Yves de Creil

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Yves de Creil was a royal balistarius (a siege-officer likely in charge of weapons like crossbows) for King Louis IV d'Outremer in the 10th century. His exact parentage is unknown, but his name connects him to Creil, a town in the territory of Bernard, Count of Senlis. Around 942 he helped save Richard, Duke of Normandy, who was effectively a prisoner of Louis IV. Yves learned of a plan to kill or mutilate Richard and told the boy’s tutor, Osmund, who then secretly moved Richard to the safety of Coucy castle, held by Bernard of Senlis.

Beyond this, Yves’s later life is not well documented, but several charters mention an Ivonis (Ivo) who is thought to be Yves de Creil. In 968 a St. Denis diploma names Ivonis as a signatory. A charter of the Abbey of St. Julian of Tours (970/1) includes an Yves as a witness, alongside Bishop Seinfroy. A charter by Hugh, Archbishop of Rouen (979–89) to Abbot Galon of Saint-Germain-des-Prés lists "S. Ivonis, Item S. Ivonis," which Prentout thought referred to Yves de Creil and his son Yves de Bellême. Another charter, by Hugh, Duke of France (981), records a gift by "Yves and his wife Geile," with the consent of Yves his son and an unnamed wife (the wife of Yves de Bellême was named Godeheut). The undated Marmoutier Abbey charter mentions "Ivo veteranus," which Stapleton identified as Yves de Creil (or possibly Yves de Bellême, per Prentout).

French writers, including Prentout, generally accept Yves de Creil as the father of Yves de Bellême, but Geoffrey H. White believed it probable rather than certain.