Open Veils · Answer
Who wqs hugh de payens grandfather?
According to the Spanish Templar research portal Templarios.info, Hugh de Payens was the son of Gautier de Montigny and the grandson of Hugo I, Lord of Payns — making Hugo I de Payns his paternal grandfather. The French Wikipedia genealogical record corroborates the father as 'Hugues de Payns premier du nom,' who married the heiress of the Montigny domain. These two sources, read together, suggest the grandfather was the original Hugo/Hugues, Lord of Payns, the progenitor of the Payns seigneurial line in Champagne.
Evidence
- The Templarios.info source states explicitly that Hugh de Payens was 'hijo de Gautier de Montigny y nieto de Hugo I, Señor de Payns' — son of Gautier de Montigny and grandson of Hugo I, Lord of Payns.
- The French Wikipedia genealogical entry adds texture: Hugh's father, Hugues de Payns I, married the heiress of the Montigny domain and took the title Lord of Montigny.
- The Traveling Templar biographical resource notes Hugh was likely a third son whose older brothers predeceased him, which explains why the lordship eventually passed to him despite his apparent junior status — consistent with the multi-marriage complexity in his father's line.
- After her death — probably before 1070 — he remarried, producing two sons: Acheux de Payns and Hugues de Payns (the future Grand Master).
- The German Wikipedia entry further confirms Hugh inherited the lordship of Montigny-Lagesse through his mother's line, complicating a clean paternal lineage.