Créquy family
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Créquy (often spelled Créqui) is a French noble family which originated in
Artois Artois ( ; ; nl, Artesië; English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: ''Atrecht'') ...
.


Origins

The family took its name from the small lordship of
Créquy Créquy () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography One of many small villages in Artois, Créquy gives it name to the small stream, the Créquoise, that rises in the nearby hills and is on ...
, in present-day
Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...
. According to some authors, its genealogy goes back to the 9th century, but true lineage is only evident from the end of the 12th century with their alliances with the Saint-Omer and Aire noble houses. The Crequy family originated the noble houses of Blanchefort, Bonne, Ricey, Blécourt, Canaples, Bernieulles, Hesmond, Tilly, Heilly, and Royon and some bastard branches, such as Lorins, Winnezeele and Oudekerque. The Crequy lineage seems to have engendered several small branches in villages of the Haut-Pays area such as Ambricourt, Coupelle-Vieille, Fruges, Reclinghem, Wandonne, Rimboval, Dennebroeucq, Douriez, Capelle-lès-Hesdin, Guigny, La Loge, Montreuil, Sempy and Verchocq.


Notable members

Raoul de Créquy took the cross and was taken prisoner at the
Battle of Mount Cadmus The Battle of Mount Cadmus took place near Laodicea, at Honaz, on January 6, 1148, during the Second Crusade. The French crusader army, led by Louis VII of France, was defeated by the Seljuks of Rum. Background The ill-disciplined Crusaders, es ...
. His wife, Mahaut, believing her husband was dead, was going to marry the Sire of
Renty Renty (; vls, Renteke) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Renty lies about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Saint-Omer, on the D129 road, by the banks of the river Aa. Population ...
, whom Raoul found in his domains on his return to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. His wife recognized him thanks to the bridal half-wedding ring that he wore, giving rise to the famous romantic poem of the Sire of Créquy, in one hundred and seven quatrains. He died in 1181. Henri de Créquy was killed at the siege of
Damietta Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easter ...
in 1240; Jacques de Créquy, Marshal of
Guienne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...
, was killed at Agincourt with his brothers Jean and Raoul;
Jean de Créquy Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...
, lord of Canaples, was in the Burgundian service, and took part in the defence of
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
against
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
in 1429, received the
Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
in 1431, and was
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
; Antoine de Créquy was one of the boldest captains of
Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...
, who defended Thérouanne in 1513 and died in consequence of an accident at the siege of
Hesdin Hesdin (; vls, Heusdin) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Geography The N39, from Arras to Montreuil, used to be the main thoroughfare of the town. In the 1950s, a circular route was created to help traffic flo ...
in 1523. Jean VIII, Sire de Créquy, Prince de Poix, seigneur de Canaples (died 1555), left three sons, the eldest of whom,
Antoine de Créquy Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...
(1535-1574), inherited the family estates on the death of his brothers at Saint-Quentin in 1557. He was raised to the
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
ate, and his nephew and heir, Antoine de Blanchefort, assumed the name and coat-of-arms of Créquy.
Charles I de Blanchefort Charles I de Créquy, Prince de Poix and Duc de Lesdiguières (1578–1638), was a leading French soldier of the first half of the 17th century. Life Charles de Créquy, ca. 1575 to 17 March 1638, was the only child of Antoine de Blanchefort ...
(1578-1638), Prince de Poix, Seigneur de Créquy, de Fressin et de Canaples, Marquis de Vizille et de Treffort, Comte de Sault, Baron de Vienne-le-Chastel et de La Tour d'Aigues, Duc de Lesdiguieres,
Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...
and
peer of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...
, son of Antoine de Blanchefort, saw his first fighting at
Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...
in 1594 and was wounded at the capture of
Saint-Jean-d'Angély Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Royal abbey Founded in the ...
in 1621. In the following year, he became a marshal of France. He served through the
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
ese campaign in aid of Victor Amadeus, Duke of Savoy in 1624, as second in command to the ''
Constable of France The Constable of France (french: Connétable de France, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and ...
'', François de Bonne, Duc de Lesdiguires, whose daughter, Madeleine, he had married in 1595. In 1626, he inherited the estates and title of his father-in-law, who had induced him, after the death of his first wife, to marry her half-sister Françoise. He was also Lieutenant-General of
Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...
. In 1633 he was ambassador to
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, and in 1636 to
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. He fought in the Italian campaigns of 1630, 1635, 1636 and 1637, when he helped to defeat the Spaniards at
Monte Baldo Monte Baldo (german: Waldberg) is a mountain range in the Italian Alps, located in the provinces of Trento and Verona. Its ridge spans mainly northeast-southwest, and is bounded from south by the highland ending at Caprino Veronese, from west b ...
. He was killed on 17 March 1638 in an attempt to raise the siege of
Crema Crema or Cremas may refer to: Crema * Crema, Lombardy, a ''comune'' in the northern Italian province of Cremona * Crema (coffee), a thin layer of foam at the top of a cup of espresso * Crema (dairy product) Crema is the Spanish word for cream. I ...
, a fortress in the
Milanese Milanese (endonym in traditional orthography , ') is the central variety of the Western dialect of the Lombard language spoken in Milan, the rest of its metropolitan city, and the northernmost part of the province of Pavia. Milanese, due to t ...
. He had a quarrel extending over years with Philip, the bastard of Savoy, which ended in a duel fatal to Philip in 1599; and in 1620 he defended Honorat de Beauvilliers, Comte de Saint-Aignan, who was his prisoner of war, against a threatened prosecution by
Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
. Some of his letters are preserved in the Bibliothque Nationale in Paris, and his biography was written by N. Chorier (Grenoble, 1683). François de Bonne, Comte de Sault, Duc de Lesdiguires (1600-1677), Governor and Lieutenant-General of Dauphin, took the name and arms of Bonne, and was the eldest son of Charles I de Blanchefort. Charles II de Créquy, seigneur de Canaple was the younger son of Charles I de Blanchefort. He was killed at the siege of Chambry in 1630, leaving three sons:
