Ralph of Coucy, lord of Coucy

Lord of Coucy

The Lords of Coucy were a medieval lordship based on the fortress at Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, in Picardy. The fortress was founded by Herve, archbishop of Rheims, and remained under the fluctuating control of these archbishops for some time until probably the later part of the 10th century...

, lord of Marle

Marle

Marle may refer to:* Marle , a character from the 1995 video game Chrono Trigger* Marle, Aisne, a commune in France* Marle, a hamlet in the Dutch municipality of Olst-Wijhe* Marle, a hamlet in the Dutch municipality of Hellendoorn...

, La Fère

La Fère

La Fère is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in France.-Population:-References:*...

, Crécy

Crécy-sur-Serre

Crécy-sur-Serre is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardie in northern France.-Population:-References:*...

 (sur-Serre), Vervins

Vervins

Vervins is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Population:-References:*...

, Pinon

Piñon

Piñon may refer to:* Pinyon pine * Pinon Airplant, Tillandsia excelsa-Places:* Piñon, Arizona, United States* Piñon, New Mexico, United States* Pinon, Aisne, a commune of the Aisne department in France...

, Landouzy

Landouzy-la-Ville

Landouzy-la-Ville is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...

 (la-Ville), and Fontaine

Fontaine-lès-Vervins

Fontaine-lès-Vervins is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-References:*...

 (lès-Vervins). He was the son of Enguerrand II, Lord of Coucy

Enguerrand II, Lord of Coucy

Enguerrand II, Lord of Coucy, known as of La Fère or of Marle, was a French nobleman. He was also lord of Marle, La Fère, Crécy , Vervins, Pinon, Landouzy , Fontaine , and of several other places...

. He left for 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...

, where he died in the siege of Acre in November 1191.

History

Coucy, finding himself a widower and desiring for a male child, gets married for the second time with Alix II de Dreux, a royal blooded princess who was a relative of his by his mother, Agnès de Beaugency, who was the daughter of Mahaut (or Maud or Matilda) de Vermandois, eldest daughter of Hugh I, Count of Vermandois called the Great, brother of King Philip I

Philip I

Philip I may refer to:* Philip I of Macedon * Philip I Philadelphus * Philip the Arab , Roman Emperor* Philip I of France * Philip I...

. Alix de Dreux II was the daughter of Robert I, Count of Dreux, grand-son of King Philip I, and King Louis VII of France

Louis VII of France

Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...

's niece. Alix de Dreux II's mother was Agnès de Baudement, Countess of Braine, third wife of her father Robert I de Dreux, and her brother was Robert II, Count of Dreux († December 28, 1218), Count of Dreux and Braine, who was married to Yolande de Coucy, eldest daughter of our Raoul and Agnès of Hainaut his first wife. By his two marriages, Raoul became stepfather by his wife to a great prince, son in law to a son of France and cousin to Philip Augustus. Raoul attended the King of France in 1181 during the war against Philip I, Count of Flanders, although previously he had received the land of Marle and Vervins in the fief of La Ferte-Beliard that the Count had given him as an homage. But by the peace treaty granted afterward the king ordered that the Count should take this tribute back. And besides, the same Raoul became liege of the king for the estates of the fief of La Fère, which had been previously held by the church of Laon.

Legend

It is said that before his last breath, Raoul had instructed his squire that after his death, he should take his heart to the woman he loved (which some call the Lady of Fayel, , others - Gabrielle de Vergy . The squire was surprised by the husband when he was fulfilling his mission. Thehusband took the heart and forced his wife to eat it. She, who, learned too late about her misfortune, swore not to eat again any food and let herself die of hunger. This venture has provided Pierre Laurent de Belloy the subject of his tragedy of Gabrielle de Vergy.