Elisabeth Le Riche, dite "de Melun", comtesse de Corbeil

According to Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Jullien de Courcelles, Histoire généalogique et héraldique des pairs de France, Vol. 5, "It is evident ... that Elisabeth had to be very close relative of King Hugh Capet, since the prince gave her the counties of Melun and Paris when she married for the second time to Bouchard I, Count of Vendôme and Montoire. Could we not reasonably conjecture that she was his aunt, and sister of Hedwig, whose father, Henry I, Duke of Saxony, 912, elected king of Germany in 919, descended from smoky Widukind? Be that as it may, it was averred, by the unanimous testimony of historians, that Elisabeth was a very close relative of Hedwig of Saxony, and she had by her first husband, the Earl of Corbeil, several children whose fate is unknown, except Albert, whose daughter named Germaine was married in 1013 to Mauger or Maugis, son of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, who was Earl of Corbeil after Bouchard I Count of Vendôme. We also know that this second husband of Elisabeth had two sons: Bouchard II, qualified as Viscount of Melun but who died before his father, and Rainald, Bishop of Paris, who died in 1016. There is reason to believe that after the death of Viscount Bouchard II, Salon and Josselin were invested successively as the Viscounts of Melun by Hugh Capet, and as they were relatives of the monarch, it is likely they were the sons of Elisabeth and Aymon, Count of Corbeil, her first husband. This is the only way to explain this ancient relationship of the house of Melun with the august house of France, consecrated by the testimony of contemporary historians. To make it more intelligible to the reader, we will establish the following table."

The following lists the relationships between the royals and the House of Melun:

Hedwige de Saxe, daughter of Henri Ier, King of Germany, and of Mathilde, comtesse de Ringelheim, his second wife, was married to Hugues le Grand, duc des Francs, son of King Robert I. This prince gave the comté de Corbeil as a dowry to Élisabeth, close relative of his wife, when she married Aymon. Hedwige was th second wife of Hugues le Grand, who left her among other children, Hugues Capet.

Hugues Capet, King of France in 987, confirmed in favor of Josselin I, vicomte de Melun, the privileges of l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Melun. He died in 996.

Robert II, King of France in 996, died at Melun on 20 July 1030, having confirmed the same privileges to Hervé, vicomte de Melun.

Henri I, King of France in 1031, died in 1060, also confirmed the same privileges upon d'Ursion I, vicomte de Melun.

Philippe I, King of France, confirmed the same privileges in 1084 upon Guillaume I, called « le Charpentier » . What follows is the narrative of the genealogy:

Élisabeth, close relative of Hedwige de Saxony, married first, with permission of Hugues le Grand, duc of the Francs, around 940, Aymon, comte de Corbeil. She married secondly, with permission of Hugues Capet, Bouchard I, comte de Vendôme, and through this marriage, comte de Melun et de Paris. She had many children from her first marriage, of whom were: Salon, vicomte de Melun in 991; Josselin I, who followed him; and Thibaut, abbot of Cormery then of Saint-Maur-les-Fossés.

Josselin I, vicomte de Melun in 998, was one of the benefactors of the Abbaye de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, where he donned a religious habit toward the end of his life.

Hervé, vicomte de Melun, mentioned by the author of the book of Miracles de Saint-Liesne, in the year 1030, was killed in combat near Yvetot in 1045.

Ursion I, vicomte de Melun, was benefactor of the Abbaye de Saint-Aubert de Cambray in 1065, subscribing to a charter of the King Henri I in 1067.

Guillaume I, dit « le Charpentier » , vicomte de Melun in 1084, named as a cousin to Hugues le Grand, comte de Vermandois, by the monk Robert in his Histoire de la Terre Sainte, where Guillaume I had accompanied the prince.