Charles III de Créquy Charles III de Blanchefort-Créquy, sieur de Blanchefort, prince de Poix, duc de Créquy (24 March 1624 – 13 February 1687) was a French peer and soldier, who also served Louis XIV as diplomat and advisor. Life Charles III was the eldest of t ...
(1623?-1687), sieur de Blanchefort, Prince de Poix, Duc de Créquy, was the eldest son of Charles II de Créquy. He served in the campaigns of 1642 and 1645 in the Thirty Years' War, and in
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
in 1649. In 1646, after the siege of
Orbetello Orbetello is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Grosseto (Tuscany), Italy. It is located about south of Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve. History Orbetello was an ancient Etruscan settlemen ...
, he was made Lieutenant-General by Louis. By faithful service during the king's minority he had won the gratitude of
Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (french: Anne d'Autriche, italic=no, es, Ana María Mauricia, italic=no; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was an infanta of Spain who became Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 unti ...
and of Mazarin, and in 1652 he became Duc de Créquy and a
peer of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...
. The latter half of his life was spent at court, where he held the office of first gentleman of the royal chamber, which had been bought for him by his grandfather. In 1659 he was sent to Spain with gifts for the ''infanta''
Maria Theresa of Spain Maria Theresa of Spain ( es, María Teresa de Austria; french: Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. She was born an Infanta of Spain and Portugal a ...
, and on a similar errand to
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
in 1680 before the marriage of the ''dauphin''. He was ambassador to Rome from 1662 to 1665, and to England in 1677; and became governor of Paris in 1675. He died in Paris on 13 February 1687. His only daughter, Madeleine, married Charles de la Trémoille (1655-1709). Alphonse de Créquy (died 1711), Comte de Canaples, was the second son of Charles II. He became, on the extinction of the elder branch of the family in 1702, Duc de Lesdiguires, and eventually succeeded to the honours of his younger brother François. Alphonse de Créquy had not the talent of his brothers, and lost his various appointments in France. He went to London in 1672, where he became closely allied with
Charles de Saint-Évremond Charles de Marguetel de Saint-Denis, seigneur de Saint-Évremond (1 April 16139 September 1703) was a French soldier, hedonist, essayist and literary critic. After 1661, he lived in exile, mainly in England, as a consequence of his attack on Fre ...
, and was one of the intimates of King
Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
.The Encyclopædia Britannica. (11th ed.). vol 7 p. 411 states in an endnote that "There is much information about the Créquys in the ''Mémoires'' of Saint-Simon" however ''L'Ombre de la marquise de Créquy aux lecteurs des souvenirs'' (1836) exposes the ''Mémoires'' as a forgery.
François de Créquy François de Blanchefort de Créquy, later Marquis de Marines, 2 October 1629 to 3 February 1687, was a 17th-century French noble and soldier, who served in the wars of Louis XIV of France. He came from a powerful and well-connected family, hi ...
(1625-1687), Chevalier de Créquy and Marquis de Marines,
marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...
, was the youngest of Charles II's sons. As a boy took part in the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, distinguishing himself so greatly that at the age of twenty-six he was made a ''maréchal de camp'', and a Lieutenant-General before he was thirty. He was regarded as the most brilliant of the younger officers, and won the favor of
Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...
by his fidelity to the court during the second
Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...
. In 1667 he served on the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
, and in 1668 he commanded the covering army during Louis XIV's siege of
Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
, after the surrender of which the king rewarded him with the marshalate. In 1670 he overran the
Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine (french: Lorraine ; german: Lothringen ), originally Upper Lorraine, was a duchy now included in the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France. Its capital was Nancy. It was founded in 959 following t ...
. Shortly after this
Turenne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne , was a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the ...
, his old commander, was made Marshal-General, and all the Marshals were placed under his orders. Many resented this, and Créquy, in particular, whose career of uninterrupted success had made him overconfident, went into exile rather than serve under Turenne. After the death of Turenne and the retirement of Condé, he became the most important general officer in the army, but his overconfidence was punished by the severe defeat of Conzer Bruck (1675) and the surrender of
Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
and his own captivity which followed. But in the later campaigns of the
Franco-Dutch war The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...
he showed himself again a cool, daring and successful commander, and, carrying on the tradition of Turenne and Condé, he was, in his turn, the pattern of the younger Generals of the stamp of
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
and Villars. He died in Paris on 3 February 1687. Marshal Francois de Créquy had two sons, whose brilliant military abilities rivalled his own. The elder, François Joseph, Marquis de Créquy (1662–1702), already held the rank of Lieutenant-General when he was killed at
Luzzara Luzzara ( Guastallese: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is located at the northern end of the province, on the right bank of the river Po. Luzzara is the birthplace of the composer Maurizio Cazzat ...
on 13 August 1702; and Nicolas Charles, sire de Créquy, was killed before
Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
in 1696 at the age of twenty-seven. A younger branch of the Créquy family, that of Hesmont, was represented by Louis Marie, Marquis de Créquy (1705–1741), author of the ''Principes philosophiques des saints solitaires d'Egypte'' (1779), and husband of
Renée Caroline de Roullay Créquy, Marquise de Créquy Renée (without the accent in non-French speaking countries) is a French/Latin feminine given name. Renée is the female form of René, with the extra –e making it feminine according to French grammar. The name Renée is the French form of t ...
. The branch became extinct with the death in 1801 of his son, Charles Marie, who had some military reputation.


