Renaud Ier of Castle-Gontier

Renaud Ier of Castle-Gontier , lord of Castle-Gontier.

Origin

The document which makes us go up highest in the history of the first lords of Castle-Gontier, is the charter note reporting the foundation even castle and city. It is at the head Cartulaire de Saint-Aubin , tells the establishment of the castle by Foulque Nerra, the year even of the birth of Geoffroy Martel (1007), in the territory of Bazouges, that the count had withdrawn on the monks of Saint-Aubin for several years in exchange of Hondainville; guard of this castle, entrusted to the one of the officers, villicus, of the count, named Gontier; the company of an unfinished keep left by the founder and finally the infeodation after a rather long time, post multum temporis, place and country with Renaud, wire of Yvon, who obtains with grand' sorrow, by the influence of the count Foulque and of Geoffroy, his/her son, the concession of a quarter of the court of Bazouge.

The note is supposed to be written the year 1037, in the presence of the count of Anjou and its son, in the Abbaye Saint-Aubin of Angers. But it of it is nothing, as it comes out obviously from a word of the text of the charter: it is known as there that Renaud committed himself paying a taxable quota with the abbey for his castle, which it discharged readily, quoad vixit , all its life; however, he lived after 1040. The true drafting is thus posterior on this date.

One as objects to the date allotted to the document as in 1037 Foulque and its son were with strongest of their quarrels and could not intend itself to support the monks. It was noticed besides that two at least witnesses of the charter did not live in 1037 any more: Avesgaud, bishop of Mans, had died in 1036, - without counting that the weather had been immediately before this time during the Pèlerinage of Jerusalem; - Josselin, bishop of Rennes, did not live beyond 1028. It is true that this defective chronology can be explained by this fact why these characters would have attended with one or the other of the incidents of the note, and that the writer, informed by a chronicle of the abbey, would have joined together all the names in the final drafting.

In which year was made the infeodation of the fortress with Renaud? Post multum temporis , answers the charter, enough of time after the construction of the castle given to Gontier, the farmer, villicus , so that this made construction, the count Foulque posed the foundations and pushed even enough far the building from the tower, towards 1015 perhaps: eight years are a long space in the life of a man.

Family of origin?

The fact is that Renaud, who had had the mission of completing the work of Foulque Nerra, took the title of Renaud of Castle-Gontier in 1026, in a charter of the count of which it was one of the most notable officers, since it appears at the head of all the witnesses. Of which family did result it? It was wire of Yves, tells us the charter of Saint-Aubin, concerning the foundation of Castle-Gontier. But is this Yves an unknown? is it resulting from the founders of Jaille? is he downward first count of Bellême, Yves de Creil? All that was constant.

Bry of Clergerie, historian of the the most exact County of the Pole and of the genealogists of Castle-Gontier according to the Abbot Angot, is in favor of the first opinion; at least you he adds, he does not admit any of both others.

Gilles Spares, the Père Anselme and D' Hozier support them on the contrary one or the other. Household does not know if Yves, father of Renaud of Castle-Gontier, is house of Jaille or that of Bellême

Célestin Port believes that Renaud is wire of Yves of Jaille, without seeking if this last goes down or not from the Famille of Bellême. But the Abbé Angot wonders why it allots to this filiation the date of 1095, whereas the charters which speak about it are of 1037 or approximately. The Anselme Father, on the contrary, claims that Yves, brother of Avesgaud, bishop of Mans, and consequently wire of Yves de Bellême, were probably the father of the first lord of Castle-Gontier.

Dom Piolin confirms this opinion while being pressed on a charter of the Abbaye of Saint-Vincent of Mans which it borrows from Dom Martenne and in which, says he, the Avesgaud bishop and Renaud, wire of his/her Yves brother, make alms of their goods to the abbey. However while referring some to the Cartulaire of Saint-Vincent (charter 12), one realizes that it is mentioned there no Renaud of Castle-Gontier, but only of Avesgaud and Yves, and that nothing indicates that this last is the father of the first lord of Castle-Gontier.

