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Marie de Coucy



Family 1: Jean de Brienne Grand Butler of France,    b. 1225 in Jerusalem, Palestine    d. 1296 in Brienne Le Chateau, Aube, Champagne, France
Family 2: Alexander II King of Scotland,    b. 24 AUG 1198 in Haddington, Haddingtonshire, Scotland    d. 8 JUL 1249 in Kerrera, Argyll, Scotland
Sources:
  1. Title: Wikiwand: Marie de Coucy
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Marie_de_Coucy;
    Note: Marie de Coucy (c. 1218 – 1285) was a Queen consort of the Kingdom of Scotland by marriage to Alexander II of Scotland, King of Scots. She was a member of the royal council during the two last years of the minority of her son, Alexander III, in 1260-1262. Biography Marie was the daughter of Enguerrand III, Lord of Coucy and his third spouse Marie de Montmirel (fr) (1192 – 1267) and a great-great granddaughter of Louis VI of France. According to the chronicler Matthew Paris, she was beautiful and very wealthy. In 1238, Alexander II, King of Scots needed to have an heir after the death of his first childless spouse, Joan of England. King Henry III of England claimed sovereignty over Scotland, which was opposed by Alexander, who wished to make an alliance with France against England. Enguerrand III was a powerful French vassal and a known enemy of England, and the marriage between Marie and Alexander II was regarded as a French-Scottish alliance against England. On 15 May 1239 Marie married Alexander II of Scotland in Roxburgh. The marriage brought an alliance between the Scots and the Coucy lordship, and for the rest of the 13th century they exchanged soldiers and money. She brought a large train of French followers to Scotland. In her retinue was her chancellor Richard Vairement and her nephew Enguerrand de Guines, who came to have some influence in Scottish affairs. Her nephew married Christiane de Bailleul, a cousin of King John Balliol, and thus became a Scottish magnate. Two years after her marriage, she gave birth to the future King, Alexander III of Scotland. Alexander II died on 8 July 1249 during an expedition against the Lord of Argyll on the island of Kerrera. Immediately after the news reached her, Marie made sure her 8-year-old son was crowned as soon as possible at Scone. Although her son was a minor and was placed under regency, Marie did not become regent. On 9 June 1250 Marie and her son Alexander III were present in Dunfermline for the observance of the canonisation of Saint Margaret of Scotland and the transference of her remains to the new shrine. In autumn 1250 Marie returned to Picardy and, for the rest of her life, she divided her time between France and Scotland. In 1252 she attended the wedding in York of her son Alexander III and Margaret of England with a great entourage of French and Scottish nobles. In 1256 or 1257 she married Jean de Brienne (1227–1296), Grand Butler of France and King of Acre, in his second marriage. De Brienne was the son of John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem (1210–1225) and Emperor of Constantinople (1229–1237), and Berenguela of Leon. They had no children together. In 1260 the rivalries between the Scottish factions for influence during the minority of her son made the situation in Scotland critical, and Marie and her spouse were therefore named members of the royal council during the remaining years of the king's minority, until Alexander III was declared of legal majority in 1262. In 1268 Marie separated from her spouse and returned to Scotland. When her daughter-in-law Margaret of England died in February 1275, Marie arranged the new marriage between her son and Yolande, the stepdaughter of her spouse. In 1275–76, she made a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Marie de Coucy died in the summer of 1285 and was buried in a tomb she had constructed in Newbattle Abbey.
