William II, Count of Nevers
Encyclopedia
Nevers
Nevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...
(born prior to 1089, reigned 1098-21 August 1148), was a crusader in the Crusade of 1101
Crusade of 1101
The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. It is also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted due to the number of participants who joined this crusade after having turned back from the First...
.
Family
He was a son of Renauld II, Count of NeversRenauld II, Count of Nevers
Renauld II, Count of Nevers and Auxerre was the son of William I of Nevers, Count of Nevers and Ermengarde. He married Ida, daughter of Artald V, Count of Forez. They had a child, Ermengarde of Nevers, who married Miles, Sire of Courtenay, son of Jocelin de Courtenay and Isabel, daughter of Guy...
and his second wife Agnes of Baugency. .
He had an older half-sister, Ermengarde of Nevers
Ermengarde of Nevers
Ermengarde de Nevers was the daughter of Renaud II, Count of Nevers and Auxerre, and of Ida de Forez.She married Miles de Courtenay , son of Jocelin de Courtenay and Isabel, daughter of Guy I of Montlhéry....
, who married into the House of Courtenay
House of Courtenay
The House of Courtenay was an important dynasty in medieval France originating from the castle of Courtenay in the Gâtinais , going back to the 10th century. The dynasty descended from Athon, the first lord of Courtenay, apparently himself a descendant of the Counts of Sens and from Pharamond,...
. She was a daughter of Renauld II and his first wife Ida of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and Forez
Forez
Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire département and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme départements....
.He had at least two younger brothers. The better known of them was Robert of Nevers, Viscount of Ligny-le-Château who joined his brother on the Crusade of 1101. The other was Hugh of Nevers, only mentioned in a charted dating to 1144. .
His paternal grandparents were William I, Count of Nevers
William I, Count of Nevers
William I, Count of Nevers was born c. 1030, son of Renauld I, Count of Nevers and Adela of France. He married Ermengarde, daughter of Renauld, Count of Tonnerre in 1045. William died at Nevers, after 1083.William I and Ermengarde had six children:...
and Ermengarde of Tonnerre. His maternal grandfather was Lancelin II, Lord of Baugency. .
Count
The Origine et Historia Brevi Nivernensium Comitum mentions that Renaud II served as co-ruler to his father but predeceased him on 5 August 1089. His death left William I as the only Count of Nevers and William II as his heir apparent. On 20 June 1098, his grandfather died and William II succeeded to the County of Nevers. (William II should not be confused with his paternal uncle William of Nevers, Count of Tonnere). .He took part in the Crusade of 1101
Crusade of 1101
The Crusade of 1101 was a minor crusade of three separate movements, organized in 1100 and 1101 in the successful aftermath of the First Crusade. It is also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted due to the number of participants who joined this crusade after having turned back from the First...
. He set out in February of 1101 with 15,000 men, but his army failed to take the heavily garrisoned Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
and was decimated by the disastrous Battle of Heraclea Cybistra
Heraclea Cybistra
Heraclea Cybistra , under the name Cybistra, had some importance in Hellenistic times owing to its position near the point where the road to the Cilician Gates enters the hills. It lay in the way of armies and was more than once sacked by the Arab invaders of Asia Minor...
. He arrived in Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
with only a handful of knights.
He persuaded Louis VI
Louis VI of France
Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
to break peace with Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
and throw his support behind William Clito
William Clito
William Clito was the son of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, by his marriage with Sibylla of Conversano...
in 1115. He was imprisoned shortly afterwards by Theobald
Theobald II of Champagne
Theobald the Great was Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV from 1102 and was Count of Champagne and of Brie as Theobald II from 1125....
, count of Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
.
He participated in the Council of Troyes
Council of Troyes
There have been a number of councils held at Troyes:* 867 - proclaimed that no bishop could be disposed without reference to the Holy See* 1129 - convened by Pope Honorius II:...
which opened on 14 January 1129 and is known for his support of the Second Crusade
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...
.
He is believed to have been buried in Chartreuse
Grande Chartreuse
Grande Chartreuse is the head monastery of the Carthusian order. It is located in the Chartreuse Mountains, north of the city of Grenoble, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse , France. Originally, the château belonged to the See of Grenoble...
, where Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
attempted and failed to resurrect him.
Marriage and children
William II married Adelais. Her family name and ancestry are unknown. They had at least four children. :- William III, Count of NeversWilliam III, Count of NeversWilliam III, Count of Nevers was Count of Nevers, Auxerre and Tonnerre . He was born in Auxerre.- Family :He was a son of William II of Nevers and his wife Adelaide. The ancestry of his mother is unknown....
(c. 1107 - 21 November 1161). - Renaud of Nevers, Count of Torrene (d. 1148). Died while participating in the Second CrusadeSecond CrusadeThe Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...
. - Robert of Nevers. Only mentioned in a charter dating to 1134.
- Anne of Nevers. Married William VIII, Count of Auvergne.