update 05/06/2025
We need to backtrack to Enguerran III to find a successor to Enguerran IV. Only Alix, married to Arnoul III of Guines, had descendants. These, Enguerran and Jean, will share the land of Coucy. The first will take the name of Enguerran V of Guines, will receive the lands of Coucy, Marle, La Fère, Oisy, Havrincourt, Montmirail, Condé-en-Brie, Châlons-Ie-Petit with the Manor of Chateau-Thierry and the Hotel de Coucy in Paris in 1311
Too busy by the succession of his uncle, he took no part in any political events of colonial slavery the kingdom. He was, however mended by the king in 1318 to march against the Flamands, who refused to pay taxes to Philippe VI. He died in 1321.
His son Guillaume resumed paternal inheritance, but should not pose any problem. Shortly before, his father had him marry Ysabeau of Châtillon Saint Pol, daughter of Count de Saint Pol, bouteiller of France. He died in 1335, without any major event has marked his life.
It is now the turn of Enguerran VI, his son, to have the title of Lord of Coucy. He took for wife Catherine, eldest daughter of the Leopold, Duke of Austria, and Catherine of Savoie, with the support of King Philip VI, which sought to be reconciled the Lords of the kingdom, against the threat English. Also, in 1339, Enguerran VI answer eagerly to the call of the king who lifted an army against the English who arrived in Calais.
He defended then the places of Oisy whose English captain Jean Chandos itself can not overcome, and Coucy, who did not wish to be under siege, Edward III, having made the retirement Capelle.
On October 20, 1339, while taking advantage of this truce, Philippe VI march on Flanders accompanied by Enguerran VI, to avenge the Count of Hainault. A truce was reached in 1340 without any of the two parties is victorious.
There are Enguerran VI in 1345 at the headquarters of Angoulême whose English had taken the previous year, and then in 1346, at the Battle of Crecy, where he was killed. He leaves behind a child of 7 years, placed in the regency of her mother until 1350. The latter took care to put in a state of defence instead of Coucy that his son will embellish thereafter.
This child is Enguerran VII. He was one of the greatest captains of his time in the same way as Du Guesclin. His prestige and fame attached also to the character of lord worldly and lavish that it was both.
He make war when he was barely 18 years to quell a revolt by farmers. Then, the Treaty of Brétigny, signed on May 8, 1360, having placed Jean le Bon released for ransom, he is part of the hostages who go to England to serve as guarantors until the ransom was paid. There, he knows appeal to the court of the king, so much so than Edouard III gives his daughter, Ysabeau, and name Earl of Bedford on May 11, 1365.
In 1367, Jean le Bon, died without being able to pay the ransom awaited hostages must negotiate their own freedom. Among them is Guy de Blois, with the agreement of the king and support of Enguerran, sells his county of Soissons to Edouard. The latter gives the soon to Enguerran in exchange for the dowry for his daughter.
Back in France, Enguerran VII attended the wedding of the Duke of Burgundy. On that occasion, he will sell to the married man, for 11,000 pounds of stones, jewels…
Then, the resumption of hostilities between France and England, Enguerran prefers to remain neutral, in view of its position towards the two sovereigns. He left for Italy and put at the service of Pope Urban V against Bernabo Visconti and defeated him in 1373. When the king of France heard the sound of his feats, he gives him the burden of Marshal of France, to tie him, but he refused, preferring to keep its neutrality. What it is, in the passage of British troops on his land, to have her possessions spared.
On these facts, a two-year truce was signed in 1375, which allows him to return to France. It rises, with the support of King, an expedition to conduct a portion of great companies - strong unwelcome in France - in Austria and claim their rights to inherit the Duchy him by his mother. The campaign ends Jan. 13, 1376 by the win of the cities of Buren and Nidau who will be the only fruit, Enguerran having been forced to make peace with the Duke of Austria, defeated by the harsh climate of winter in a country where we practiced the scorched earth policy against the enemy. To enshrine the memory of this expedition, it will base the order of the reversed crown.
As a result, the rulers and french English eager to convert the truce of 1375, when passed into permanent peace in Bruges send their deputies. Enguerran VII proved to be the man of the situation, he makes for the king of France. Unfortunately, the discussion comes up against the excessive demands of English and leads to the resumption of hostilities. But this time, Enguerran chooses his camp, in this case that of his country, and to mark his will, he referred his wife Ysabeau to England. The truce continued for some time thanks to a second interview, which also participated Enguerran.
Towards the end of 1377, Emperor Charles IV comes to visit her nephew, Charles V in the company of his son Wenceslas. Enguerran VII is part of the aftermath of gentlemen sent to meet him to welcome him and was responsible for the escort to the border after his visit to Paris that followed on January 4, 1378. On this occasion, he was even personally responsible for the dolphin.