  2. Title: Wikiwand: Alexander II of Scotland
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Alexander_II_of_Scotland;
    Note: Alexander II (Mediaeval Gaelic: Alaxandair mac Uilliam; Modern Gaelic: Alasdair mac Uilleim; 24 August 1198 – 6 July 1249) was King of Scots from 1214 until his death in 1249. Early life He was born at Haddington, East Lothian, the only son of the Scottish king William the Lion and Ermengarde of Beaumont. He spent time in England (John of England knighted him at Clerkenwell Priory in 1213) before succeeding to the kingdom on the death of his father on 4 December 1214, being crowned at Scone on 6 December the same year. King of Scots In 1215, the year after his accession, the clans Meic Uilleim and MacHeths, inveterate enemies of the Scottish crown, broke into revolt; but loyalist forces speedily quelled the insurrection. In the same year Alexander joined the English barons in their struggle against John of England, and led an army into the Kingdom of England in support of their cause. This action led to the sacking of Berwick-upon-Tweed as John's forces ravaged the north. The Scottish forces reached the south coast of England at the port of Dover where in September 1216, Alexander paid homage to the pretender Prince Louis of France for his lands in England, chosen by the barons to replace King John. But John having died, the Pope and the English aristocracy changed their allegiance to his nine-year-old son, Henry, forcing the French and the Scots armies to return home. Peace between Henry III, Louis of France, and Alexander followed on 12 September 1217 with the treaty of Kingston. Diplomacy further strengthened the reconciliation by the marriage of Alexander to Henry's sister Joan of England on 18 June or 25 June 1221. The next year marked the subjection of the hitherto semi-independent district of Argyll (much smaller than the modern area by that name, it only comprised Craignish, Ardscotnish, Glassary, Glenary, and Cowal; Lorn was a separate province, while Kintyre and Knapdale were part of Suðreyar). Royal forces crushed a revolt in Galloway in 1235 without difficulty; nor did an invasion attempted soon afterwards by its exiled leaders meet with success. Soon afterwards a claim for homage from Henry of England drew forth from Alexander a counter-claim to the northern English counties. The two kingdoms, however, settled this dispute by a compromise in 1237. This was the Treaty of York which defined the boundary between the two kingdoms as running between the Solway Firth (in the west) and the mouth of the River Tweed (in the east). Joan died in March 1238 in Essex. Alexander married his second wife, Marie de Coucy, the following year on 15 May 1239. Together they had one son, the future Alexander III, born in 1241. A threat of invasion by Henry in 1243 for a time interrupted the friendly relations between the two countries; but the prompt action of Alexander in anticipating his attack, and the disinclination of the English barons for war, compelled him to make peace next year at Newcastle. Alexander now turned his attention to securing the Western Isles, which were still part of the Norwegian domain of Suðreyjar. He repeatedly attempted negotiations and purchase, but without success. Alexander set out to conquer these islands but died on the way in 1249. This dispute over the Western Isles, also known as the Hebrides, was not resolved until 1266 when Magnus VI of Norway ceded them to Scotland along with the Isle of Man. The English chronicler Matthew Paris in his Chronica Majora described Alexander as red-haired: "[King John] taunted King Alexander, and because he was red-headed, sent word to him, saying, 'so shall we hunt the red fox-cub from his lairs." Death Coat of arms of Alexander II as it appears on folio 146v of Royal MS 14 C VII (Historia Anglorum). The inverted shield represents the king's death in 1249. The blazon for the arms was Or, a lion rampant and an orle fleury gules. Alexander attempted to persuade Ewen, the son of Duncan, Lord of Argyll, to sever his allegiance to Haakon IV of Norway. When Ewen rejected these attempts, Alexander sailed forth to compel him, but on the way he suffered a fever at the Isle of Kerrera in the Inner Hebrides. He died there in 1249 and was buried at Melrose Abbey Wives 1. Joan of England, (22 July 1210 – 4 March 1238), was the eldest legitimate daughter and third child of John of England and Isabella of Angoulême. She and Alexander II married on 21 June 1221, at York Minster. Alexander was 23. Joan was 11. They had no children. Joan was Alexander's 3rd cousin, their closest common ancestor being Henry I of England. Joan died in Essex in 1238, and was buried at Tarant Crawford Abbey in Dorset. 2. Marie de Coucy, who became mother of Alexander III of Scotland. She was Alexander's 3rd cousin once removed by their common ancestor Hugh I, Count of Vermandois. Fictional portrayals Alexander II has been depicted in historical novels: Sword of State (1999) by Nigel Tranter. The novel depicts the friendship between Alexander II and Patrick II, Earl of Dunbar. "Their friendship withstands treachery, danger and rivalry." Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine.
