Enguerrand I, Count of Ponthieu

Template:Short description Enguerrand I, Count of Ponthieu, was recognized as count by 1026-7, having endorsed a royal charter. Protecting Vimeu, he inflicted losses on an invasion by Gilbert, Count of Brionne. Enguerrand was quite influential, being at Duke Robert of Normandy's court before the latter left on crusade. He was instrumental in his son, Hugh's marriage to Bertha of Aumale, which expanded the family's territory. Enguerrand died in 1045 and was succeeded by his son Hugh II of Ponthieu.

Life

Enguerrand was the son of Hugh I of Ponthieu and Gisela, daughter of Hugh Capet.Template:Sfn In 1026–7, Enguerrand, using the title of count, endorsed a charter in the presence of King Robert II.Template:Sfn He had holdings at Conteville, near Doullens, east of Abbeville, which might have been remnants of a Carolingian county.Template:Sfn He held authority in Vimeu, having repelled an attack by Gilbert, Count of Brionne, inflicting significant losses on the Brionne forces.Template:Sfn

By the 1030s, Enguerrand had become a key figure among his influential neighbors, whose backing Duke Robert of Normandy was keen to gain before embarking on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.Template:Sfn His presence at Duke Robert’s court just before Robert's departure indicates his significant influence.Template:Sfn By 1043, Enguerrand had invested time to groom and prepare his son, Hugh, as his successor.Template:Sfn It is likely that Enguerrand also orchestrated Hugh's marriage to Bertha, the daughter of Guerinfridus, the castellan of Aumale, located on the upper River Bresle between Normandy and the Beauvaisis, thereby expanding the family's territorial holdings further south.Template:Sfn

Enguerrand died around 1045Template:Sfn and buried at Saint-Riquier France.

Marriages and children

Enguerrand married Adelaide, widow of Baudouin de Boulogne, daughter of Arnulf, Count of Holland, they had:

• Hugh IITemplate:Sfn
• Guy, Bishop of AmiensTemplate:Sfn
• Fulk (later abbot of Forest l'Abbaye)Template:EfnTemplate:Sfn

Further reading

• The Carmen de Hastingae Proelio of Bishop Guy of Amiens, edited by Catherine Morton and Hope Muntz, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1972.

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