Few days later, Enguerran share for the Guyenne where he won the seat of Saint Foy and Duras. Then, after taking part in the festivities given by the Duke of Anjou in Toulouse, in honour of the birth of his son, he went to Normandy to reduce all places who obeyed the king of Navarre, ally of England. Bayeux goes after a seat pushed, Carentan, Moulineaux and Conches are also occupied as a result of treaties, the castle of Pacy is raided, Evreux opens its doors, leaving the garrison with the honors of war and took refuge in Cherbourg, last place in the hands of the King of Navarre. Enguerran VII receives why the testimony of the friendship of the king came to Rouen.
The latter then the burden of going to deal with the Bretons revolted since Duke had their lands confiscated for daring to defy the king. The result of his mission was only a suspension of hostilities. To thank him for all his exploits, Charles V wants to offer him the title of Constable, vacant since the death in 1380 of Du Guesclin. In order to reconcile the Bretons to the king. Enguerran refuses for one of their own: Olivier de Clisson. To compensate, the king offered him to replace the government of Picardy.
He was at St Quentin when British troops arrived in Calais led by Buckingham. He is content to follow the royal orders and fortify seats, as well as English to remove any source of food: they then withdrew in Brittany.
After the death of Charles V, it is part of the regency council of the Duke of Anjou who offered him the chatellenie of Mortagne-sur-l'Escaut - up border that putting hands between -. He is found then in Britain where he obtained by the Treaty of April 6, 1381, the submission of Jean de Montfort, Duke of Brittany.
Ysabeau of England is dead, then he has remarried with Ysabeau, daughter of the Duke of Lorraine, who brought him into the domain of dowry Fleurines, the country of Liege, with a certain amount of money.
When the revolt of the Maillotins broke out, - name that we gave the Parisians who murdered recipients taxes with iron mallets - he is responsible for restoring calm in Paris, then in Péronne, also in rebellion.
He took part in the struggle of the king of France in Flanders subjects rebelled against the authorities count since 1382. He returned temporarily to restore caIme in Paris then returns and participates in the Mount of seats Cassel, Bergues and Bourbourg. Charles VI thank him by naming grand bouteiller of France in 1384.
Then he accompanied the Duke of Anjou - adopted by the Queen Joanna of Naples, then without heirs - in Italy to help him resume his legacy. He seizes Arezzo resells it to Florentines when he learned the death of the Duke of Anjou. On his return to France, Charles VI burden of the Guard and the defence of the frontiers of the kingdom in Auvergne, in Limousin and from Dordogne to the sea.
Then he followed the king in Flanders to take a few places including Dam sur Mer. Finally, he went once more in Britain to demand that the Duke relentlessly Olivier de Clisson unjustly detained.
It was during this period 1386-87 he began work at the castle of Coucy to embellish. It even built a Jeu de Paume in the lower court on the occasion of the visit of King on March 23, 1387.
It accompanies then in Reims where he is devoting November 4, 1388 and on that occasion retains its place in government. In 1389, he attended the reception for the Queen in Paris and tournaments that take place to close the festivities.
At the same time, the vassals of Enguerran VII being subject to the misery caused by war for a hundred years, the king sought granted to the inhabitants of Coucy two fairs a year, this in order to boost trade in a region impoverished and deserted.
The last years of life are marked by Enguerran its participation in the great events of the end of the fourteenth century. First, he follows the king, anxious to visit his kingdom. On February 7, 1390, the king was in Dijon to visit the Duke of Burgundy, then he goes to Avignon, where he was received by Pope Clement IV. Shortly thereafter, Enguerran VII is designated by the king as a lieutenant to accompany the Duke of Bourbon in his expedition against the Barbary, to the rescue of Genoa. It expires in 1391 by the seat of Carthage, and a peace purchased by the Bey. Then, following the attempted assassination of Olivier de Clisson by the Baron of Craon, Enguerran follows King in Brittany where the latter had come to seek refuge. Unfortunately, it was during this expedition that Charles VI became mad, we know how.
The Duke of Orleans took power and take the opportunity to disgrace Olivier de Clisson, without any intervention of Enguerran. The duke donated the land and the castle of Pont-Aubenon - some said to buy his silence -. Anyway, Enguerran is expected to Chambery in the Savoie region to mediate the negotiations on the Regency of Amédée VIII, but too young to succeed his father, he managed to bring the parties to agreement on a treaty signed on May 8, 1393. As a result, he won the 1395 and Italy in 1396, will rescue the Genoese, allies of France, a war against Visconti.
Finally, in 1396, King Sigismund of Hungary threatened by the emperor Bazajet of Turkey, called french and English lords to his rescue. The Duke of Burgundy, as well as many other lords available for a shipment. But it is his son Jean, Count of Nevers, which is responsible for command and his father asks Enguerran VII to be her guardian. The "crusaders" face the Turks at the headquarters of Nicopolis; they first killed 20,000 enemys, before being themselves crushed under the number in a second battle.
Four hundred only escaped, but Bazajet, sparing only the lords able to pay ransom, is killing all other survivors. Enguerran and the count of Nevers survived, and are placed in the prison of Burse in Bithynia. Gravely reached at the battle, Enguerran extinguished shortly after in 1398.