  3. Title: Find a Grave: Marie de Coucy
    Publication: Name: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9306335/marie-de_coucy;
    Note: Marie de Coucy BIRTH 1220 DEATH 1251 (aged 30–31) BURIAL Newbattle Abbey (Defunct) Newbattle, Midlothian, Scotland MEMORIAL ID 9306335 Scottish monarch, queen consort of Alexander II The Peaceful. The dates of her birth and death are uncertain. She was the daughter of Enguerrand III, Baron de Coucy and Marie de Montmirel-en-Brie. She became Alexander's second queen on May 15, 1239 at Roxburgh Castle, and gave birth to the king's only son and heir, Alexander, on September 4, 1241. After the king's death in 1249, some sources say she married a second time to a French nobleman, Jean de Brienne. She died at the age of approximately 31. Bio by: Kristen Conrad Family Members Parents Enguerrand de Coucy unknown–1243 Marie De Montmirail 1192–1273 Spouse Photo Alexander II, King of Scots 1198–1249 Half Siblings Jean de Coucy Photo Enguerrand IV de Coucy 1236–1312 Children Photo Alexander III, King of Scots 1241–1286
  4. Title: Wikiwand: Newbattle Abbey
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Newbattle_Abbey;
    Note: Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution. Monastery It was founded in 1140 by monks from Melrose Abbey. The patron was King David I of Scotland (with his son Henry). Its church was dedicated in 1234. The abbey was burned by English royal forces in 1385 and once more in 1544. It became a secular lordship for the last commendator, Mark Kerr (Ker) in 1587. Newbattle Abbey was a filiation of Melrose Abbey (itself a daughter of Rievaulx Abbey) and was situated, according to Cistercian usages, in a beautiful valley along the River South Esk. Rudolph, its first abbot, a strict and severe observer of the rule, devoted himself energetically to the erection of proper buildings. The church, cruciform in shape, was 240 feet in length, and the other buildings in proportion; at one period the community numbered as many as 80 monks and 70 lay-brothers. The abbey soon became prosperous and famous for the regularity of its members, several of whom became well-known bishops. It was especially dear to the kings of Scotland, scarcely one of whom failed to visit it from time-to-time, and they were always its generous benefactors. One of the principal sources of income was the coal mines in its possession, for these monks were among the first, if not the first, coal miners in Scotland. The earliest mention of coal in Scotland is to be found in a charter of an Earl of Winchester, granting to them a coal mine. In 1526 King James V granted them a petition to build a harbour at Morrison's Haven, and it is from this date that Aitchison's Haven Lodge was established as a stonemason's lodge. In 1531, the Abbot of Newbattle agreed with the Abbot of Dunfermline to work his coalmine at Prestongrange so that it would drain water from the neighbouring mines (which belonged to Dunfermline Abbey) to the sea. Newbattle suffered much from English incursions at various times, particularly in 1385 when the monastery and church were burned, and the religious either carried away or forced to flee to other monasteries; it required 40 years to repair these losses. A part of the monastery was again destroyed by the Earl of Hertford, but the destruction seems to have been chiefly confined to the church. At the time of the Reformation but few of the monks remained, and these were pensioned by the commendator, Mark Kerr. Kerr made a timely conversion to Protestantism and was able to retain the lands around the abbey. His son, also Mark, became Lord Newbattle in 1596 and Earl of Lothian in 1606. The monastery site, including burial grounds, traces of the chapel and cloisters and some associated buildings, is now a designated scheduled monument. Stately Home Part of the abbey was converted into a house which survives at the core of the current building. The house incorporates part of the south end of the monastic range, with the dorter undercroft intact. The house was modified and rebuilt successively by John Mylne in 1650, William Burn in 1836 and David Bryce in 1858. The drawing room represents one of Scotland's greatest rooms, decorated by Thomas Bonnar around 1870. The 19th century chapel was created in a vaulted undercroft that