Elizabeth, Countess of Saint-Pol facts for kids

Elizabeth, also known as Élisabeth Candavène (born around 1180 – died between 1240 and 1247), was a powerful countess of Saint-Pol from 1205 until her death. However, she didn't always rule the county directly. Her first husband and later her sons managed things for much of that time. From 1196 to 1219, she was married to Lord Gaucher III of Châtillon. Later, from 1228 to 1238, she was married to John of Béthune, who didn't own any land. Elizabeth was also a big supporter of the Cistercian monks.

We don't have any stories or chronicles written about Elizabeth. We only know about her life from old official documents. After her first husband died, we have 39 documents she issued between 1219 and 1240 that tell us about her rule.

Becoming an Heiress

Elizabeth was the oldest child of Count Hugh IV of Saint-Pol and Yolanda. She was born shortly after her parents married in 1179. She was named after her older cousin, Isabella of Hainault. Sometimes Elizabeth's name is spelled Isabel or Isabella, especially after 1228. She also had a younger sister named Eustachie.

The first time we see Elizabeth mentioned in a document is in 1190. This was an agreement her parents made with a local priory before her father, Hugh, left for the Third Crusade. In this agreement, Hugh and Yolanda mentioned their daughters' approval. In the same year, Hugh gave land to a loyal supporter "with the agreement and wish of Elizabeth, our daughter." This clearly showed that she was his chosen heir. Besides the county of Saint-Pol, she would also inherit his lands in England.

Even though she was only about ten years old, Elizabeth helped her mother rule while her father was away. She and Eustachie witnessed a document in 1190. She also witnessed another document in October 1193, after her father returned home.

Marriage to Gaucher of Châtillon

In 1196, when Elizabeth was about sixteen, she married Gaucher III from the House of Châtillon. He was a lord of several important places in Champagne. This marriage was a new strategy for Elizabeth's family, the Candavènes, who usually looked north for marriage partners. However, the Châtillons were close friends with the king, Philip II. So, Elizabeth's marriage showed that the king's power was growing. After her marriage, Elizabeth took her husband's family name, calling herself Elizabeth of Châtillon.

Elizabeth had her own seal made as the lady of Châtillon. We don't have any documents she issued herself before 1205. But she did witness and put her seal on several of her husband's documents. These included one in 1196 for Sainte-Geneviève de Paris, another in 1204 for Notre-Dame de Paris, and one in January 1205 for Saint-Denis.

In March 1202, Elizabeth returned to Saint-Pol to witness her father's documents as he prepared to leave for the Fourth Crusade. Her husband came with her and also witnessed the papers. After Hugh IV died during the crusade, Yolanda, Elizabeth's mother, moved to her own lands. She then handed over the county of Saint-Pol to Gaucher, who now ruled it because he was married to Elizabeth. Even though Elizabeth was legally the countess, she didn't have much power at this time. She only witnessed and sealed 14 of her husband's 27 documents for Saint-Pol. When she did, it was usually as a co-issuer. Her only known independent action during her marriage was asking Pope Honorius III for permission to attend Mass. This was because her county was under an interdict, a church punishment that stopped religious services. The Pope allowed it because it wasn't her fault.

Disagreement with Guy

Elizabeth and Gaucher had two sons, Guy II and Hugh, and a daughter named Eustachie. Guy and Hugh were adults when Gaucher died in 1219. The plan was for Hugh to get Gaucher's lands in Champagne, and Guy to become the count of Saint-Pol. This plan caused problems for Guy because his mother, Elizabeth, was still alive.

Guy and Hugh were with their mother when she issued her first document for her lands in Champagne in September 1219. But they were not there when she issued her first document for her inherited county of Saint-Pol in the spring of 1220. Hugh stayed in Champagne, but Guy went to Saint-Pol. He confirmed with his seal Elizabeth's decision about a land disagreement in July 1220. Other than this one action, Elizabeth ruled Saint-Pol very actively from 1220 to 1222, and her sons were not involved.

