Flavy, lords of Monchy & Mortemer, a slice of Medieval life
Annie Natalelli-Waloszek
After having remained nearly three centuries in the hands of powerful the famìlle of ROYE, the seigniory of Monchy-le-Perreux
passed into those of the family of FLAVY (or FALVY), following the marriage of Wm de Flavy with a lady of the family of
Roye (1). The House of Flavy, which drew its name from the borough of Flavy-le-Martel, lived Picardy since the XIII century
beginning, perhaps even before, & was a noble family having alliances with best (according to Père Ansleme): "& Flavy descends from
the old lines of Guines and is nearest related to Saint-Pol., lords of Auffémont, Roye, Moy de Croy and several others grands
lords." (2). Their blazon was: of hermines to the cross of gueules, charged with five gold shells.
Wm de Flavy -- abt 1398 - 1448
Wm de Flavy, born about 1398 in Picardy (3), was the younger son of Raoul de Flavy, knight, lord of Bazentin, Liencourt,
Ronquerolles (4), Pimprez, Quinchy, and other places, and of Blanche de Nesle (5), dau of Jean II of Nesle, lord of Offémont and
Adde de Mailly. After education at the University of Paris, he obtained the rank of "Clerk of dress and tonsuré". Then his
relative, Regnault of Chartres, archêveque of Rheims and adviser of the king, took him along twice, on his embassy to Rome, then to
Savoy, finally to England and elsewhere (6). Wm thus got his diplomatic education before becoming a soldier. His agitated
life is well being known today, thanks to the work of Pierre Champion (7) and J-B Mestre (8).
At that time, the country was prey to anarchy, & given over to the army rabble of the duke of Burgundy, the king of England or the
lords joining the cause of Charles VII. When the news of the storming of the Bastille in Paris by the Burgundians « furent épandues
parmy le païs d'environ de Paris, ceux de Compiègne se rendirent à eux, la vìle et le chasteau de Creil, le Pont Ste Maxence,
Monchy, le Pont de Choisy et aucunes autres places » (9). Guillaume de Flavy was perhaps not yet lord of Monchy, but simply lord of
Montauban in Picardy, because the date of his marriage with Jeanne de Roye,who brought to him in dowry the lands of
Monchy-le-Perreux, is unknown.
Faithful to the Dauphin, then to Charles VII, when the ceasefire expired, April 17, 1429, the duke of Burgundy destroyed
Gounay-on-Aronde & Monchy-sur-Aronde, & went on to besiege the fortress of Choisy (10). But in August 1429, Flavy
took Compiegne, which was in Burgundian hands for years (1422). August 16, 1429, the king heard from his lips the surrender of
Compiégne and, two days later, Charles VII made his triumphal entry to the city by the gate of Pierrefonds. In reward, the
Compiégnoiselected Flavy captain of the city, & he proved worthy of their confidence, by refusing to deliver the city to
Burgundian hands again, despite a royal order, and by victoriously defending Compiégne during the memorable siége of
1430, during which Jeanne d' Arc was to fall into enemy hands May 24, 1430, in the prairìe of Margny.
After Compiegne, the whole of the Beauvaisis rose up against the Burgundians, & put the land to desolation. Never had the peasants
at any time of history been so oppressed. Everywhere the forts in ruins were repaired spontaneously by stray soldiers or peasants
forgetful of their repeatedly burnt harvests (11). Wm de Flavy then turned, with his troops,to a life of plunder, (Robin Hood
without the good part) centering near Rheims and got him a splendid fortune.
But complaints arrived to king Charles VII, who sent the constable of Richemont in Valois to restore the order there.
December 8, 1436, the connetable, arrived at Compiègne &arrested Flavy, who, without the intervention of his relative,
Regnault of Chartres, would have been hung. He was imprisoned in one of the towers of Pierrefonds under threat of execution, but was
evenurally released and took refuge in the castle of Offémont, with relative, Guy de Nesle, but his goods were put to plunder. The
Bretons, left in Compiégne by Richemont, could not stop the pillage afflicting the land. & in March 437, Wm de Flavy, with
the assistance of his brothers, returned in force in Compiegne and seized the (river) harbour office.