may date from the original abbey buildings. The chapel includes a 16th-century font and a fine parquet floor, made using wood from the estate, in the style of original tile-work. The library is oak-lined and features a 17th-century moulded ceiling. The garden to the rear of the house includes a pair of large octagonal 17th century sundials. The main abbey remains lie buried to the west and north of the original house. King George IV visited during his Scottish tour of 1822 and the King's Gate was built in his honour. College Newbattle Abbey remained the home of the Marquesses of Lothian until being given to the nation in 1937 by Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian, to be used as a College of Education. The College was established under trustees from the four ancient Scottish Universities specifically for adults returning to education. New residential building was added in the 1960s and funding came through the Scottish Education Department. In 1987 the Secretary of State for Scotland announced the intention to withdraw funding, threatening the college with closure. However, new forms of financial support have enabled the college to survive. Burials at the Abbey Marie de Coucy
  5. Title: Les sires de Coucy / par Carle Ledhuy Ledhuy, Carle (1808-1862). Anno Domine MCCVII
    Author: citation extraits pages 181 à 184 LEGENDE DES SIX. 181 la fit imprimer à Paris, in-4°, chez Jean Barbote, en 1627. Mais les exemplaires en étant devenus fort rares ,011 dut la faire réimprimer plus tard. Le même éditeur joignit en même temps à cette pièce un commentaire où il débite que Guy, châtelain de Coucy, qui se croisa en 1198, était père d'Enguerrand III. Mais il est inutile d'avertir que ce n'est pas à lui qu'il faut s'en rapporter pour s'instruire de la généalogie des seigneurs de Coucy. La charte en question est en latin, et renferme cinquante articles dont l'insertion dans ce volume nous prendrait trop d'espace. Elle est datée : Anno Domine MCCVII. Plus loin, c'est-à-dire dans une note, Duplessis donne les noms de trente-huit villes et villages qui dépendaient de la coutume de Coucy. Cette table a été dressée selon le Coutumier général de Vermandois, édition de 1728, t. II, p. 875.
    Note: citation suite "Marie de Montmirel, dernière femme d'Enguerrand le Grand, ainsi qu'on l'a toujours désigné, vivait encore en 1271. Elle fut enterrée à Longpont, auprès du bienheureux Jean de Montmirel son père. Elle avait donné au sire de Coucy cinq enfants : Raoul et Enguerrand , qui, l'un après l'autre, furent sires de Coucy; Honorât, vaillant chevalier de la cour de saint Louis; Marie, reine d'Ecosse, qui épousa en secondes noces Jean de Brienne, dit d'Acre, grand bouteillier de France, fils de Jean de Brienne, roi de Jérusalem.. Enfin, Alix, la cadette, était mariée au comte de Guîne, Arnoul III, et ses enfants unirent plus tard à la succession de Guines celle Coucy; Voici quels furent:, après Enguerrand III, les sires de Coucy, et les faits principaux qui les ont fait connaître. Raoul II, fils aîné d'Enguerrand, se croisa avec saint Louis en 1248, et mourut à la bataille de Massoure (125o), à côté du jeune comte d'Artois, pour le salut duquel il fit, dit l'histoire, des choses plus qu'humaines. Il avait épousé une fille de Jean de Nesle, comte de Ponthieu, et n'en avait eu qu'un fils mort en bas âge. Enguerrand, frère de Raoul II , fit embaumer son corps, qui fut inhumé, plus tard, dans l'église de Saint-Martin de Laon. Raoul fit beaucoup de fondations pieuses. Enguerrand IV, second fils d'Enguerrand le Grand, succéda à son frère Raoul. Ce sire de Coucy joignait à de brillants talents militaires un orgueil excessif qui l'entraîna dans un acte de cruauté inexcusable. Trois jeunes gentilshommes des meilleures familles de Flandre étaient élevés à l'abbaye de Saint-Nicolas-aux-Bois, enclavée dans les terres du sire de Coucy ; ils s'égarèrent un jour à la chasse, et vinrent tirer une pièce de gibier dans un bois expressément réservé à Enguerrand. Irrité de cette infraction à ses volontés, le sire de Coucy fit pendre sans autre forme de procès- lès malheureux gentilshommes. L'affaire, comme on le pense, fit grand bruit. Enguerrand fut mandé au Louvre par saint Louis, qui assembla pour le juger les pairs et hauts barons de France. Enguerrand comparut; mais ayant demandé à