Raoul of Clermont

Raoul II/III of Clermont-Nesle (c. 1245 – Kortrijk, 11 July 1302) was Seigneur (Lord) of Nesle in Picardy (de), Viscount of Châteaudun (de), Grand Chamberlain of France and Constable of France. Biography Raoul was the eldest son of Simon II of Clermont (c. 1216 – 1286) by Adele ("Alix") of Montfort (d. 1279), daughter of Amaury VI of Montfort. Raoul de Clermont was one of the most important generals of King Louis IX of France. He participated in most campaigns of the King, including the Eighth Crusade against Tunis. appointed Constable of France in 1285 (probably), he fought in the Aragonese Crusade and in the Franco-Flemish War (1297–1305) against the County of Flanders, with Count Guy of Dampierre, his in-law. The governor of Flanders, Jacques de Châtillon, put in place by the French king was also Raoul's in-law. The French King Philip "the fair" (1268–1314) sent him with his brother Guy I of Clermont, Marshal of France, to attack the enemy at the Siege of Lille (1297), where they were victorious and took a large number of prisoners. In 1302, together with his brother Guy, he fought under Robert II, Count of Artois against the Flemish in the Battle of the Golden Spurs at Kortrijk, and the French army was utterly defeated, all three killed and the Flemish regained independence. His daughter Alix succeeded in Châteaudun but record about succession in Nesle is not present.