Peter of Courtenay, Lord of Conches

Peter was the eldest of five sons of Robert of Courtenay, Lord of Champignelles († 1239), and his wife Matilda of Mehun. From his parents he inherited the castle of Conches and Mehun. On 25 August 1248, he sailed with his cousin, King Louis IX of France, from Aigues-Mortes to Egypt to fight the Seventh Crusade, during which he died.

Most historians think he died during the battle for the city of Al Mansurah on 8 February 1250. On that day, Count Robert I of Artois led a vanguard of Crusaders in a spontaneous attack on the city. The vanguard was caught in a trap set by the defending Mamluks and all attackers were killed. However, the chronicler Jean de Joinville maintains Peter of Courtenay died on an earlier date. After the conquest of the Egytion port city of Damietta in June 1249, a large part of the crusader army camped outside the city wall, until they were ready to march to Al Mansurah in the autumn. The Sultan of Egypt offered a reward of one gold solidus for the head of each crusader. During the night, Saracens would sneak into the Crusader camp, kill sleeping Crusaders in their tents, and steal their severed heads. According to Joinville, Peter of Courtenay was the victim of one such attack.[1] However, Joinville may be mistaken. One should consider that he wrote his chronicle decades after the fact, and that Peter de Courtenay is mentioned twice later in the chronicle, in connection with the Battle of Al Mansurah.[2][3]

Peter was married to Pétronille (d.1289),[4] a daughter of Gaucher of Joigny and Amicie de Montfort. They had one child:

• Amicie (d. 1275 in Rome; buried in St. Peter's Basilica), Lady suo jure of Conches and Mehun, married in 1262 to Count Robert II of Artois (d. 1302).[5]

Pétronille remarried in 1252 to Henry II de Sully (d. 1269).