Pierre II, Count of Alençon

Peter II, called the Noble [Le Noble] (1340 – 20 September 1404; ), was the count of Alençon from 1361 and count of Perche from 1377. He was the son of Charles II of Alençon and María de la Cerda.

Biography Peter was born in 1340 to Count Charles II of Alençon and Perche and his wife, María de la Cerda. Upon his father's death in 1346, Pierre's elder brother, Charles, inherited Alençon.

Knighted in 1350, Pierre was one of the hostages exchanged for King John II of France after the Battle of Poitiers, and did not return to France until 1370. He and his younger brother, Robert of Alençon, count of Perche, campaigned against the English in Aquitaine. In 1371, the French took Limoges, but failed to capture Usson.

In 1361, Peter's elder brother, Charles, renounced his counties and became a Dominican friar, choosing Couvent des Jacobins de la rue Saint-Jacques in Paris. Peter later moved his court to Argentan, as it was a fortified hilltop town about north of Alençon.

Upon the death of his younger brother Robert in 1377, Peter also inherited Perche, including the fortresses at Bellême and Exmes, as Robert had no surviving issue. The inheritance was approved by King Charles V of France.

Peter subsequently fought under Bertrand du Guesclin in Brittany; was wounded before Hennebont; and took part in an expedition against William I of Guelders in 1388.

Marriage and issue On 10 October 1371, at the age of 31, Peter married Marie Chamaillard, viscountess of Beaumont-au-Maine (c. 1350–18 November 1425), the daughter of William II Chamaillard, lord of Anthenaise (c. 1320–1391) and Marie of Beaumont-Brienne. The Chamaillard family was a powerful noble family, originally from Anjou. Marie Chamaillard was the heir to the lordship of Pouancé, including Pouancé Castle, and four other fiefs, adding them to the fiefs already owned by her husband.

The couple had eight children, though their birth order is disputed: