William II of the Bars

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Guillaume II des Barres (born around 1160 and died in 1234) was a French knight. Attached to the service of King Philippe-Auguste, he played a decisive role, according to columnist William Breton, during the Battle of Bouvines.

Maison des Barres

Guillaume II des Barres is an important member of the house of the Barres whose cradle dates back to the first centuries of the chivalry.

The patronymic of Les Barres, according to Étienne Pattou, is due to the defensive "wall" that surrounded the right bank of Paris.
This wall was composed of different areas of the little nobility in the king's service, which prevented possible aggressors.

Among the members of this little nobility, the house of the Bars. It comes from a common strain, native to the borders of Brie and Champagne, which has at least eight distinct branches. The main branch, that of the lords of Oissery, will carry William II and will remain until the end of the; other branches, where we find in particular the Counts of the Bars, will last until the end of the year.

Family of the « Guillaume des Barres »

To differentiate the different members of the family with the name "Guillem des Barres", some genealogists gave them a chronological number of up to five for Étienne Pattou. Thus, William II is a son of William , and William III will be a son of William II. Despite this distinction, it is sometimes difficult, through documentary sources, to differentiate one from another.

Guillaume des Barres, seems to be the fourth of the seven supposed sons of Fredelus (alias Jean) who died around 1160, lord of Oissery northwest of Meaux, near Dammartin, in the former country of Multien. Guillaume, born around 1130 and died between 1177 and 1180/82, is lord of various localities, around Oissery, going as far as Crouy-sur-Ourcq, as well as La Ferté-Alais...
He became knight of King Louis VII and took part in the crusades around 1180. Two successive wives will give him twelve children, including William II.

William II of the Bars, born around 1160 and died in 1233, son of Guillaume's first (unknown) wife is the subject of this page. He will have seven to ten children, including William III.

Guillaume III des Barres "Le Jeune", knight, is Count of Chalon. He took part in the crusade of the Albigeois and in particular at the Battle of Muret in 1213, etc. Crossed, he died in Cyprus in 1249. He will be the father of at least eight children, including William IV ...

Biography

Genealogy
Guillaume (° ~1160, † 22-23/03/1233) was born of William and an unknown mother according to the genealogical sources. His father served King Louis VII the Younger. Among the Bars, one of the most famous is his uncle (or brother), Evrard des Barres, master of the Templars from 1147 to 1151.

Around 1182-1188 he married Simon de Montfort's widow (1117-1181), Amicia de Leicester (?-1215/1222 ?). He thus became Simon IV de Montfort's stepfather, who led the