Créquy family

Créquy

Description - d'or au créquier de gueules A red wild-cherry tree on a gold field.
Place of origin	France

Créquy (often spelled Créqui) is a French family which originated in Artois.

Family took its name from a small lordship of Créquy, in the present Pas-de-Calais. Considering some authors, its genealogy would go back to the 9th century, but a real lineage can only be drawn with acts and proofs from the end of the 12th century with their alliances with the Saint-Omer and Aire noble houses. The Crequy family originated the noble houses of Blanchefort, Bonne, Ricey, Blécourt, Canaples, Bernieulles, Hesmond, Tilly, Heilly, and Royon and some bastard branches, such as Lorins, Winnezeele and Oudekerque. The Crequy lineage seems to have engendered a lot of small branches in villages of the Haut-Pays area such as Ambricourt, Coupelle-Vieille, Fruges, Reclinghem, Wandonne, Rimboval, Dennebroeucq, Douriez, Capelle-lès-Hesdin, Guigny, La Loge, Montreuil, Sempy, Verchocq.

Raoul de Créquy took the cross and was arrested at Battle of Mount Cadmus. His wife Mahaut, believing her husband was dead, was going to marry the Sire of Renty whom Raoul found in his domains when he came back to France. His wife recognized him thanks to the bridal half-wedding ring which he had, where from the famous romance of the Sire of Créquy in hundred and seven quatrains He died in 1181.

Henri de Créquy was killed at the siege of Damietta in 1240; Jacques de Créquy, marshal of Guienne, was killed at Agincourt with his brothers Jean and Raoul; Jean de Créquy, lord of Canaples, was in the Burgundian service, and took part in the defence of Paris against Joan of Arc in 1429, received the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1431, and was ambassador to Aragon and France; Antoine de Créquy was one of the boldest captains of Francis I, who defended Thérouanne in 1513 and died in consequence of an accident at the siege of Hesdin in 1523. Jean VIII, sire de Créquy, prince de Poix, seigneur de Canaples (died 1555), left three sons, the eldest of whom, Antoine de Créquy (1535-1574), inherited the family estates on the death of his brothers at St. Quentin in 1557. He was raised to the cardinalate, and his nephew, and heir, Antoine de Blanchefort, assumed the name and arms of Créquy.