While in Rheims in 1436, Flavy met a young girl, then 10 years old, Blanche of Aurebruche, recently heiress of a great fortune
and title of viscountess d' Acy (Soissons), whom he planned to marry for her wealth. In addition to the vicomté, there was a
beautiful castle of Nesles-in-Tardenois and the fields of Coulanges, Cohan, Villers-Agron, (in Aisne), the eigniories of Janville,
Elincourt, and Tilloy (in 1' Oise), as well as the house of Choisy-with-Vat and many other properties inPicardy and Saintonge. It
was enough to tempt the cupidity of this man of war who, barely forty years old, suffered of rheumatism & was tired of this hard
life . So he didn't hesitate it to ask for Blanche's hand , despite the great difference in age. In April, 1436, it was approved and
promised in marriage to the viscountess d' Acy who made her grand entry in Compiegne at the side of her frightening captain
(April 7, 1436). Four months later, they married but the union was not to be happy.
Flavy and his wife resided in Compiegne. He often went in Monchy, & Lagny-les-Chàtaigniers or in Tilloy to supervise its fields
(12), "because the garrisons of Creil, Clermont, Mouy,Gournay-on-Aronde, and elsewhere in the area of Maignelay, much of these lands
could not be plowed. (13). Baudoin de Noyelles, governor of the cities, prévostés and chatellenies of Péronne, Montdidier and Roye,
certifide on December 16, 1443, that the grounds located around Maignelay sat in deserted country, uninhabited and have not produced
anything for four years (14). Among the commensaux ones of Flavy Pierre of Leuwen was, captain ofPuys-in-Velay, in residence at
Noyon, charged with one hundred lances in the name of the king.
Leuwen conceived a violent passion for Blanche of Flàvy, & the love was shared enough to make them wish the death of Wm de
Flavy. Shortly after the birth of the pétit Charlot de Flavy, Blanche was at the castle of Nesles-in-Tardenois, & there, on March 9,
1448, Wm de Flavy was assassinated by the bastard one of Orbendas, under orders by Blanche. The news of his death arrived the
next day in Compìégne, and made quite a stir, which Pierre Champion (15) qualified as a revolution. Brought to Compìègne on a cart
"well simply and poorly equipped and accompanied" the body by Wm de Flavy, after its funeral in the Jacobin Church, was buried
in that monastére, in a vault he had begun work on there . Of his marriage with Blanche d' Aurebruche, Flavy had had two children:
1°) Philippe de Flavy, died young 2°) Charlot de Flavy, born in 1447.
Charlot de Flavy -- 1448-1462
After the death of Guillaume de Flavy, his two brothers Charles and Hector de Flavy were made guardians of their young nephew
Charlot, of about six months old, by the Justice of Compiégne (16). They were also authorized by the court of the Parliament of
Paris to for the aforementioned minor. The handling of the goods belonging to Charolt's late father & Blanche of Aurebruche, was
entrusted by the king to the lord of Moyencourt. (16).
The assassination of Wm de Flavy was not to remain unpunished. While waiting to be able to make justice themselves,
his brothers went first to the Parliament, and on May 26, 1448, Philippe de Rouleboise, captain of Poissy, was
assigned to lead the 2 culprits to Paris where they were made prisoners in the main tower of the Concièrgerie (17) Pierre
de Louvaìn was also relieved of his offices, but thru dubious negociations, the 14 novembre 1450, the king announced
ratification of the letter of remission octroied to Blanche, at the request of the lord of Villequier, having received a gift of
12,000 ecus to this intention. The Parliament was pleased to withdraw the supervision of Charlot, to him & to Guy de Nesle,
lord of Offémont, & Charles de Flavy (18). July 26, 1459 (19), Charles de.Flavy, lord of Lagny, & of his nephew, lord of
the other half of Lagny, through an arrangement with the cathédral of to satisfy the favorite charity of Ermintrude of Lagny,
lady of the manor of Roye .
Charles (or Charlot) of Flavy was to die young at about fourteen years of àge (20). His tutor was probably also deceased by the same
time (21) and as the usual course was for the collateral line, to hold for the next of kin, the descendant of the paternal line,
excepting the
women--the lands and seigniory of Monchy, were to return to Hector de Flavy (22).
