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- BIOGRAPHY
Girard II was born about 1245, the son of Girard I Chabot, seigneur de la Mothe-Achard, and Eustache de Rays. With his first wife Emme, dame de Châteaugontier, widow of Geoffroy, seigneur de La Guerche, and daughter of Jacques de Châteaugontier, seigneur de Nogent-le-Rotrou, and Avoise de Montmorency, dame de Meslay, he had a daughter Eustache who would have progeny, marrying Jean I de Coché, seigneur de Coché et de Bourgneuf. Before 21 November 1274 Girard married Jeanne de Craon, daughter of Maurice IV de Craon, seneschal of Anjou, and Isabelle de Lusignan, dame de Beauvoir-sur-Mer et de Marcillac, the half-sister of King Henry III of England. Their son Girard III would have progeny.
The family of Chabot de Retz would rule the land of Retz, which became a barony in the reign of Girard IV de Retz, from 1244 to 1406. Girard IV died at the siege of La Roche-Derrien in the Breton War of Succession. His son Girard V fought valiantly against the Anglo-Breton army of Jean de Montfort at the Battle of Auray in 1364, the decisive confrontation of the Breton War of Succession. His fortune was ruined as he had sided with the defeated Charles de Châtillon de Blois, titular duc de Bretagne, who lost his life in the battle, but Girard rebuilt his fortune by fighting in Spain alongside Bertrand du Guesclin.
In 1400 the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Girard II, the last baroness de Retz of the house of Chabot, Jeanne de Retz 'la Sage', who married three times but did not have children and therefore no direct to successor, chose a second cousin Guy de Laval, great-grandson of Girard III Chabot, seigneur de Rays et de Machecoul, the son of Girard II, as her sole heir on the condition that he and his descendants abandon the name and arms of Laval to take up arms and the name of Retz.
However Jeanne de Retz then adopted (by a deed dated 14 May 1402) as her heiress her distant cousin Cathérine de Machecoul, dame de Chantocé, great-great-granddaughter of Girard II Chabot, sire de Retz et de Château-Gontier. This triggered a great lawsuit between Guy and Jean de Craon, sire de la Suzé et Chantocé, son of Catherine de Machecoul. The lawsuit was halted with the marriage, about 17 February 1403, of Guy and Marie de Craon, daughter of Jean de Craon and granddaughter of Cathérine de Machecoul; Marie passed over to Guy her claims to the lordship of Retz. Their sons Gilles and René would have progeny. Guy became Baron de Retz in 1406, on the death of Jeanne de Retz.
Girard II died between August 1295 and August 1296.
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