Helvide ‘Hawise’ du Donjon, Dame d'Yerres - Identification of the wife of Renauld de Courtenay, Seigneur de Courtenay

There’s a proposed clarification of the identify of the wife of Renauld de Courtenay, Seigneur de Courtenay & mother of Élisabeth de Courtenay

Tagging Sharon Doubell and anyone else interested.

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From SGM post, Douglas Richardson, 8 November 2019 < GoogleGroups >

Starting at the beginning, Du Bouchet, Histoire généalogique de la Maison royale de Courtenay (1661): 11–12 states that "Renard" de Courtenay [living c.1149] married the sister of Guy du Donion, one of the celebrated knights of his time. On pages 377–378, he further identifies Elizabeth de Courtenay, wife of Pierre de France, as the daughter of Renaud, seigneur of Courtenay, by N... du Donjon, daughter of Ferry du Donjon, Seigneur of Yerre [Yerres].

The correct account is that Renaud de Courtenay (living c.1149) had a wife of unknown name and parentage, by whom he had two daughters, the younger being Elizabeth (or Isabelle), wife of Pierre of France.

Following Renaud's death, his widow married (2nd) Ferri de Donjon (living 1174), by which marriage she had Baudouin du Donjon, [Saint] Guillaume du Donjon [Archbishop of Bourges], Gui du Donjon, and Pierre du Donjon.

The relationship of the Donjon family to the family of Renaud de Courtenay's daughter, Elizabeth (or Isabelle), is established by the following pieces of evidence most of which were not available to Bouchet:

1. Recueil des Historiens des Gaules et de la France 18 (1879): 760 (Ex Chronico Alberici Trium-Fontium Monachi: “… Abbas Caroliloci Guillelmus [du Donjon] factus est archiepiscopus Bituricensis. Erat autem sanctis et piis moribus adornatus, et in vita sua, licet occulte, multa fecit miracula; non enim mundo fuit palam cognitus usque post mortem ipsius. Erat enim nobilis genere, ita quod domina de Monte-Argisi [Montargis] fuit soror vel neptis illius, quæ Petro de Cortenaïo, Regis Philippi patruo, peperit Comitem Petrum Comitem Autissiodorensem et Robertum de Cortenaïo et quemdam Guillelmum et sorores eorum. Una Alaïdis Comitis Guillelmo Joviniacensi peperit Comitem Petrum, et pòst Engolismensi Comiti peperit Isabellam modernam Angliæ Reginam ... Altera fuit mater Odonis de Marchia in Hungaria; tertia Clementia fuit mater Guidonis de Tyerno in Alvernia; quarta fuit dominade Charrosio in Bituria; quinta Constantia, cujus filia domina de Marli peperit abbatem Theobaldum de Sarnaïoita quod domina de Monte-Argisi [Montargis] fuit soror vel neptis illius, quæ Petro de Cortenaïo, Regis Philippi patruo, peperit Comitem Petrum Comitem Autissiodorensem et Robertum de Cortenaïo et quemdam Guillelmum et sorores eorum. Una Alaydis comiti Guilelmo Ioviniaci peperit comitem Petrum, et post Engolismensi comiti peperit Isabellam, modernam Anglie reginam, de qua in sequentibus habetur; alia fuit mater Hugonis de Marchia in Hungaria; tertia Clementia, fuit mater Guidonis de Tyero in Alvernia; quarta fuit domna de Charrosio in Bituria; quinta Constantia, cuius filia domna de Marli peperit abbatem Theobaldum de Sarnaio.”) (author here identifies [Elisabeth] wife of Pierre de Courtenay [uncle of King Philippe] is named as sister or niece [soror vel neptis] of Guillaume [du Donjon], Archbishop of Bourges).

2. Du Bouchet, Histoire généalogique de la Maison royale de Courtenay (1661): 11 (author states Baudouin du Donjon donated property to Barbeaux Abbey in 1203 with consent of his wife, Amice, his sons, Jean and Ferry, and his brother, Guillaume, Archbishop of Bourges).

3. La Thaumassière, Histoire de Berry 1 (1689): 310 (Gullaume de Donjon, Archbishop of Bourges [died 1209], styled “uncle” of Robert de Courtenay, seigneur of Mehun, by Simon de Sully, Archbishop of Bourges in charter dated 1223), 310 (Gullaume de Donjon, Archbishop of Bourges, styled “uncle” in charter of Mahaut de Courtenay, Countess of Nevers dated 1223), 311 (Donjon ped.) (author states Guy de Corbeil, dit du Donjon, styled “uncle” of Robert de Courtenay in charter dated 1227).

4. Martene & Durand, Veterum scriptorum et monumentorum 1 (1724): 1162 (Mahaut [de Courtenay], Countess of Nevers, styled “niece” [neptis] by Robert de Courtenay).

5. Teulet, Layettes du Trésor des Chartes 1 (1863): 453 (Robert [de Courtenay], seigneur of Champignelles, Butler of France styled “nephew” [nepos] by Guy du Donjon).

6. Recueil des Historiens des Gaules et de la France 23 (1894): 670 (Scripta de Feodis ad Regem Spectantibus: Guy and Pierre de Donjon styled “brothers” [fratrem] of the Blessed William, Archbishop of Bourges).

Given the above various statements of kinship and given the known chronology of the Courtenay and Donjon families, it is clear that Guillaume du Donjon, Archbishop of Bourges [died 1209], and his male siblings must have been younger half-brothers of Elizabeth (or Isabelle) de Courtenay, wife of Pierre of France.

This in turn means that Renaud de Courtenay (living c.1149) was survived by his unknown wife in France and that she remarried Ferri de Donjon, the apparent father of the Donjon siblings.

This re-arrangement of the Courtenay-Donjon families proves conclusively that Renaud de Courtenay (living c.1149) must be a completely different person from Reynold de Courtenay (died c.1191), of Sutton, Berkshire and Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, which Reynold had an entirely different marital history and entirely different set of children than Renaud de Courtenay in France.