Hector de Flavy -- 1462-1466
After the death of Charles de Flavy and the young Charlot, the lordship of Monchy passed in the hands of Hector de Flavy, lord of
Vandelicourt, 4th brother of Wm de Flavy, but his possession was disputed to him by Pierre, then adviser to Parliament,
Master of the requétes of the Hotel Louis XI, who had married Blanche of Aurebruche, the very year of the death of Pìerre of
Leuwen. He took matters in hand for his wife, and as he was an expert in flimflamming, he managed well to extricate the
civil and criminal, partiés resulting from the death of Wm de Flavy, & then pushed his impertinence to buying from Jehan
d' Ailly, vidame of Amiens, lord of Coudun, "so much for a château (23), & lands at Monchy-le-Perreux, and lease from Blanche
d'Aurebruche, viscountess d' Acy, icelle ground of Monchy held of Coudun" (1464) (24). Hector de Flavy had been successively
governor of Chauny and Boves (1433) and the County of Vaudemont in Lorraine (1437). He was made knight of Saìnt Sépulcre of
Jerusalem in 1451, & died in 1466. Of his marriage with Blanche of Calleville, only daughter of Colart de Calleville, in her
lifetime, Lord of Paillart, Demain and Méziéres in Santerre (villages of Picardìe), he left (four children: 1°) Thibault de Flavy.
2°) Guy de Flavy, lord of Lagny-les-Chàtaigniers. 3°) Jean de Flavy, lord of Mortimer 4°) Blanche , married to Jean de Domqueur.
(NOTE: this Mortemer is NOT the Abbaye in Eure, Normandy, but a small village still existing nearly intact, in the Oise, not far
from Monchy; the latter seems to have been dependant of the former, or to have belonged to the same lord holding the larger
possession; there is considerable precedent for thus naming a second fief after a first, & I suspect this is what happened also in
the case of Gournay-en-Bray, & the smaller Gournay-sur-Aronde, also mentioned in connection with the Flavys...)
Thibault de Flavy -- 1466-1500
Elder son of the lord of Monchy, Thibault de Flavy succeeded to him in this lordship. Conseillor
and chamberlain of Charles VIII he was also lord of Montauban in Picardy, of Mazières in Santerre, Demuin (sic: Demain) and of
Vignemont. He married on October 14, 1469 Barbe of Soissons girl of Jean de Soissons, lord of Moreuil, in Picardy, sans issue.
The parish church of Monchy, destroyed in 1429 by the Burgundians, was rebuilt about 1481, probably on the order and thanks
to the generosity of the lord of Monchy. May 29, 1489, Thibault de Flavy made a lease with revenues for the Céléstins of Amiens
concerning the mills of Revennes (near Monchy) and other goods, with a yearly taxe of six muids of corn to the monks of the
Abbey of Monchy and taxable quotas and surcens existing (25). In July 1491, the elected officials and governors of Compiegne
accepted letters of the king prescribing to make a general research of the loads of the general administration of the countries
using the
language "d'oil", "oultre the Seine, Normandy and Languedoc".
Each administration was to name eight good citizens and a greffìer. To carry out this nomination, each Election sent, on the
following
8 August, to Paris, a representative, and, the assembly selected the eight members and administrative clerk. It was motivated by an
investigation into a tax, varying considerably from department to department, causing many complaints. Each parish of the region
of Compiégne, thus sent a proportional number of delegates to participate in the regional Parliament in Compiegne on July 27 (26).
Monchy was represented by Jean Coppin, Jean Vasseur and Regnault Guillebert. During this meeting, Lord Jean Thíbault, first
attourné governor of Compiegne, was delegated Election of Compiégne.
Feeling old, Thibault de Flavy gave his land in Monchy, towards the end of 1497 or the first days of 1498, to his young nephew,
Jean de Humières, & it was to remain nearly a century in the hands of this powerful family, allied to Flavy since 1460.
He died on December 17, 1500 (27) and was buried in the family vault in the church of Célestins of Amiens, formerly, Abbaye
of Saint Martin's day. On his gray marble tomb, a knight fully armed was engraved, bearing the arms of Flavy: hermines, a cross of
gueules,
charged with five shells [ of gold ] with this inscription:
"CY GIST (HERE LIES) LORD THIBAULT OF FLAVY CHI.r Sr OF MONTAUBAN,
MAISIEIRES IN SANTERRE OF DEMUIN, OF MONCHY LE PIERREULX,
OF VIGNEMONT AND MORTEMER, CONer AND CHAMBERLAIN OF
KING CHARLÈS VIIIe, WHO WAS IN HIS LIFETIME PILGRIM TO THE
HOLY LAND OF BETHELEEM AND DIED THE XVII° DAY OF DECEMBER
IN THE YEAR MILL ET CCCCC PRAY GOD FOR HIS SOUL"
(28). The lord of Monchy hoped to rest in peace in this church, but in August 1686 , the Célestin monks, truely vandals &
profaners, lifted the flagstone from his vault and with absolutely no religious respect for their benefactor, opened his lead
coffin,
withdrew the bones and seized metal them to make... rain-gutters (29).