Sharing the inheritance didn't work well. Elizabeth and Guy quickly started to disagree. In February 1220, Guy wrote to King Henry III of England, complaining about his mother and her entire inheritance, including her own lands and her English lands. In a separate letter, Elizabeth asked the English regent to ignore any message from her son and to send her the money from her lands. However, a document from February 1220 shows that Guy had paid a special tax to the king for the lands his mother "freely" gave him. This means Guy's messages had been successful.

Money Problems and Losing Power

From 1222 to 1223, Elizabeth had to give up most of her power as countess because of her money problems. We don't know exactly why she owed so much money. It's possible her family's money was running out because her father and husband had spent a lot on crusades. Or maybe it was because she lost the generous income her mother used to receive. It could also be from very high taxes the king demanded when she took over. Her oldest son, Guy, had good connections with the king. He gained power at his mother's expense with the king's help.

In October 1222, Elizabeth owed 3,200 pounds of Paris. She had to make an agreement with Guy. Her son agreed to pay her current debts. She also agreed not to get into more debt for two years, and her total debt after that couldn't be more than 1,000 pounds. For his help, Guy received half of the money from the county's courts for eight years. He also got the right to use Elizabeth's own lands for eight years and the right to inherit the castle of Encre when his grandmother died. For the use of her lands, Elizabeth was supposed to receive 200 pounds of Provins from Guy each year. She remained the countess and was responsible for the services owed to the king. But she had to give her seal to Robert II of Boves for safekeeping. This agreement between Elizabeth and Guy was approved by King Philip and his son, the future Louis VIII.

By early 1223, Elizabeth's debts had grown to 8,000 pounds. We don't know who she owed the money to or why. This sudden huge debt might have been a very high tax demanded by King Philip II. This amount was higher than what even other powerful counts had to pay. The timing suggests this tax was for the castle of Encre, which Elizabeth inherited when her mother died on March 4, 1223. Encre was directly controlled by the king. Elizabeth gained control of her mother's other land, Bucquoy, by May 1223.

In May 1223, Guy agreed to take on the 8,000-pound debt. In return, he received "the whole county of Saint-Pol and all her land wherever she has it," including her income and legal rights, for ten years. While the 1222 agreement was Elizabeth's own document, she had less say in the 1223 agreement. This new agreement involved three documents issued by Guy, Philip, and Louis. Guy stated that if he died before the ten years were up, his rights would go to whoever he named.

Guy and Hugh Take Over

During the three years Guy effectively ruled Saint-Pol, he didn't call himself count. He preferred to be called "firstborn of the count[ess]" or "heir of the county." All that was left to Elizabeth under the 1223 agreement was the town and new castle of Frévent, a yearly payment of 600 pounds, and the right to hunt and fish in Lucheux. She was still legally the countess of Saint-Pol. She received loyalty from the county's supporters and sat with the other important nobles of Artois when they acted as a court.

In 1224, Elizabeth confirmed a gift from a supporter to the abbey of Valloires. She received ten pounds of Paris for putting her seal on the document, but her son's official received fifteen. This is the only known action she took between 1223 and 1225. However, when Guy started preparing to leave for the Albigensian Crusade in 1226, he gave some power back to Elizabeth. On January 1, 1226, she gave the priory of Œuf-en-Ternois back to the abbey of Marmoutier. In March, she approved a gift to the Cistercian abbey of Cercamp, which was near Frévent. In May 1226, Lord Heuchin, preparing to follow Guy on the crusade, made a gift to the abbey of Saint-Bertin. He didn't have time to get Elizabeth's approval. In the document, he took responsibility for this omission. This shows that Elizabeth's rights as a feudal lord were still respected.

