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LE CHATELAIN DE COUCY

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Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 308 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LE See also:

CHATELAIN DE See also:COUCY  , See also:French See also:trouvere of the 12th See also:century . He is probably the See also:Guy de Couci who was castellan of the See also:castle of that name from 1186 to 1203 . Some twenty-six songs are attributed to him, and about fifteen or sixteen are undoubtedly See also:authentic . They are modelled very closely on Provencal originals, but are saved from the See also:category of See also:mere imitations by a See also:grace and simplicity See also:peculiar to the author . The See also:legend of the love of the See also:Chatelain de See also:Coucy and the See also:Lady of Fayel, in which there figures a jealous See also:husband who makes his wife eat the See also:heart of her See also:lover, has no See also:historical basis, and See also:dates from a See also:late 13th century See also:romance by Jakemon Sakesep . It is See also:worth noting that the See also:story, which seems to be See also:Breton in origin, has been also told of a Provencal See also:troubadour, Guilhem de Cabestaing, and of the minnesinger Reinmar von Brennenberg . See also:Pierre de See also:Belloy, who wrote some See also:account of the See also:family of Couci, made the story the subject of his tragedy Gabrielle de Vergy . The songs of the Chatelain de Coucy were edited by Fritz Fath307 (See also:Heidelberg, 1883) . For the romance see Gaston See also:Paris, in the Hist. litt. de la See also:France (vol . 28, pp . 352-360) . An exquisite See also:song, " Chanterai See also:por mon courage," expressing a woman's regrets for her lover at the Crusade, is attributed in one MS., probably erroneously, to the Lady of Fayel (Hist. litt. See also:xxiii .

556) . An See also:

English metrical romance of " The See also:Knight. of See also:Curtesy," and the " See also:Fair Lady of Faguell," was printed by See also:William See also:Copland; and reprinted in See also:Ritson's Eng . Metrical Romances (ed . E . See also:Goldsmid, vol. iii., 1885) . COUCY-LE-See also:CHATEAU, a See also:village of See also:northern France, in the See also:department of See also:Aisne, 18 m . W.S.W. of See also:Laon on a See also:branch of the Northern railway . Pop . (1906) 663 . It has extensive remains of fortifications of the 13th century, the most remarkable feature of which is the See also:Porte de Laon, a gateway flanked by massive towers and surmounted by a See also:fine apartment . Coucy also has a See also:church of the 15th century, preserving a See also:facade in the Romanesque See also:style . The importance of the See also:place is due, however, to the magnificent ruins of a feudal fortress (see CASTLE) crowning the See also:eminence on the slope of which the village is built .

The remains, which embrace an See also:

area of more than ro,000 sq. yds., See also:form an irregular See also:quadrilateral built See also:round a See also:court-yard and flanked by four huge towers . The See also:nucleus of the stronghold is a See also:donjon over 200 ft. high and over too ft. in See also:diameter, See also:standing on the See also:south See also:side of the court . Three large vaulted apartments, one above the other, occupy its interior . The court-yard was surrounded on the ground-See also:floor by storehouses, kitchens, &c., above which on the See also:west and See also:north sides were the See also:great halls known as the Salle See also:des preux and the Salle des preuses . A See also:chapel projected from the west wing . The See also:bailey or See also:base-court containing other buildings and covering three times the area of the chateau extended between it and the village . The architectural unity of the fortress is due to the rapidity of its construction, which took place between 1230 and 1242, under Enguerrand III., See also:lord of Coucy . A large See also:part of the buildings was restored or enlarged at the end of the 14th century by See also:Louis d'See also:Orleans, See also:brother of See also:Charles VI., by whom it had been See also:purchased . The place was dismantled in 1652 by See also:order of See also:Cardinal See also:Mazarin . It is now See also:state See also:property . In 1856 researches were carried on upon the spot by See also:Viollet-le-Duc, and See also:measures for the preservation of the ruins were subsequently undertaken . Sires de Coucy.—Coucy gave its name to the sires de Coucy, a feudal See also:house famous in the See also:history of France .

The founder of the family was Enguerrand de Boves, a warlike lord, who, at the end of the 11th century seized the castle of Coucy by force . Towards the See also:

close of his See also:life, he had to fight against his own son, See also:Thomas de Marle, who in 1115 succeeded him, subsequently becoming notorious for his deeds of violence in the struggles between the communes of Laon and See also:Amiens . He was subdued by See also:King Louis VI. in 1117, but his son Enguerrand II. continued the struggle against the king . Enguerrand III., the Great, fought at See also:Bouvines under See also:Philip See also:Augustus (1214), but later he was accused of aiming at the See also:crown of France, and he took part in the disturbances which arose during the regency of See also:Blanche of See also:Castile . These See also:early lords of Coucy remained till the 14th century in See also:possession of the See also:land from which they took their name . Enguerrand IV., sire de Coucy, died in 1320 without issue and. was succeeded by his See also:nephew Enguerrand, son of See also:Arnold, See also:count of See also:Guines, and Alix de Coucy, from whom is descended the second See also:line of the house of Coucy . Enguerrand VI. had his lands ravaged by the English in 1339 and died at See also:Crecy in 1346 . Enguerrand VII., sire de Coucy, count of See also:Soissons and Marle, and See also:chief See also:butler of France, was sent as a See also:hostage to See also:England, where he married See also:Isabel, the eldest daughter of King See also:Edward III . Wishing to remain neutral in the struggle between England and France, he went to fight in See also:Italy . Having made claims upon the domains of the house of See also:Austria, from which he was descended through his See also:mother, he was defeated in See also:battle (1375-1376) . He was entrusted with various See also:diplomatic negotiations, and took part in the crusade of See also:Hungary against the See also:Sultan Bayezid, during which he was taken prisoner, and died shortly after the battle of See also:Nicopolis (1397) . His daughter See also:Marie sold the See also:fief of Coucy to Louis, See also:duke of Orleans, in 1400 .

The Chatelain de Coucy (see above) did not belong to the house of the lords of Coucy, but was castellan of the castle of that name .

End of Article: LE CHATELAIN DE COUCY
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