Eustache de Beaumarchais facts for kids
Eustache de Beaumarchais (born around 1235 – died August 23, 1294) was an important French leader and military commander. He served as a high-ranking official called a seneschal in two different areas of France: the County of Poitou (from 1268 to 1276) and the County of Toulouse (from 1272 until his death in 1294). He also took part in some important wars, like the War of the Navarrería (1276–77) and the Aragonese Crusade (1284–85).
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Eustache's Early Life and Career
Eustache was likely born in a small village called Beaumarchais, which is now part of Othis, France. His family belonged to the lower nobility, meaning they were not super rich or powerful, but still had some status.
He started working for the king by guarding the abbey of Aurillac, which was a type of monastery. In 1257, Count Alphonse of Poitiers gave him a job as a bailiff in the Auvergne region. A bailiff was like a manager who looked after royal lands and collected taxes. Eustache kept this job until 1266.
In 1268, Alphonse, who was also the Count of Toulouse, made Eustache his seneschal in Poitou. A seneschal was a very powerful royal officer, often in charge of justice, finance, and military matters in a region. When Alphonse died in 1271, his lands went back to the king. But Eustache continued to be the seneschal of Poitou until 1276.
In 1272, Eustache was given an even bigger role: royal seneschal in Toulouse. He held this important position for the rest of his life.
One of his key missions was in 1276, when he was sent with an army to Navarre. His job was to stop fighting among the people and prevent invasions from the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. The French king cared about Navarre because his son, Philip, was going to marry the Queen of Navarre, Joan I.
From 1279 to 1282, Eustache and Imbert de Beaujeu worked together as military commanders in the Languedoc region of France. In 1283, the king asked Eustache to study the Coutumes de Toulouse, which were the traditional laws of Toulouse. Then, in 1286, he made the people of Toulouse promise to follow these laws.
Military Campaigns and Royal Recognition
In 1280, Eustache became one of the king's own knights, a special honor. From 1284 to 1285, he joined King Philip III in a difficult invasion of Catalonia. Even though the overall campaign was not very successful, Philip's forces did capture the city of Girona. Eustache was then made the governor of Girona.
King Philip III died in late 1285. In 1288, the new king confirmed Eustache's titles as a royal knight and seneschal of Toulouse. In 1291, Eustache traded some land with the king, showing his close relationship with the crown.
Building New Towns (Bastides)
One of Eustache's most lasting achievements was overseeing the building of 22 new towns, called bastides, in the county of Toulouse. These towns were planned and built from scratch, often with a grid pattern of streets and a central market square. They helped to organize the land, encourage trade, and protect the people.
Here are some of the bastides Eustache helped build:
- Rimont (1272)
- Alan (1272)
- Montréjeau (1272)
- Fleurance (1274)
- Valence-d'Albigeois (1275)
- Beaumont-de-Lomagne (1279)
- Verdun-sur-Garonne (1279)
- Saint-Lys (1280)
- Mirande (1281)
- Pavie (1281)
- Cazères (1282)
- Cologne (1284)
- Miélan (1284)
- Plaisance-du-Touch (1285)
- Réjaumont (1285)
- Pampelonne (1285)
- Boulogne-sur-Gesse (1286)
- Valentine (1287)
- Aurimont (1287)
- Beaumarchés (1288)
- Grenade-sur-Garonne (1290)
- Sorde (1290)
He also gave a special set of rules and rights, called a charter of privileges, to the bastide of Grenade-sur-Garonne. These charters often helped the new towns grow by offering benefits to people who moved there.
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See also
In Spanish: Eustache Beaumarchais para niños
