Jean II de Montmorency

Jean II de Montmorency (c. 1404 – 6 July 1477, buried at Senlis), held the office of Grand Chamberlain of France. He was the eldest son of Jacques de Montmorency and Lady Philippine de Melun of Croisilles and Courrières, daughter of Hugues de Melun d'Epinoy.

Jean II of Montmorency
Baron de Montmorency
Recumbent figure of Jean II
Born1404
Died6 July 1477
Noble familyMontmorency
Spouse(s)(1) Jeanne de Fosseux
(2) Marguerite d'Orgemont
Issue
Detail
Guillaume de Montmorency
FatherJacques de Montmorency
MotherPhilippine de Melun

Biography

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On the death of his father in 1414, the ten year old Jean inherited the barony of Montmorency and several Lordships, including those of Écouen, Damville and Conflans. He was initially placed under the regency of her mother, Philippe, who died around 1419. In 1422, he married Jeanne de Fosseux (died 12 September 1431), daughter of Jean de Fosseux and Anne de Preures. Jeanne had also inherited a number of lands, principally in Flanders.[1]

Jeanne de Fosseux's father was a favourite of Duke of Burgundy, John the Fearless. When Jeanne died in September 1431 she was buried at the Cordeliers de Senlis, and she left to her husband Jean her wealthy lands which were enclosed within the territory held by the house of Burgundy.[2]

In 1443 Jean married for a second time, his new wife being Marguerite d'Orgemont, widow of the knight Guillaume Broullard and great-granddaughter of the French chancellor Pierre d'Orgemont, Lord of Chantilly.

Jean de Montmorency fought alongside King Louis XI against the self-proclaimed League of the Public Good, led by the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold. His two sons, Jean III (later Jean de Nivelle) and Louis de Montmorency-Fosseux (from his first wife Jeanne de Fosseux), refused to join him and sided with Charles the Bold. Jean de Montmorency then decided to disinherit his two elder sons in favour of Guillaume, his third son, and the first son from his marriage to Marguerite d'Orgemont. The elder sons were officially disinherited on 24 July 1463, the pronouncement held at the Château de la Chasse, situated in the centre of the forest of Montmorency.

As a result of this, his son Jean sought refuge at Nivelle, a territory that belonged to his mother Jeanne de Fosseux. Here he became the founder of the Montmorency-Nevele branch of the family. It was following this episode that the Jean III became known as Jean de Nivelle, a name that was used as a form of mockery by the French. He was mocked in popular songs of the time, and later gave rise to the expression "the more you call him, the more he runs away like Jean de Nivelle's dog".

Despite lawsuits and property transactions involving the branches of the Niville, de Fosseux and Montmorency families, the familial lands situated in France remained the property of the descendants of Jean II's son Guillaume de Montmorency.

Ancestry

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Through the Montmorency's, Jean II de Montmorency was descended from the French king Louis VI (via Louis's son Robert I, Count of Dreux).[3]

32. Mathieu III de Montmorency
16. Mathieu IV de Montmorency
33. Jeanne de Brienne-Ramerupt
8. Jean Ier de Montmorency
34. Guy III de Lévis
17. Jeanne de Lévis
35. Isabelle de Marly-Montmorency
4. Charles Ier de Montmorency
36. Guillaume de Calletot
18. Robert de Calletot
37. Marie de Vernon
9. Jeanne de Calletot
38.
19. Jeanne de Houdenc
39.
2. Jacques de Montmorency
40.
20. Adam Ier de Villiers-le-Bel
41.
10. Adam dit le Bègue
42.
21.
43.
5. Pétronille de Villiers
44.
22.
45.
11. Alix de Méry
46.
23.
47.
1. Jean de Montmorency
48. Jean Ier de Melun
24. Adam IV de Melun
49. Jeanne de Tancarville
12. Jean Ier de Melun
50.Henri II de Sully
25. Jeanne de Sully
51. Péronelle de Joigny
6. Hugues de Melun
52. Hugues III d'Antoing
26. Hugues IV d'Antoing
53. Sybille de Wavrin
13. Isabelle d'Antoing
54. Gautier Ier d'Enghien
27. Marie de Sottegem
55. Marie de Rethel
3. Philippine de Melun
56.
28.
57.
14.
58.
29.
59.
7. Béatrix de Beaussart
60.
30.
61.
15.
62.
31.
63.

Marriages and descendants

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The château de la Chasse in the forest of Montmorency where the disinheritance of the sons of Jean II took place.

On 29 January 1422, Jean II married Jeanne de Fosseux, Lady of Fosseux, d'Hauteville, Nivelle et Wismes (died 12 September 1431), daughter of Jean de Fosseux and Anne de Preure. They had the following children:

Around 1445, Jean married Marguerite d'Orgemont, heiress to the lordships of Chantilly, Montépilloy and Montjay, the daughter of Pierre d'Orgemont and Jacqueline Paynel. They had the following children:

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais, L'Art de vérifier les dates, t. 3, Moreau imprimeur, 1818, p. 183, [1]
  2. ^ Louis Paris, Le Cabinet historique vol. 11, p. 201, [2]
  3. ^ Généalogie Quebec
  4. ^ Louis Moreri, Le grand Dictionnaire historique ou le mélange curieux de l'histoire sacrée et profane, t. 1, lettre A, 1743, p. 329