Château Branaire-Ducru: The Grailly Era
The lands and titles remained with this family for many years. From Pierre II and Assalhide they passed to their son Johan II de Grailly (died 1343), and then to his son Johan III de Grailly (1330 – 1376). Johan III was an accomplished soldier, and a significant figure in the Hundred Years’ War. A descendant of Louis VIII (1187 – 1226) through his mother, Johan III lived a military life, eventually dying in Paris without an heir. He nominated his uncle Archambaud de Grailly (c.1329 – 1412) as the main beneficiary in his will, and he thus inherited all the Grailly wealth and titles. He had married Isabelle de Foix in 1380 and they had a son Gaston, who subsequently inherited all these possessions.
Gaston de Foix-Grailly (1384 – 1455) fought at Agincourt, alongside the English. Subsequent to this he ended up having to sell all his lands and titles, partly to a nephew who was in the service of Charles VII (1403 – 1461), and partly to the Comte de Dunois. This turned out to be a momentary hiccup in the family’s tenure of this estate though. Fortunately for Gaston’s descendants, after the death of Charles VII, the new king Louis XI (1423 – 1483) gave the titles and land to Jean de Foix, Comte de Candale (1410 – 1485), and so the family remained in power.
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