Comtes de Chatillon

Renaud de Châtillon, Prince of Antioch, was one of the leading military figures of the Crusades between 1147 and 1187, whose reckless policy in raiding Muslim caravans during periods of truce led to the virtual destruction of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem and the loss of most of its territory. He left for the Holy Land in 1147 and put himself at the service first of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem and then of Constance of Antioch. Constance, whose first husband had died in 1149, fell in love with Renaud and married him in 1153.

As prince of Antioch, Renaud was cruel and violent. He treated the patriarch Aimery with outrageous cruelty to extort money from him. At the instigation of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus, he attacked Armenian Cilicia (southeastern Anatolia), but subsequently he made peace with Thoros II of Cilicia and joined him in an invasion of Byzantine Cyprus. ..... more

The Siege of Kerak


Château Renaud de Châtillon

  • A1 = Bladwin Balza;
    • B1 = Raoul de Cambrai;
      • C1 = Herve de Chatillon, Vcte de Rheims, m. Gisele of Cambrai;
        • D1 = Milo, Sn de Chatillon-sur-Marne, m. Avemelle de Montfort;
          • E1 = Gui, Sn de Chatillon, lvd:1076, m. Ermengarde de Choisy;
            • F1 = Gautier de Chatillon, m. Mahaud de Louvain;
              <=========
    • G1 = Henry I de Chatillon, m. Ermengarde de Montjoy;
      • H1 = Renaud de Chatillon, Prince of Antioch, d:1187, m1. Constance Guiscard,  ==>  House of Hauteville                     m2. Étiennette de Milly;
        • I1 = [m1]: Agnes de Chatillon, m. King Béla III of Hungary;  <==  House of Árpád
        • I2 -- [m2]: Alix de Chatillon, m. Azzo VI d'Este;  <==  House of Este
      • H2 ~ Gaucher II, Sn de Chatillon, d:1167, m. Ada of Roucy;
        • I1 ~ Guy II, Sn de Chatillon, d:1180, m. Adele de Dreux;
          • J1 ~ Gaucher III, Sn de Chatillon, d:1219, m. Elizabeth de St. Pol;
            • K1 ~ Jeanne de Chatillon, m. Gautier V de Brienne;  <==  Comte de Brienne
            • K2 ~ Hugues V de Chatillon, 1st Count de Blois & de St. Pol, d:1248, m. Mary d'Avesness;
              • L1 ~ Guy III de Chatillon, Count de St. Pol, d:1289, m. Matilda of Brabant;  ==>  Dukes of Brabant
                • M1 ~ Guy IV de Chatillon, Count de St. Pol, d:1317, m. Mary de Dreux;  ==>  Dukes of Brittany
                  • N1 ~ Jean de Chatillon, Count de St. Pol, d:1334, m. Jeanne de Fiennes;

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The Battle of Montgisard was fought between Saladin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem on November 25, 1177. Renaud de Chatillon was the effective commander of the army, because King Baldwin IV was too ill to command it personally. Renaud had just been recently released from captivity in Aleppo and he was a fierce enemy of Saladin. (painted by Charles Philippe Larivière