Ralph I, Lord of Coucy
Raoul I de Coucy ( * after 1142; † November 1191 at Acre ) was a gentleman ( Sire ) of Coucy, Marle, Vervins, Pinon, Crépy, Crécy and La Fere.
Raoul was a son of Enguerrand II ( † before 1147 ) and his wife, Agnes de Beaugency. He supported 1181 King Philip II of France in its confrontation with Count Philip I of Flanders. He took with his uncle, Robert de Boves, on the third crusade part, where both died at the siege of Acre. Raoul was buried in the monastery Foigny.
In his first marriage ( 1164 ) Raoul was married to Agnes of Hainault, daughter of Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut. With her he had three children:
- Yolande (* 1164, † March 18, 1222 ), ∞ with Count Robert II of Dreux
- Isabella (? * / † ), 1 ∞ with Count Raoul I of Roucy; 2 ∞ with Count Henry III. of Grandpré
- Ada
His second wife was Alix of Dreux († 1217 ), daughter of Count Robert I of Dreux. Their children were:
- Enguerrand III. the Great ( † 1243 ), Sire of Coucy and Marle
- Thomas († 1252/53 ), sire of Vervins
- Robert ( † around 1234), sire of Pinon
- Raoul
- Agnes († 1214 or later), ∞ with Gilles de Beaumetz
See also House Boves
Legend
Raoul is often identified as the Châtelain de Coucy, who became famous as Trouvère. Especially those legend is in this case connected with him, according to which he had applied his squire lying dying to put his heart in a silver capsule to his mistress Gabrielle. Their husband disliked this and he forced her to eat the heart, which she voluntarily starved himself to death.
Pierre Laurent de Belloy processed this substance in 1770 in the tragedy Gabrielle de Vergy, after Gaetano Donizetti in 1826 an opera composed.
More likely was the actual Châtelain de Coucy a nephew of Raoul.