BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF JOINVILLE

The family of Joinville was, in the thirteenth century, one of the most distinguished in Champagne. About the middle of the preceding century, Etienne, surnamed Devaux, an ancestor of the author of these memoirs, became very powerful. He espoused the countess de Joigny, who brought him the fief so named, together with several other manors, as a marriage portion and he was the first who built the castle of Joinville.

The uncle and father of Joinville covered themselves with glory; the first, during the reign of Philip Augustus, when in attendance upon the count of Flanders, at the conquest of Constantinople: the second, during the minority of St. Louis, in defending the town of Toyes against the joint efforts of almost all the lords of France.

John lord of Joinville, author of the following memoirs, was eldest son to Simon lord of Joinville, by Beatrice of Burgundy, his second wife. Biographers differ as to the date of his birth. Du Cange places it in 1220; De la Ravaliere in 1224 and De la Bastie as late as 1228. The authors of the "Biographie Universelle" decide in favor of the middle period. He was betrothed during the life of his parents to Alicia, daughter of Henry count de Grand Pre, by Marie de Garlande. The articles of marriage were agreed to in the month of June, 1231, in the presence of Thibaud count of Champagne, the principal conditions of which were, that the countess and her son Henry should give, in consideration of this alliance, three hundred lives yearly, in land, and that in return Alicia should renounce all claim to the succession of her father and mother.

It was likewise stipulated that Simon lord of Joinville, father to John, should so manage that Geoffrey de Joinville, his son, should approve of and ratify the sentence of separation which the archbishop of Rheims had pronounced between him and the countess of Grand Pre from which we may conjecture, that this marriage was concluded to appease the quarrel which this divorce bad caused between the two families.

The articles were only signed by the countess of Grand Pre, in the absence of her son but the count of Champagne pledged himself for his duly executing them. This was not, however, so soon accomplished, nor was the marriage completed until after the year 1239 at which period John lord of Joinville having succeeded his father in his estates, and in the sense chalship of Champagne, was unmarried for in this year he promised Count Thibaud, king of Navarre, not to ally himself with the count de Bar, nor take his daughter to wife. Beatrice, mother to John, made the count a similar promise for her son.

His marriage with Alicia must have taken place instantly afterward for, in a deed of the year 1240, the lady of Joinville is styled sister to Henry count de Grand Pre. It had probably been deferred until then on account of the youth of the lord de Joinville, who thus speaks of himself: "That when the treaty between the king, Saint Louis, and the count de la Marche, was concluded, he had not then put on his helmet." That is to say, he had not then borne arms, nor received the order of knighthood and that when he put on the cross to march to the Holy Land with his king, he was very young.

That was the first occasion he made use of to display his valor, and show to all the world that he was no way degenerated in courage and virtue from his ancestors. The crusade had been proclaimed throughout France, and St. Louis, his queen and children, with the brothers to the king, and the principal barons of the realm, had already put on their armor, and covered their shoulders with the mark of our redemption, to recover the Holy Land from the hands of the infidels, and to carry the war into their country.

John lord of Joinville followed the examples of his ancestors, who had signalized themselves in these illustrious conquests, took the cross, and determined to accompany the king. But as this enterprise was attended with danger, and would probably be of long duration, he wished, before he set out, to make a settlement of his affairs, and leave every one satisfied with his conduct, so that he might be in the proper condition to deserve the fruits and pardons which these crusaders merited through the concessions of the sovereign pontiff. Having assembled his friends and neighbors, he gave them to understand, that if any one had the smallest subject of complaint against him, or if he had wronged him in the slightest manner, he was ready to make him all the satisfaction that could be wished for. On the other hand, as his mother, Beatrice, was still living, and enjoyed the greater part of his fortune as her dower, he found himself obliged to mortgage the principal part of the remainder of his lands, to supply the expenses of his equipment for so long a voyage, and of so considerable an enterprise, so that there scarcely remained to him twelve hundred lives of yearly rent in land.