prendre conseil de ses parents, les pairs, qui lui étaient tous alliés, se levèrent et vinrent l'entourer en déclarant qu'ils se récusaient. Le roi, resté presque seul, et qui était aussi son parent, céda aux sollicitations de tant de nobles personnages ; il condamna seulement Enguerrand à dix mille livres d'amende et à un bannissement de trois années. Les dix milles livres servirent à bâtir l'hôpital de Pontoise et le dortoir du couvent des Jacobins à Paris. Enguerrand employa les trois annés de son exil à combattre les infidèles. Il rentra ensuite en grâce, et prit part à toutes les grandes affaires du temps. Il paraît avoir été un guerrier consommé. Philippe le Hardi créa pour lui la charge de premier amiral de France. Marié d'abord à Marguerite, fille du duc de Gueldres, il vécut trente ans avec elle sans devenir père; il épousa ensuite Jeanne de Bourbon, fille de Robert, comte de Flandre, et d'Yolande de Bourgogne , comtesse de Nevers, laquelle ne lui donna qu'un fils qui vécut à peine. Sa succession passa donc, en ligne collatérale, aux enfants d'Alix, sa sœur, comtesse de Guînes, qui laissèrent ce nom pour prendre celui de Coucy. Enguerrand IV mourut fort âgé en 1298, et sa seconde femme vivait encore en 1320. Enguerrand V, de la maison de Guines, vécut et mourut en Ecosse à la cour du roi de ce pays, qui était son bel-oncle. Son corps fut rapporté en France et inhumé à Prémontré. Guillaume Ier, son fils, lui succéda, et mourut ainsi que sa femme Isabelle de Saint-Pol, en janvier 1333. Tous deux furent également enterrés à Prémontré. Enguerrand VI, fils de Guillaume Ier et son héritier, eut une carrière toute militaire. Il se distingua, sous Philippe de Valois, dans les guerres contre les Anglais, et mourut, criblé de blessures, à la funeste bataille de Crécy, à côté du roi de Bohême, du comte de Blois, et parmi la fleur des guerriers de France. Ce sire de Coucy avait épousé Marguerite, fille du duc d'Autriche, Strennus. Cette princesse lui donna neuf enfants , dont l'aîné, Enguerrand VII, devait clore glorieusement la liste de ces vaillants barons. Enguerrand VII figure dans le récit qui va suivre. "fin de citation"
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  6. Title: History of Royal Women: Marie de Coucy – The French Queen of Scots
    Publication: Name: https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-royal-women/marie-de-coucy-french-queen-scots/;
    Note: Marie de Coucy was born around 1218 as the second daughter of Enguerrand, 3rd Baron de Coucy and Marie de Montmirel. She was wealthy and as a great-great-granddaughter of King Louis VI of France had considerable status. She became the second wife of King Alexander II of Scotland in 1239. His first wife had been Joan of England, who had died at the age of 27 the year before. Alexander was 41, while Marie was 20. They married on Whit Sunday 1239 at Roxburgh. On 4 September 1241 she gave birth to the future Alexander III and she also possibly had a short-lived daughter named Ermengarde. Her young son was soon part of marriage negotiations with England, and by 1244 he was betrothed to King Henry III’s daughter Margaret. Just four year later, Alexander fell ill, and he even obtained a dispensation from the pope allowing him not to eat fish during Lent, as it made him unwell. However, his health did not improve, and he died on 8 July 1249. Marie made sure to take her son immediately to Scone to have him crowned. Marie went to France the following year, and she would spend the rest of her life dividing her time between Scotland and France. She attended her son’s wedding to Margaret in 1252 where she, “proceeded exceedingly loftily, with a magnificent and numerous retinue,” and was accompanied, “by many nobles…not of Scotland only but also of France.” During one of her visits to France, she married Jean de Brienne, who bore the title “King of Acre,” which was an empty title. Henry III was apparently not amused by this marriage because he feared an increased French influence in Scotland. Marie and Jean needed safe conduct from Henry, and he insisted they must swear not to harm him or his kingdom as soon as they arrived in Dover. Marie and Jean may have had a daughter named Blanche. Marie died in the summer of 1285, and she was buried at Newbattle where a tomb had already been prepared for her.
