Peter II of Alençon (French: Pierre d'Alençon) was born in 1340 to
Charles II, Count of Alençon and Perche and his wife,
Maria de la Cerda, Countess of Alençon. Upon his father's death in 1346, Peter's elder brother,
Charles, inherited the title of "Count of Alençon".
In 1372, Peter bought the town,
château, and surrounding lands of
Argentan, one of the most important towns in
Normandy, for 6,000 livres in gold. Peter later moved his court to Argentan, as it was a fortified hilltop town about 15 miles (24 km) north of
Alençon.[6][7]
On 10 October 1371, at the age of 31, Peter married Marie Chamaillard, Viscountess of
Beaumont-au-Maine (c. 1350–18 November 1425), the daughter of William (Guillaume) II Chamaillard, seigneur (
viscount) d'Anthenaise (c. 1320–1391) and Lady Marie de Beaumont-Brienne. The Chamaillard family was a powerful noble family, originally from
Anjou. Marie Chamaillard was heiress to the seigneury of
Pouancé, including
Pouancé Castle, and four other fiefs, adding them to the fiefs already owned by her husband.[6]
The couple had eight children, though their birth order is disputed:[Note 2]
Peter (Pierre) (1374–1375), born at the Château d'Argentan in
Argentan. Per Cagny's Chronique d'Alençon, the infant Pierre "was poorly governed by the women who looked after him and by his nurse", and died as a result. He was buried at
Perseigne Abbey.
John I (Jean I) (1375–1376), born at the Château d'Argentan in
Argentan. He was buried at
Perseigne Abbey.
Jeanne of Alençon (c. 1372 or 1377–6 August 1403), born at the Château d'Essay in
Essay, Orne, and died at the Château d'Argentan in
Argentan.[9] No issue.
He also had one illegitimate son with Jeanne de Maugastel, Dame de Blandé, the wife of Pierre Cointerel, Count of
Aunou-le-Faucon and Viscount of
Perche under Peter:[10]
Peter, "Bastard of Alençon" (French: Le Bâtard d'Alençon) (c. 1375–d. aft. January 1422), Lord of
Aunou-le-Faucon[6][Note 3]
^Jager lists the year of Robert's inheritance as 1367, but Siguret lists it as 1361.
^Some sources list this birth order, while other sources, such as Moranville and Père Anselme, list a different birth order.
^
abThe title "seigneur" (Lord) of
Aunou-le-Faucon appears to be disputed. The testament of Pierre II, Comte d'Alençon, dated 29 Aug 1404, bequeathed Aunou-le-Faucon to his daughter,
Catherine of Alençon. However, Père Anselme also lists Pierre Cointerel as "Count of Aunou-le-Faucon and Viscount of Perche", with Cointerel's adopted son - Peter (Pierre), the "Bastard of Alençon" (French: Le Bâtard d'Alençon) (c. 1375–d. aft. January 1422), the illegitimate son of Count Pierre by Cointerel's wife, Jeanne de Maugastel - succeeding both Cointerel and his biological father as "seigneur (Lord) of Aunou-le-Faucon". Other documents also list
John I of Alençon (Jean I), the only surviving legitimate son of Count Pierre, also contesting his father's bequeathment of certain lands to his sister, Catherine, possibly including Aunou-le-Faucon.
Sources
Anselme de Sainte-Marie, Augustin (1733). Histoire Généalogique Et Chronologique De La Maison Royale De France, Des Pairs, Grands Officiers De La Couronne & De La Maison Du Roy: & Des Anciens...De Leurs Familles (in French).
Autrand, Francoise (1994). Charles V: Le Sage (in French). Fayard.
Cosneau, Eugène (1889). Les grands traités de la guerre de cent ans (in French). Alphonse Picard.
Dompnier, Bernard (2006). "Un point d'histoire lyonnaise dans un Consulto de Sarpi". In Marie Viallon-Schoneveld (ed.). Autour du Concile de Trente: actes de la table ronde de Lyon, 28 février 2003 (in French). Université de Saint-Etienne.
ISBN2862723940.
Hirschbiegel, Jan (2014). Étrennes: Untersuchungen zum höfischen Geschenkverkehr im spätmittelalterlichen Frankreich zur Zeit König Karls VI. (1380–1422) (in German). De Gruyter.
Jager, Eric (2005). The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat. Crown.
ISBN978-0767914178.
Potter, David (1995). Keen, Maurice (ed.). A History of France, 1460–1560: The Emergence of a Nation State. Macmillan.
Siguret, Philippe (2000). Histoire du Perche (in French). Fédération des amis du Perche.
ISBN2900122279.