Notes


References

;Attribution * Endnote: **For a detailed genealogy of the family and its alliances see
Louis Moréri Louis Moréri (25 March 1643 – 10 July 1680) was a French priest and encyclopedist. Life Moréri was born in 1643 in Bargemon, a village in the ancient province of Provence. His great-grandfather, Joseph Chatranet, a native of Dijon, had sett ...
, ''Dictionnaire historique: Annuaire de la noblesse française'' (1856 and 1867).


Further reading

*the notice prefixed by
Sainte-Beuve Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (; 23 December 1804 – 13 October 1869) was a French literary critic. Early life He was born in Boulogne, educated there, and studied medicine at the Collège Charlemagne in Paris (1824–27). In 1828, he se ...
to the ''Lettres'' * P. L. Jacob, ''Enigmes et découvertes bibliographiques'' (Paris, 1866) *
Quérard Quérard may refer to: * Estelle Quérard *Joseph-Marie Quérard Joseph Marie Quérard (25 December 1797 – 3 December 1865) was a French bibliographer. He was born at Rennes, where he was apprenticed to a bookseller. Sent abroad on business ...
, ''Superchéries littéraires'', under Créquy;


External links


François Caron and Thomas Delvaux's Crequy papers


{{DEFAULTSORT:Crequy family Marshals of France