). He held the tower and ville of Preaux
as well as land at Darnétal
. Osbert also owned a scattering of manors in England. Peter, as the second son of the sire de Preaux, had few prospects for a landed estate. He, along with his brothers John, William, and Enguerrand were part of the royal household from a very early age. Peter would serve in succession, Henry II
, Richard I
, and John of England
. Peter and William were known throughout the tournament circuit of the day as fierce warriors and competent knights. Sometime prior to 1189 CE, Osbert had died. John, the eldest son succeeded him to the family barony.
Peter and William accompanied King Richard
on crusade
in 1190. Peter was assigned the dignity of royal standard-bearer
over the hereditary standard-bearer of England, Robert Trussebut. Peter and William were known to be with the King at Vezelay, Marseille, Sicily, the conquest of Cyprus
, the Siege of Acre, the Battle of Arsuf
, the march to Jaffa, the advance on Jerusalem, Darum, and last but not least, the Battle of Jaffa
.
After the truce had been established between Richard and Saladin
, Peter was assigned an important mission with other household knights, including William des Roches
and Gerard de Fournival. The crusading host had been permitted by the Muslims to complete the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Peter, and his band, had been sent ahead of the first battalion to obtain safe conducts. According to the chronicle of the crusade attributed to Geoffrey of Vinsauf
, Peter had fallen asleep at one of the villages where he was to meet a Saracen
embassy. The crusaders charged ahead without receiving their safe conducts. When Peter and company had awaken, they realized that they were already behind the Christian host. Peter made all haste to catch up. He was then reprimanded by the column's commander, the king's cousin, Andrew of Chauvigny
.
King Richard's last act prior to departing the Holy Land
for Europe was to ransom Peter's brother, William. He had been captured by Saladin's forces a year prior while personally keeping the King from being captured. William and Peter returned to Normandy in late 1192.
Peter served King Richard throughout his wars against Philip II of France
, 1194-1199. During the last years of Angevin rule in Normandy 1202-1204, John of England
made both Peter and William important territorial military governors in Normandy. Peter was made bailiff of the Channel Islands and William was made bailiff of the Oximin. King John granted total lordship of the islands to Peter by 1203.
By December of 1203, King John left an already invaded Normandy, never to return. John of Preaux sided at this point with Philip of France. King John had left the defense of the capital with Peter as commander. His force included Henri d'Estouteville, Robert d'Esneval, Richard de Villequier, Thomas de Pavilly, Peter de Hotot and many knights of Robert, count of Alençon
who did not follow their lord into his treason against King John.
By spring of 1204, Rouen
was surrounded by the forces of the King of France. Normandy had been lost. Peter, in agreement with the leading men of the city, surrendered to Philip of France. Peter then took ship to England where he was well received by King John.
Peter was granted some of the land of his brother John as Terra Normanorum. In addition, Peter married in 1201 Mary de Vernon, daughter of William de Vernon, 5th Earl of Devon and the Isle of Wight. Peter retired to a quiet life on his new English estates. It is believed that he died sometime in the year 1212.
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
in the service of the Angevin
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
kings of England. Osbert, Peter's father, was a minor Norman baron in the Roumois (the neighborhood of Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, the capital of Normandy). He held the tower and ville of Preaux
Préaux
Préaux may refer to the following places in France:* Préaux, Ardèche, a commune in the department of Ardèche* Préaux, Indre, a commune in the department of Indre* Préaux, Mayenne, a commune in the department of Mayenne...
as well as land at Darnétal
Darnétal
-Population:-Places of interest:* The churches of St.Ouen and of St.Pierre, both dating from the sixteenth century.* Traces of a feudal castle.* A restored watermill.-External links:* * *...
. Osbert also owned a scattering of manors in England. Peter, as the second son of the sire de Preaux, had few prospects for a landed estate. He, along with his brothers John, William, and Enguerrand were part of the royal household from a very early age. Peter would serve in succession, Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
, and John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. Peter and William were known throughout the tournament circuit of the day as fierce warriors and competent knights. Sometime prior to 1189 CE, Osbert had died. John, the eldest son succeeded him to the family barony.