  7. Title: Geni: Marie de Coucy
    Author: References Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700, by Frederick Lewis Weis, Line 120-30 Brown, Michael, The Wars of Scotland, 1214-1371, (Edinburgh, 2004)
    Publication: Name: https://www.geni.com/people/Marie-de-Coucy/6000000000424836704;
    Note: Marie de Coucy, Queen Consort of Scotland MP Gender: Female Birth: 1218 Boves, Somme, France Death: 1285 (67) Newbottle, Durham, England Place of Burial: Newbottle, Durham, England Immediate Family: Daughter of Enguerrand III, seigneur de Coucy and Marie de Montmirail Wife of Jean de Brienne, the Grand Butler of France and Alexander II, King of Scots Mother of Alexander III, King of the Scots Sister of Jean de Coucy; Agnes de Coucy; Alix de Coucy and Jeanne de Coucy Half sister of Raoul II de Coucy and Enguerrand de Coucy Added by: Bjørn P. Brox on May 9, 2007 Managed by: Margaret (C) and 45 others Curated by: Pam Wilson, Curator-on-hiatus Aka Mary of Coucy. Dtr. of Enguerand de Courcy III (Baron) Immediate Family Showing 12 of 20 people Alexander II, King of Scots husband Alexander III, King of the Scots son Jean de Brienne, the Grand Butle... husband Marie de Montmirail mother Enguerrand III, seigneur de Coucy father Jean de Coucy brother Agnes de Coucy sister Alix de Coucy sister Jeanne de Coucy sister Blanche de Brienne stepdaughter Isabel Conde stepdaughter Marjory of Scotland stepdaughter
  8. Title: Catholic Encyclopedia: Newbattle
    Author: Sources MANRIQUE, Annales Cistercienses (Lyons, 1642); DODSWORTH AND DUGDALE, Monasticon Anglicanum (1661); REGIS, S. M. de Neubotle; New Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. I; BARRETT, The Scottish Cistercians (Edinburgh). About this page APA citation. Obrecht, E. (1911). Newbattle. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved September 16, 2018 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10781a.htm MLA citation. Obrecht, Edmond. "Newbattle." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 16 Sept. 2018 . Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Joseph McIntyre. Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org.
    Publication: Name: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10781a.htm;
    Note: (Neubotle, i.e. new dwelling). Newbattle, in the ancient Diocese of St. Andrews, about seven miles from Edinburgh, was founded about 1140, being the second of the six Cistercian Monasteries established by St. David, King of Scotland. Newbattle Abbey was a filiation of Melrose (itself a daughter of Clairvaux) and was situated, according to Cistercian usages, in a beautiful valley along the South Esk. Rudolph, its first abbot, a strict and severe observer of the rule, devoted himself energetically to the erection of proper buildings. The church, cruciform in shape, was two hundred and forty feet in length, and the other buildings in proportion; for the community numbered at one period as many as eighty monks and seventy lay-brothers. The abbey soon became prosperous, and famous for the regularity of its members, several of whom became well-known bishops. It was especially dear to the kings of Scotland, scarcely one of whom failed to visit it from time to time, and they were always its generous benefactors. One of the principal sources of income was the coal mines in its possession, for these monks were among the first, if not the first, coal miners in Scotland. The earliest mention of coal in Scotland is to be found in a charter of an Earl of Winchester, granting to them a coal mine. Newbattle suffered much from English incursions at various times, particularly in 1385, when the monastery and church were burned, and the religious either carried away, or forced to flee to other monasteries; it required forty years to repair these losses. A part of the monastery was again destroyed by the Earl of Hertford, but the destruction seems to have been chiefly confined to the church. At the time of the Protestant Reformation but few of the monks remained, and these were pensioned by the commendator, Mark Kerr, ancestor of the Lothian family, its present owners. The stones of the church were used to convert the monastic buildings into a secular house.
