Edward I, Count of Bar

Edward I (died November 1336), grandson and namesake of Edward I of England, was the Count of Bar from 1302 to his death. He was a minor when he succeeded his father, Henry III, as count and ruled under the regency of his grandfather, as his mother, Eleanor of England, was dead since 1298.

The county was governed on Edward's behalf by John of Puisaye, Theobald, Bishop of Liège, and Renaud, Bishop of Metz.

In 1308, he accompanied Frederick IV of Lorraine into battle. In 1310, he married Mary, daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy, and was declared to have attained his majority. Then he purchased the lordship of Stenay from his uncle John, the aforementioned lord of Puisaye. In 1313, he was captured in war against Frederick and not ransomed until 1314. He constructed a hydraulic forge at Moyeuvre-Grande in 1323. In 1324, he was again allied in military operations with the duke of Lorraine, and also with the King of Bohemia, John, and the Archbishop of Trier, Baldwin of Luxembourg. This operations was the War of Metz, for each of the allied lords was owed something by the citizens of Metz. Edward demanded compensation for garrisoning the city with his own troops during a conflict with the bishop of Verdun

In 1336, Edward died in a shipwreck off the coast of Famagusta, Cyprus, while en route to a Crusade. By his wife, he left three children:

• Henry IV, his successor
• Eleanor (died 1332), married (1330) Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine, son of Frederick IV
• Beatrice, married Guy I Gonzaga, Lord of Mantua (they became paternal grandparents of Francesco I Gonzaga)

In popular culture

In conspiracy theories, such as the one promoted in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, Edward I of Bar has been alleged to be the fourth Grand Master of the Priory of Sion.