Peter and William accompanied King Richard
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
on crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
in 1190. Peter was assigned the dignity of royal standard-bearer
Standard-bearer
A standard-bearer is a person who bears an emblem called an ensign or standard, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc.This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour , or a...
over the hereditary standard-bearer of England, Robert Trussebut. Peter and William were known to be with the King at Vezelay, Marseille, Sicily, the conquest of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, the Siege of Acre, the Battle of Arsuf
Battle of Arsuf
The Battle of Arsuf was a battle of the Third Crusade in which Richard I of England defeated Saladin at Arsuf. Following a series of harassing attacks by Saladin's forces, battle was joined on the morning of 7 September 1191...
, the march to Jaffa, the advance on Jerusalem, Darum, and last but not least, the Battle of Jaffa
Battle of Jaffa
The Battle of Jaffa took place during the Crusades, as one of a series of campaigns between Saladin's army and the forces of King Richard the Lionheart. It was the final battle of the Third Crusade, after which Saladin and King Richard were able to negotiate a truce...
.
After the truce had been established between Richard and Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, Peter was assigned an important mission with other household knights, including William des Roches
William des Roches
William des Roches , seneschal of Anjou, was a knight in the service of the Angevin Kings of England, and King Philip II of France after 1202. Guillaume was born somewhere in Anjou, most likely at Longué-Jumelles....
and Gerard de Fournival. The crusading host had been permitted by the Muslims to complete the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Peter, and his band, had been sent ahead of the first battalion to obtain safe conducts. According to the chronicle of the crusade attributed to Geoffrey of Vinsauf
Geoffrey of Vinsauf
Geoffrey of Vinsauf is a representative of the early medieval grammarian movement, termed preceptive grammar by James J. Murphy for its interest in teaching ars poetria ....
, Peter had fallen asleep at one of the villages where he was to meet a Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
embassy. The crusaders charged ahead without receiving their safe conducts. When Peter and company had awaken, they realized that they were already behind the Christian host. Peter made all haste to catch up. He was then reprimanded by the column's commander, the king's cousin, Andrew of Chauvigny
André de Chauvigny
Andre de Chauvigny was a Poitevin knight in the service of Richard I of England. He was the second son of Pierre-Hélie of Chauvigny and Haois of Châtellerault. Haois was the great-aunt of King Richard making Andrew and Richard relatives.-Richard the Lion-Hearted:Pierre-Hélie served the bishops of...
.
King Richard's last act prior to departing the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
for Europe was to ransom Peter's brother, William. He had been captured by Saladin's forces a year prior while personally keeping the King from being captured. William and Peter returned to Normandy in late 1192.
Peter served King Richard throughout his wars against Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
, 1194-1199. During the last years of Angevin rule in Normandy 1202-1204, John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
made both Peter and William important territorial military governors in Normandy. Peter was made bailiff of the Channel Islands and William was made bailiff of the Oximin. King John granted total lordship of the islands to Peter by 1203.
By December of 1203, King John left an already invaded Normandy, never to return. John of Preaux sided at this point with Philip of France. King John had left the defense of the capital with Peter as commander. His force included Henri d'Estouteville, Robert d'Esneval, Richard de Villequier, Thomas de Pavilly, Peter de Hotot and many knights of Robert, count of Alençon
Counts and dukes of Alençon
Several counts and then royal dukes of Alençon have figured in French history. The title has been awarded to a younger brother of the French sovereign.-History:...
who did not follow their lord into his treason against King John.
By spring of 1204, Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
was surrounded by the forces of the King of France. Normandy had been lost. Peter, in agreement with the leading men of the city, surrendered to Philip of France. Peter then took ship to England where he was well received by King John.
Peter was granted some of the land of his brother John as Terra Normanorum. In addition, Peter married in 1201 Mary de Vernon, daughter of William de Vernon, 5th Earl of Devon and the Isle of Wight. Peter retired to a quiet life on his new English estates. It is believed that he died sometime in the year 1212.