  9. Title: The Freelance History Writer: Marie de Coucy, Queen of Scots
    Author: Further reading: “Scottish Queens 1034-1714” by Rosalind K. Marshall, “British Kings and Queens” by Mike Ashley, entry on Marie de Coucy in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography by Keith Stringer
    Publication: Name: https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2014/07/04/marie-de-coucy-queen-of-scots/;
    Note: Alexander II, King of Scots' first wife was Joan, the daughter of King John of England. The marriage took place on June 19, 1221, when Joan was ten years old and Alexander was twenty-three. They were married for sixteen years but had no children. Joan died while on pilgrimage to Canterbury in March of 1238 leaving Alexander free to marry again. He was in desperate need of an heir. King Henry III of England claimed sovereign authority over Scotland but Alexander had never accepted this. There were several diplomatic exchanges between the two kings to discuss money, territories or proposed marriages. Henry was not anxious for France to have greater influence in Scottish affairs. Much to the dismay and irritation of his former brother-in-law, Alexander married Marie de Coucy. Born c. 1219, she was the elder daughter of Enguerrand III de Coucy, also known as the Great and his third wife Marie de Montmirel. Enguerrand was a known enemy of King Henry III and Alexander may have met him during the Franco-Scottish invasions on England in the years 1216-17. Marie was the great-great granddaughter of King Louis VI of France. She was wealthy, of significant status, and, according to the chronicler Matthew Paris, very beautiful. She was brought from France to Scotland with an extensive retinue and the marriage took place at Roxburgh on May 15, 1239. Alexander was forty-one and Marie about twenty. She most likely had to learn a new language when she came to Scotland. Some of the men in Marie’s retinue may have had some influence on Scottish affairs such as her chancellor Richard Vairement and her nephew Enguerrand de Guines. Enguerrand became a Scottish magnate by marrying Christiane de Bailleul, called Lindesay, a cousin of King John Balliol. Two years after her marriage, on September 4, 1241, Marie gave birth to a son named Alexander. It is believed she had a short-lived daughter named Ermengarde after Marie’s mother-in-law. In 1244, Alexander met to negotiate with King Henry III at Newcastle and they may have agreed at this meeting that their young son would marry Margaret. Four years later, Alexander fell very ill. While on an expedition against the Lord of Argyll on the island of Kerrera, he died on July 8, 1249. Marie and her son may have been in one of the royal residences at the time the news of his death was relayed. Marie immediately took Alexander to Scone and had him crowned as Alexander III. The following year, mother and son were in Dunfermline on June 19 for the observance of the canonization of the 11th C. Scottish queen, Saint Margaret and the translation of her remains to the new shrine. Marie made a trip to France that fall and for the rest of her life she divided her time between France and Scotland. She inherited property from her father and Alexander had been very generous in providing for her upon his death. Consequently she was a very wealthy woman. She attended the wedding of her son and Margaret of England in York in 1252 with a large and magnificent retinue including nobles from Scotland and France. Marie was obviously a very eligible bride. While she was in France in 1256-1257, she married Jean de Brienne, a widower with the meaningless title of King of Acre. His father had been a famous crusader. Jean grew up at the French court with King Louis IX and his brothers and he had acquired the title of Grand Butler of France. Marie appears to have been respected because of her wealth, her French connections and because she had given birth to an heir. In 1260, when the situation in Scotland became insecure and unpredictable with several noblemen competing for domination during the minority of the young king, Marie and her new husband were named members of the ruling council. Marie also received a re-grant of her jointure lands in Scotland and her revenues were secured. The next year, Alexander met his majority and began ruling on his own. There are some sources that mention she had a daughter with Jean de Brienne name Blanche. She separated from Jean in 1268 and returned to Scotland. Alexander obtained an agreement allowing Marie to stay in Scotland as long as she pleased. When Margaret of England died in February of 1275, Marie found her son a new wife. She was Yolande, Countess of Montfort, a member of a prominent French family and a descendant of King Louis VI. She was also the stepdaughter of Marie’s second husband Jean. In the autumn of 1276 Marie traveled to Coucy through Canterbury and she visited the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. Marie died in the summer of 1285. Her remains were not returned to France but she was buried at Newbattle in an already constructed tomb which she may have commissioned ahead of time. Newbattle Abbey is now destroyed and the grave is lost.
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Created by GIMMWebService Version 1.0.3 (Program Information), Copyright 2023 © Michael Groat
(Web design layout and pedigree indentation subroutine) Copyright 1996 © Randy Winch (gumby@edge.net) and Tim Doyle (tdoyle@doit.com)
(Internal GEDCOM data structures and GEDCOM file parsing) Copyright 2014-2021 © Giulio Genovese (giulio.genovese@gmail.com)

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