Guy died during the crusade at the siege of Avignon in August 1226. Elizabeth got her powers back as countess. She issued a document as countess in September. In February 1227, she identified herself by both her husband's name and her inherited title—"Elizabeth of Chatillon, countess of Saint-Pol." She might have done this to show her important position as the family's leader, especially since Guy had left behind two young children. Elizabeth's second son, Hugh, soon claimed Guy's rights in Saint-Pol, likely following Guy's wishes. By the following summer, Elizabeth and Hugh had reached an agreement about ruling Saint-Pol. The actual documents don't exist, but we know about the agreement from an oath Hugh took. In July 1227, Hugh promised the citizens of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise to respect their rights "for as long as my term lasts from the agreements I have with my dearest mother." This new agreement was probably similar to the one from 1223.

Second Marriage and Barons' Revolt

In 1228, probably after June, Elizabeth married John. He was a younger son from the House of Béthune who had been a soldier and didn't own land or money. His brother, Daniel, was the first husband of Elizabeth's daughter. Soon after her second marriage, Elizabeth wrote to the abbot of Anchin, from whom she held a small piece of land. She asked him to accept loyalty from John, "whom I legally married." This marriage doesn't seem to be for love, and since Elizabeth was past childbearing age, it was probably part of a larger plan of alliances.

The marriage happened during a rebellion against Blanche of Castile, who was the widow of Louis VIII and ruling for her young son, Louis IX. The marriage was likely arranged by Ferdinand, Count of Flanders, who supported Blanche and was John of Béthune's former employer. This was to protect his southern border against Count Philip I of Boulogne. In December 1226, Blanche had given the loyalty owed by Saint-Pol back to Boulogne. But the count of Boulogne had turned against her.

Hugh, Elizabeth's son, sided with the count of Boulogne against Blanche. He was against his mother's second marriage and tried to have it canceled. He asked his ally, Enguerrand III of Coucy, to take the case to the bishop of Tournai and the archbishop of Reims in November 1228. Even though the marriage was between relatives who were too close, Hugh's efforts failed to overturn it. However, in December, he started calling himself Count of Saint-Pol, instead of the more correct "son of the count."

As part of his alliance with Elizabeth, Ferdinand gave her a yearly payment of 40 pounds from the market in Torhout. She gave this money to the abbey of Cîteaux in July 1231. In 1229, Ferdinand attacked the county of Saint-Pol, reaching Elizabeth's home at the castle of Frévent. A writer from that time said Ferdinand wanted to "disinherit" Hugh of Châtillon. The writer didn't say he wanted to give Elizabeth back her full powers, but that would have been the natural result. His main goal was to help his ally, Count Theobald IV of Champagne. Ferdinand was defeated, and in September 1230, Blanche ordered the attacks to stop. By the end of the year, the fighting groups had made peace, recognizing Louis IX as king with Blanche as regent. Hugh was in control of the county, and Elizabeth was limited to Frévent and Encre.

Giving Up Encre and Later Years

At some point after the rebellion, Elizabeth gave Encre to Hugh. We know this from a note in an old book from the abbey of Corbie. This note says Hugh wanted to be free from the loyalty he owed to Corbie. It also says that "his mother had a fickle will," which suggests that getting Encre from her wasn't easy for him. In April 1233 or 1234, Hugh swore loyalty to Louis IX for all the lands held from the king by "my dearest mother, Elizabeth" and John "who was called her husband." This shows he still didn't accept his mother's second marriage as legal. With this action, Elizabeth lost Encre and the last bit of her political power.

Elizabeth spent her final years at Frévent. She supported religious houses, especially the nearby Cercamp abbey. Documents showing her support for Cercamp exist from May, July, and December 1234; April 1234 or 1235; January 1235; and February, March, and December 1240. The last one is the final document we have from her. She had also paid for new buildings at Cercamp in June–July 1228. She also supported the priory of Framecourt in 1238. She managed her own property without her son or husband interfering. Her husband died abroad in 1238.

Elizabeth died sometime between 1240 and 1247. We don't know the exact date. She was buried in Cercamp alongside her ancestors.

Images for kids

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  Elizabeth's first seal, used from 1196 to 1206, shows her with a hunting falcon.