John I, Count of Alençon

John I (Jean I) (died 24 February 1191), Count of Alençon, son of William III Talvas, Count of Ponthieu, and Helie of Burgundy.

Recognized as Count of Alencon by Philip II, John succeeded his father in 1171, after being associated with the crown since the return of the crusaders in 1149. He was a supporter of the Perseigne Abbey and the Abbey of Saint- Martin of Troarn.

He married Beatrix of Maine, daughter of Elias II, Count of Maine, and Philippe, Countess of Perche, daughter of Rotrou III, Count of Perche, and Matilda, illegitamate daughter of Henry I of England. John and Beatrix had six children:

John II (d. May 1191), Count of Alençon, succeeded his father
Robert (d. 8 September1217), Count of Alençon, succeeded John II. Married Jeanne de Preuilly, widow of Hugues V, Viscount of Châteaudun. Their daughter Mathilde (Maud) married Theobald VI, Count of Blois.
Guillaume (d. 1203)
Alix d’Alençon, married to Hugh II, Viscount of Chatellerault
Helie d’Alençon (d. after May 1233), married Robert VI FitzErneis (who was the namesake and descendant of Robert, killed in the Battle of Hastings)
Phlippa d’Alençon (d. before 1223), married first to William III of Roumare (d. 1198), Earl of Lincoln (grandson of William de Roumare), second to William III Malet, Lord of Graville (possibly the grandson of William Malet, companion of William the Conquerer), and third, to William de Préaux.

Near the end of his life, he planned to participate in the King’s Crusade (the Third Crusade), but died February 24, 1191, at the Chateau d'Alençon. He was succeeded as Count of Alençon by his son John.

Sources

Thevenot, Christian, La Légende dorée des Comtes d'Anjou, Olivier Orban, 1991
Thompson, Kathleen, Power and Border Lordship in Medieval France: The County of the Perche, 1000-1226, Royal Historical Society Studies in History New Series, 2009
Tout, T. F., Periods of European History, Volume II: The Empire and the Papacy, 918-1273, Rivingtons, London, 1932
Bury, J. B. (Editor), The Cambridge Medieval History, Volume V, Contest of Empire and Papacy, Cambridge University Press, 1926
Medieval Lands Project, Comtes d’Anjou 1060-1189 (Comtes de Gatinais)

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