Mr. Depoin also made a genealogical table of the lords of Bellême, with an aim of clarifying the origin of several bishops of Mans: Seinfroi, Avesgaud, Gervais, without counting Yves, bishop of Séez. It identifies Yves, father of Renaud of Castle-Gontier, with Yves, founder of Abbayette, priory depend on the Mount-Saint-Michel, which would be then not the brother, but the cousin of the Avesgaud bishop. Mr. the Giraud abbot who borrows the genealogical table of Mr. Depoin, in his work on the Lords of Milesse , does not insert Renaud of Castle-Gontier there.

Lastly, Mr. the marquis de Brisay, in his History of the House of Jaille , appeared in 1910, admits frankly that this family and that of Castle-Gontier are a branch of the counts de Bellême.

Without following it until there, the Angot abbot affirms that one can believe that the first lord of Castle-Gontier would come from a Yves of Jaille, Rainaldus videlicet Yvonis , or rather than Renaud would be wire of Yves and brother of another Yves to which it would have allotted the stronghold and the fortress of Jaille. It is assumptions to which some base this fact would give that Jaille concerned Castle-Gontier. According to the Angot abbot, one would still add to it that the two families had simultaneously rights, as we will see it, on the ground of Segré.

But far there is an index that the lords of Jaille and Castle-Gontier go down from the counts de Bellême, it appears well that they are equipped by the counts with Anjou, and they are not the three rafters of their armorial bearings introduced at the 13th century which, in spite of their analogy with those of Alençon, would prove a community of origin tardily. Moreover, almost all the alliances given by the above mentioned historians to the barons de Château Gontier are if not very exact that it is necessary to defy their assumptions on this other point.

Knight of Foulque Nerra

Renaud of Castle-Gontier was thus the faithful knight of Foulque Nerra which entrusted the place and the tower of Castle-Gontier to him, while prudently retaining some the suzerainty and the possibility of a recovery if the legitimate succession of the recipient had suddenly weakened. He is qualified honest knight, optimus miles . He also had a field and stronghold with Angers, which its successors preserved. The count had also given him in benefit the Abbaye of Saint-Maurille, one of the oldest churches of the city.

Later the bishop of Angers, Hubert (1007 - 1047), sorry to see this abbey of its episcopal city in laic hands, obtained from it the restitution of Renaud, his sons and its daughters, in exchange of vines and exemption of vairie on its grounds of Morannes. Foulque Nerra still is assisted of Renaud of Castle-Gontier when, in 1038, it reorganizes the Abbaye Saint Nicolas's Day of Angers, founded by him in 1010.

The favor of Renaud near Geoffroy Martel was not less large as of the beginning of its administration. One of with the proof in the many charters which it signed with him. One can suppose that it had been in favor of its cause even the alive one of Foulque Nerra. One finds it like judges his court and even like referee between the count and the monks.

Geoffroy learned in October 1040 death from his father to Metz the preceding June 21st. At once it confirmed the donations of late with the abbeys of Ronceray and Saint Nicolas's Day, adding to it of new favors, as well as with its own foundation of Vendôme, always in the presence of Renaud of Castle-Gontier and its Alard son. One cannot specify the date of dead of Renaud, but it is between October 1040 and 1046, of the time of the Agnès countess. Alard, his/her son, appears only in a charter of Ronceray of the February 14th 1041.

Family

The Angot abbot indicates that it does not know if it would be the time of its arrival to the paternal succession. A Note on Montjean , by Mr. abbot Al (p. 41), mentioned in the History of the House of Jaille (p. 9), indicates an act which one goes back to 1042, where Renaud Ier and his two sons, Alard and Renaud appear; but one cannot refer some to this date without proof.

The repurchase of Saint-Maurille teaches us that Renaud had wire and girls. We know to him:

Alard, which succeeded to him;
Renaud, heir to his brother;
Guioul, Guidulphus;
Geoffroy;
Aubry;
the girls of Renaud Ier mentioned in a charter of Saint-Maurille of Angers are not known.

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