Pierre de Craon

• en.wikipedia.org... ; fr.wikipedia.org ... ; Guillaume I. de Craon is the FATHER ot Pierre de Craon (c. 1345-1408) dit le Grand, seigneur de Sable et La Ferté-Bernard
• Guillaume Ier de Craon, dit le Grand, fut vicomte de Châteaudun, seigneur de Craon, de Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine et de Jarnac de 1319 à 1387 et Chambellan royal.
• Il est le second fils de Amaury III de Craon Seigneur de Sablé et de Béatrice de Pierrepont.
• Le 4 mai 1341, il se marie avec Marguerite de Dampierre-Flandre, vicomtesse de Châteaudun. Ils auront cinq enfants[pr%C3%A9cision nécessaire] :
• Guillaume II de Craon, Vicomte de Châteaudun,
• Pierre de Craon, dit le Grand, Seigneur de Sablé et de La Ferté-Bernard,
• Jean Ier de Craon, Seigneur de Dommart en Ponthieu de Nouatre et de Montsoreau,
• Gui de Craon, Seigneur de Sainte Julitte, Chambellan du Roi de France Charles VI,
• Béatrix de Craon, épouse de Renaud de Maulevrier,
• Jeanne de Craon, épouse de Pierre de Tournemine Seigneur de la Hunaudaye
• Marie de Craon, épouse en premières noces de Guillaume d'Auton puis de Hervé Seigneur de Mosny et Thorigny.
• Début 1361, Bertrand Du Guesclin et Guillaume Ier de Craon se rendent à Juigné-sur-Sarthe pour y combattre Hugues de Calverly. En plein milieu du combat, Guillaume et 80 de ses hommes d'armes perdent pied et s'enfuient, laissant Du Guesclin se faire prendre avec ses hommes1. En 1373, à la suite de la mort de son frère Maurice de Craon, Guillaume devint Seigneur de Sablé, Sainte Maure, Champtocé et Ingrandes.
• Guillaume Ier de Craon fut le Chambellan des Rois de France Philippe VI et Jean II le Bon, il était également très lié avec le Duc Louis Ier d'Anjou.
• Il est mort le 8 juin 1381 à Châteaudun.
• <<>>

Pierre de Craon (circa 1345 - circa 1409), known as "le Grand", was a medieval French aristocrat notorious for his riotous temperament, culminating in his attempted murder of Olivier de Clisson, Constable of France. Events following the assault led to the mental breakdown of King Charles VI of France ushering in a long period of political instability in France.[1] Contents

Early life

Craon inherited considerable wealth from his father, Guillaume I de Craon. He held the titles Lord of La Ferté-Bernard and Sablé.

Craon was involved in the expedition of Louis I, Duke of Anjou to seize the kingdom of Naples, Craon was entrusted with money to finance the expedition, but he kept the funds himself and spent his time in debauchery in Venice. He was blamed for Louis' premature death and the collapse of the expedition. On his return to Paris, he was publicly upbraided by Louis' brother, John, Duke of Berry. However, his wealth protected him.

Attack on Clisson

Olivier de Clisson as depicted on his tomb, Basilique Notre Dame du Roncier, Josselin, Brittany, France.

In 1391, Craon was abruptly expelled from the court in Paris, for unknown reasons. He blamed de Clisson, encouraged by Clisson's enemy John V, Duke of Brittany. After a period in Brittany, he returned to Paris in secret, planning to murder Clisson. He waylaid Clisson in a narrow street. Clisson's unarmed servants fled, but Clisson was saved from death by his chainmail coat, and was able to draw his sword and fend off his attackers. In the struggle, he fell from his horse and was knocked out against the door of a baker's shop. Believing him dead, Craon fled Paris for Brittany.[2]

In fact Clisson was only superficially injured. In the aftermath of the attack, several of Craon's servants in Paris were arrested and executed for assisting him. Craon's property was seized and his castle in Porchefontaine near Versailles was razed to the ground. John V refused to deliver Craon to the king, so Charles and Clisson marched on Brittany, only for the king to have a mental breakdown during the expedition, killing several of his own soldiers in a deranged fit. Clisson's enemies at court blamed him for provoking the disaster, and instituted proceedings against him. Clisson himself then fled to Brittany, to become a lifelong ally of his old enemy John V.[2]

Exile and return

Craon was forced to move from place to place, at last seeking refuge with Richard II of England, who granted him a pension. When the threat of prosecution for the attack on Clisson was lifted, Craon returned to France; however, his enemies instituted legal measures to recover the money that Craon had misappropriated from Louis I, Duke of Anjou. Craon was imprisoned in the Louvre, but was soon released following interventions by the Queen of England and the Duchess of Burgundy. A deal was made over the money and Craon made penance for his crimes. In an unprecedented move, he was made confessor to some monks who had been convicted of bewitching the king. He erected a cross bearing his coat of arms at the gallows of Paris, at which criminals could confess before their execution. He also donated money to the Conventual Franciscans, dedicating them to acts of mercy.

The date of Craon's death is not known. His son Antoine de Craon was implicated in the murder of Louis I, Duke of Orléans and was killed at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.