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(1) Given by the historians Morliére and Alcius Ledieu, but without any filiation.
(2) Public records. X with February 25, 17 1454-55.
(3) Perhaps Villers-on-Coudun, not far from Compiégne, where Flavy had a castle.
(4) Certain historians, like Pierre Champion, member of the Goncourt Academy, identified this lordship with Ronquerolles,
village located meadows of Clermont of Oise, which is true; Others like Coët, locate it at (La)Chelles (Oise) where formerly
existed a
significant stronghold bearing the name of Ronquerolles. This stronghold was a dependant of the main lordship & stronghold of
Ronquerolles, in
Hamelet, canton of Corbie (Somme)
(5) Blanche de Nesle had of its marriage with Raoul de Flavy, six children: Jean, Guillaume, Charles, Louis, Hector, Raoul.
(6) Public records. X23 24. P. J L XXI.
(7)Pierre Champion. - Guillaume de Flavy, captain of Compiégne. 1906. (8)J.-B Mestre. - Wm de Flavy did not betray Jeanne d'Arc.
1936.
(9)Denis Wild. --- Chronicle of Pierrefonds, p. 268. (10)Alcius Lediteu - Flavy --- Review of the Company of the historical
Studies (11)Pierre Champion. - Loc.cit., p. 62.
(12) Dom Attic -- T XX (a) fol. 189 year 1440. in May, 1438 Guillaume de Flavy was in Monchy. In 1445 also in Monchy was the
following note, extracted Archives of Compiegne DC 18 : "With the messenger who carried letter of Moncy, touchans aucunes businesses
of the city."
(13-14) De Beauvillé. Documénts news on Picardy. T I, p. l19.
(15) Guillaume de Flavy, captain of Compiégne.
(16) Public records. Teststementa 25.
(17) Mestre. - Loc. cit., p. 201..
(18) Champion. - Loc. cit., of aprés the documents of the Public records.
(19) Certainly an error of the copyist in the document reporting this transaction: Memoir printed for the Chapter Cathédral de
Noyon against the marquis d' Herbouville, lord of Lagny (1726), because it carries the date of 1469. In this period, Charles de
Flavy
would have been mixed up in the Flavy-Pierre lawsuit, had the young lord of Monchy been still alive.
(20)Blanche of Aurebruche married Pierre of Leuwen, her lover, in 1450. But their union was not happy, because the fréres of
Flavy had sworn to avenge his death. For 15 years, they waited the chance to kill Pierre of Leuwen, & in 1451, during the battle of
Guyénne, he was attacked by soldiers of Flavy and was left for dead. He was to survive his wounds, but on June 15, 1464
Leuwen was again attacked on the way to Compiégne by Beray (Soissons), in the middle of the forest, by the men of Raoul de Flavy.
Leuwen, covered of wounds, fell into the hands of Raoul who immediately cut his throat and put out his eyes.
(21)Charles of Flavy was a captain of Compiégne of 1458 in I462. He probably died shortly after.
(22)Quatriéme brother of Guillaume de Flavy.
(23)Fief at Coudun, having belonged to Wm de Flavy (Fons Mélicocq-Boundary-line & Noyonnais at the Average Age, p. 256).
(24) De Beauvillé. -- new Documents on Picardy, T III, p. 278.
(25) Library of Compiégne. File n° 30-219. The mills of Revennes were assembled, one to make oil, the other to press.
(26) Files of Compiégne - BB 13/5.
(27) Obituaire of Célestins of Amiens. XVII décember. - Nobilis ac stremui militis domini Theobaldi de Flavy. domini regis
consiliarii which dedit nobis in will pura elemosyna juice decimates known of Maisiéres, cum molendino suo of Revennes; insuper
dedit nobia trecentas will libras and multa alia bona fecit.