County of Mortain

The county of Mortain was a medieval county centered on the town of Mortain (Manche). Its creation probably goes back to the first quarter of the 11th century when the duke of Normandy Richard II installed counts on the margins of sound duchy. About 1015, a count was initially placed at Avranches. Avranchin, near to the border with the duchy of Brittany, often underwent Breton incursions and angevines. In addition, being located at the south-western extremity of the duchy, the county was used as relay with the ducal authority. Before 1050, Mortainais was dismembered of Avranchin to form an independent entity, vis-a-vis the Comté of Maine.

The dukes of Normandy placed there members of their family as count. It is rather difficult to know which was the first count de Mortain because, before 1040, the texts do not appoint the counts with their site, and count titrates it is not everyday usage.

The county did not have much autonomy contrary for example to the Comté of Have. It was a coherent political unit starting from half of until the 13th century. It remained in close relationship with the ducal capacity until it is partly dismembered by Louis X '' Hutin '' in April 1235. Mortain as well as the county bordering on Domfront were divided between Mathilde de Dammartin, countess of Boulogne, which accepted a third of the territory, and the king, who kept the remainder.

Geography

The Honneur of Mortain had as a heart the broad valley of the Sélune, which one calls valley of Mortain . It included/understood also incomes of the fair of Montmartin, and at the time of Etienne of Blois then of his son Guillaume (v. 1006 - 1106), it seems to include the town of Coutances itself. Before 1106, this honor included also the castle of $the Hague - of-Well.

Fortified towns

Guillaume Long-Sword would have built the first castle-extremely of Mortain. The other important strengthened places of the county were the castles of Saint-James-with-Beuvron, of Cérences, Teilleul and Tinchebray.

History of the county

Geoffroy Plantagenêt, the husband of the Emperesse tackled Normandy in 1137 and 1141. Mortain was obviously in first line, and the county of Mortain and Avranchin were conquered in 1142 per Henri de Fougères. Geoffroy becomes duke of Normandy of swears uxoris in 1144.

After the invasion of the Normandy in 1204, the king Philippe Auguste ventured only seldom in the west of the duchy. He came for the first time to Mortain in 1211, but accompanied by an army.

Following the revolt of Renaud de Dammartin, Pierre of Thillay, baillif French based in Caen, takes the control of the county quickly. Since 1212, it holds to with it of sitted with his son-in-law Eudes of Tremblay, the royal lord of the manor of Mortain. Pierre of Thillay supervised the businesses of the county during a few years before the king does not give it to the son-in-law of Dammartin, Philippe Hurepel, about 1222-1223. As from this moment, the administration comitale took again its course.

Towards the end of 1354, the King de France Charles V decided the confiscation of all the fields of Charles II of Navarre (known as the Bad ), King de Navarre, in France. The king sent his troops to take possessions of the grounds and castles of Charles, and the majority of the places went. Cherbourg, Avranches, Gavray, Évreux, Pont-Audemer and Mortain resisted. The garrisons of its castles and fortified towns were made up of Navarrese faithful to king de Navarre, and who did not recognize the king of France.

See too

List of the counts de Mortain

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