Jean II de Croÿ, Prince de Chimay

Available Sources
- Histoire et Genealogie Maison de Croy , Martin, Georges, pp. 89
- Europäische Stammtafeln, J.A. Stargardt Verlag, Marburg, Schwennicke, Detlev (Ed.).
57:70
- Gens Nostra .1966, pp. 317
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Jean II de Croÿ ° 1395 + 21/03/1473 (Valenciennes)
seigneur puis comte de Chimay (dès 1468, par le duc de Bourgogne Charles «Le Téméraire»), seigneur de Tour(s)-sur-Marne, Capitaine-Général & Grand-Bailli du Hainaut,

Gouache on parchment made between 1598 and 1602 by Adrien de Montigny - The castle of the princes de Croy - Chimay (Belgium). Image by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT

chevalier de la Toison d’Or (1° promotion, 1430), Gouverneur du Hainaut

Jean II Croÿ as Knight in the Order off the Golden Fleece, 1473

ép. 20/11/1428 Marie de Lalaing, dame de Quiévrain et d’Ecaussinnes ° 1405 + 20/01/1474 (fille
de Simon III de Lalaing, seigneur de Quiévrain, et d’Isabeau de Barbençon)

Pattou, Etienne. “Famille & Seigneurs De Lalaing.” Racines et Histoire :
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Jean was born about 1395, one of the sixteen children of Jean I de Croÿ, seigneur de Croÿ et de Seneghen, and Marie de Craon. About 1413 Jean raided the château de Monceaux and took the children of the duc de Bourbon as hostage, keeping them for seven months, as leverage for the release of his father Jean I, imprisoned on orders of Isabeau of Bavaria, wife of Charles VI, king of France, as Jean was a supporter of the duc de Guyenne. After his father had escaped he took them to the duc de Berry and released them. However, Queen Isabeau captured him, as he too was a follower of the duc de Guyenne. His father helped him escape.

On 20 November 1428 Jean married Marie de Lalaing, dame de Quievrain et d'Escaussines, daughter of Simon de Lalaing, seigneur de Quevrain, and Isabeau de Barbançon. They had eight children, of whom three would have offspring. Jean was made a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1430 by its founder Philippe 'the Good', duke of Burgundy. He became lord of Chimay about 1434, governor of Luxembourg in 1443, and was created grand bailiff and captain-general of Hainault. He was in great favour with Philippe, which helped in his rapid rise.

Both Jean and his elder brother Antoine served in the role of counsellor-chamberlain to Philippe 'the Good', being members of the ducal council from at least 1433 to 1449. On 23 October 1462 Jean was appointed as a counsellor of the privy council constituted within the ducal council. In 1456, when Philippe travelled to Ratisbonne to persuade the German prince-electors take part in a crusade against the Turks, Jean was appointed a member of the regency council of the Netherlands.

From 1429, Jean became governor of the county of Namur, newly integrated into the Burgundian Netherlands.

The only surviving line of the house of Croÿ, that of Croÿ-Solre, descends from the younger brother of Antoine the Great, Jean II de Croÿ (1395-1473), who governed Hainaut and Namur on behalf of the dukes of Burgundy. His domains were centered on the city of Chimay, of which he became the first count.

In 1430, he was made one of the very first Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the image above painted as part of the 1473 manuscript.

In 1435, in Nevers, he was one of the negotiators of the peace talks that led to the Treaty of Arras. He was then in charge of submitting Amiens to the Burgundian authority.

A year later, he commanded an army that attempted to take Calais from the English. This army consisted mainly of Flemish militia who were unhappy with the treatment the English had given their people after the treaty of Arras. Calais being well defended, it became obvious after a while that the siege of Calais would become a long and difficult operation and boredom began to win over the militias. The militia accused Jean de Croÿ of treason to cover their tracks, which forced him to leave the army, after which the siege was lifted.

He was also in charge of the Grand-Bailly of Hainaut from 1434 to 1456.
During the Ghent revolt, he freed the garrison of Oudenaarde, which was under siege by the Ghent people. In 1453, he defeated Guillaume de Brnswick near Thionville and thus ensured Philippe le Bon's control over the Duchy of Luxembourg. Then, in 1454, he took part in the battle of the pheasant.

During the exile of the dauphin Louis, future Louis XI, in Brabant from 1457 to 1461, this adviser of the duke of Burgundy became one of the best friends of the dauphin. In particular, together with Duke Philippe le bon, he accepted on August 5, 1459 the godfather of Louis' first child, Joachim de France, born on July 151.

Also, when Charles the Bold became Duke of Burgundy, he was forced into exile because of his pro-French positions, as well as his brother Antoine and his son Philippe. The return to grace took place in 1473 when the lordship of Chimay was raised to a county. He died the same year and is buried in the collegiate church of Chimay.

From Medlands: “A longstanding tradition, which persists even today in various so-called genealogical websites on the internet, suggests that the Croÿ family was descended from the kings of Hungary. Different documents are contradictory regarding the precise alleged descent, and in any case more detail has been added over the years which is generally a sign that the result should be viewed with caution.” See the full discussion here: Seigenurs of Croy: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/nfraamp.htm#_Toc494871032

Curator note: it is interesting that the coats of arms of Croy include visual ties by way of quartering or in escutcheons which include the banding of eight argent and gules that we see in the arms of the House of Arpad. See this link for more on the Árpád Dynasty: <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C3%81rp%C3%A1d_dynasty&...>

Older data
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https://genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00014118&tree=LEO

• Jean II de Croÿ - Wikipedia - English
• House of Croÿ - Wikipedia - English
• Prince of Chimay and progenitor of the line of Croÿ-Solre
• born - ca.1390/95
• died - 25 Mar 1473, Valenciennes
• married - Marie of Lalaing (1390 - 1474)
• children -

1. Jaqueline Croÿ, (1430 - 1500)
2. Philip de Croÿ-Chimay (1430 - 18 Sep 1482), lord of Quievrain
3. Catherine, (1440 - 1515) Jean II belonged to the powereful House fo Croÿ. He wa the second surviving son of Jean I de Croÿ and Marie de Craon. His elder brother was Antoine I de Croÿ

Jean II de Croÿ was a prominent member of the Burgundian court. He governed Hainaut andNamur in the name of the dukes of Burgandy as grand bailli de Hainaut. His dominions were centered on the town of Chimay, of which he became the first count. In 1430, he was made one of the very first Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

He had been godfather to Charles the Bold in 1433 and to the Dauphin in 1459. He was also amongst those who took the Banquet of the oath of the Pheasant in 1454. (car)