Hugh I, Count of Blois

Hugh I of Châtillon (died April 9, 1248) was Count of Blois from 1230 to 1241, and Count of Saint Pol (Hugo V) from 1226 to 1248.

He was son of Gaucher III of Châtillon and Elisabeth (1180–1212), daughter of Hugo IV, Count of Saint-Pol.

In 1226, Hugh married Marie of Avesnes, daughter of Walter of Avesnes and Margaret of Blois. They had 5 children:

1. John (d. 1280), Count of Blois
2. Guy (d. 1289), Count of Saint Pol
3. Gaucher (d. 1261), lord of Crécy and Crèvecœur
4. Hugh (d. 1255)
5. Basile (d. 1280), became Abbess of Notre Dame du Val in 1248

Through his marriage Hugh became the first count of Blois from the house of Châtillon. It marked the end of the first dynasty of Blois that lasted over 400 years. After the death of Marie, Hugh married Mahaut, daughter of the Count of Guînes.

Hugh followed the pious king Louis IX when he started on the Seventh Crusade in 1248. Passing Avignon, there was a skirmish with some villagers in which Hugh was killed. Most of the 50 knights of his retinue returned home after the incident.

External links

• Counts of Blois