He set out from his castle of Acinville after the Easter of 1248, accompanied by ten knights, whom he kept in his pay among whom were three bannerets,-namely, Hugh de Landricourt, Hugh de Til-chatel, lord of Conflans, and Peter de Pontmolain. He journeyed in company with John lord of Aspremont, Gosbert d'Aspremont and his brothers, who were his cousins, and the count de Sarrebruche, all of whom had in like manner put on the cross. They embarked at Marseilles and sailed to Cyprus, where they found the king of France, who had arrived there a short time before. It was there the lord de Joinville first entered into the service and pay of this great king, whose good graces and affection he so much gained that this prince would have him always near his person, employing him in the most important negotiations, and considering him as one of his confidential and faithful counselors. From the day he entered into the service of the king, in the island of Cyprus, he scarcely ever quitted him until his death, and was always attendant on him for the space of twenty, two years.

This would be the place to relate his adventures, his combats, and his travels; how he landed in Egypt, and was attacked by the Saracens, how he repulsed them how he was wounded, and then caught the epidemical disorder of the. army; how he was made prisoner by the enemy, saved and delivered from their hands; how he accompanied the king to Acre, who again retained him and his knights in his pay in short, after having been absent on these expeditions the space of seven years, he returned to France with the king. But as this narration would be of considerable length, and as he himself has written the history, I pass it over, and shall only mention some others of his principal actions. On his return to France, he took leave of the king at Beaucaire, whence, having visited the dauphiness of Vienne his relation, the count de Chalons his uncle, and the count de Bourgognehis cousin-german, he arrived at his castle of Joinville. After residing there some time, he went to Soissons to meet the king, who received him with so much kindness and friendship that the whole court was surprised and became jealous of him. It was about this time that Thibaud II king of Navarre and count of Champagne employed him to request of the king his daughter Isabella and this negotiation he managed with so much address and prudence that, in spite of great difficulties, the marriage was concluded, and celebrated at Melun with royal magnificence, in the year 1255.

This service, in addition to others, gained him the affections of the king of Navarre, who presented him with many gifts, among which was the donation to him and his heirs, dated January 1258, of all the rights and royalties of the village of Germany, as an augmentation of fief, on condition of paying homage liege. In the following year he subscribed the testament of Ebles de Geneva, son to Humbert count of Geneva, in which, however, he adds no title to his name, which may cause a doubt whether this John de Joinville, or de Genville, as he is called, be our seneschal. He was, afterward, almost constantly at the court of the king of Navarre, his lord, and accompanied him, in the year 1267, when this prince did homage to the bishop of Langres for the towns of Bar sur Aube, Bar sur Seine, and some others, which he held under the church, in presence of William lord de Grancey, Renier Vitardore, and Eustache de Conflans, marshals of Champagne, and other lords of that country.

The king, St. Louis, having convoked at Paris all his barons, on the subject of a new crusade, summoned thither the lord de Joinville, at that time suffering under a quartan ague. On his arrival, the king, and Thibaud king of/Navarre, pressed him to put on the cross, and undertake, with them /an expedition to Africa; but he excused himself on the plea of the poverty and distress of his subjects and vassals, who had been harshly treated by the exactions made on them by the king of France's officers during his former expedition. He acted sometime afterward as president in the extraordinary assemblies and assizes held at Troyes, as the person best qualified, in the year 1271. During the journey which was made to Arragon in 128.3, by King Philip the Hardy, who had the wardship of Jane queen of Navarre and countess of Champagne, sole daughter to King Henry, he was appointed by him governor and guardian of that country. He was present likewise at the assizes of Champagne in the years 1291 and 1296 and in the year 1303 he is named, with John de Joinville lord of Ancerville, Anseau de Joinville, and other great barons of France and Champagne, in the summons of Philip the Fair to meet him at Arras the 5th of August, and attend...