The Houses of Montlhéry and Le Puiset (referred to as the Montlhéry Clan by Riley-Smith[1]) is the name given by two powerful families, joined in marriage, that played a major role in the 11th and 12th centuries in both the Crusades as well as the administration of the Holy Land.[2] The Montlhéry branch consists of the relatives (descendants and in-laws) of Guy I of Montlhéry (referred to here as simply Guy) and Hodierna of Gometz. The Le Puiset branch consists of the descendants of Everard I of Breteuil. Everard’s son Hugh I of Le Puiset (or simply Hugh) married Guy’s daughter Alice, bringing the families together. Prominent members of the families are as follows.
Knights who Took the Cross (First Crusade unless otherwise noted)
- Milo I of Montlhéry (d. 1102), son of Guy
 - Guy III Trousseau (d. 1109), son of the previous
 - Guy I of Dampierre (d. 1151), grandson of Milo I
 - Guy II of Dampierre (d. 1216), grandson of the previous (Third Crusade)
 - Hugh II Bardoul of Broyes (d. before 1121), son-in-law of Milo I
 - Hugh III of Broyes (d. 1199), grandson of the previous (Second Crusade)
 - Guy II the Red of Rochefort (d. 1108), son of Guy
 - Hugh I of Rethel (d. 1108), son-in-law of Guy
 - Guitier of Rethel (d. 1171), grandson of the previous
 - Walter of Saint-Valéry (d. after 1098), son-in-law of Guy
 - Bernard II of Saint-Valéry (d. unknown), son of the previous
 - Eudon of Saint-Valéry (d. unknown), brother of the previous
 - Éverard III (d. 1099), son of Hugh and grandson of Guy
 - Hugh III of Le Puiset (d. 1132), son of the previous
 - Ralph the Red of Pont-Echanfray (d. 1120 in the White Ship disaster), grandson-in-law of Hugh
 - Guy of Puiset (d. 1127), son of Hugh
 - Walo II of Chaumont-en-Vexin (d. 1098), son-in-law of Hugh
 - Drogo de Chaumont (d. 1099), son of the previous
 - Waleran of Le Puiset (d. 1126), son of Hugh
 - Joscelin IV of Lèves (d. unknown), son-in-law of Hugh and father-in-law of Ralph the Red
 - Héribrand III of Hierges, son-in-law of Hugh I of Rethel.
 
Kings of Jerusalem
- Baldwin II (d. 1131), son of Hugh I of Rethel
 - Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem (d. 1153), daughter of the previous
 - Subsequent kings.
 
Princes of Galilee
- William I of Bures (d. 1142), son of Hugh of Crécy, and grandson of Guy
 - William II of Bures (d. 1158), brother of the previous.
 
Counts of Edessa
- Joscelin I (d. 1131), grandson of Guy
 - Joscelin II (d. 1159), son of the previous.
 
Counts of Jaffa
- Hugh I of Jaffa (d. between 1112 and 1118), son of Hugh
 - Hugh II of Jaffa (d. 1134), son of the previous.
 
Others
- Gilduin of Le Puiset (d. 1135), Abbot of St. Mary of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, son of Hugh
 - Cecilia of Le Bourcq, Lady of Tarsus, sister of King Baldwin II
 - Manasses of Hierges, Constable of Jerusalem, grandson of Hugh I of Rethel
 - Renaud of Montlhéry, Bishop of Troyes, son of Milo I
 - Guy of Dampierre, Bishop of Chalon, son of Guy I of Dampierre
 - Hugh de Puiset, Bishop of Durham (d. 1195), son of Hugh III of Le Puiset
 - Hugh of Crécy (d. 1147), seneschal, son of Guy II the Red of Rochefort.
 
Related Houses
- House of Dampierre (Guy I of Dampierre)
 - House of Courtenay (Joscelin I, Lord of Courtenay, son-in-law of Guy)
 - House of Dammartin (Drogo de Chaumont)
 - House of Châteaudun (descendants of Melisende and her husband Fulk the Younger, King of Jerusalem).
 
The family trees of the Montlhéry and Le Puiset houses can be found in Riley-Smith.[3]
Sources
- Riley-Smith, Johathan, The First Crusaders, 1095-1131, Cambridge University Press, London, 1997
 - La Monte, John L.,The Lords of Le Puiset on the Crusades, Speculum, 1942
 - Runciman, Steven, A History of the Crusades, Volume I: The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Cambridge University Press, London, 1951
 - Riley-Smith, Jonathan, The Atlas of the Crusades, Facts On File, New York, 1990, pg 14
 
References
- ↑ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1997). The First Crusaders, 1095-1131. Cambridge University Press. pp. 248–249.
 - ↑ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1997). Chapter 7: Crusading and the Montlhérys, The First Crusaders. Cambridge.
 - ↑ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1997). The First Crusaders, 1095-1131. London: Cambridge University Press. pp. 248–249.