Pierre I de Grandson and His Family — Part 2

by David Williams ^{^[1]}

Abstract

Very little has been written about Pierre I de Grandson (d.1258), and yet he was one of the most important members of the Vaudois nobility during the first half of the 13th century as the counts of Savoy began their dominance of the Pays de Vaud. From widely scattered data the author presents in this two-part article a study of Pierre and his immediate descendants, whose brilliant careers, wealth and prestige both in Vaud and in England were enabled by a policy of realistic and interested co-operation with the house of Savoy developed by Pierre and his brother Henri de Champvent, and continued by Pierre's famous son Othon I de Grandson. Evidence from English and Swiss sources shows that Pierre fathered at least six sons and probably some nine daughters, most of whom can be identified as Othon's sisters.

Part 2 of the article surveys the lives and marriages of Pierre's known and probable daughters, and biographies are provided for several of his grandchildren. Connections with the noble families of Bonvillars, Cicon, Cossonay, Cusance, Estavayer, Gruyère, Oron, Strätlingen, Tour de Châtillon-en-Valais, Thoire-Villars, and Vuippens are explored; and the careers of some Grandson/Grandison bastards of the period are outlined.

Continued from Foundations Vol. 14 (2022) pp. 3–56.

Pierre I de Grandson and his Family — Part 2

Pierre I de Grandson and His Family — Part 2

Abstract