COUCY-LE-CHATEAU-AUFFRIQUE, a village of northern France, in the department of Aisne, 18 m. W.S.W. of Laon on a branch of the Northern railway. Pop. 944. It had extensive remains of fortifications of the 13th century, the most remarkable feature of which was the Porte de Laon. It also had a church of the 15th century, preserving a facade in the Romanesque style. The importance of the place was due, how ever, to the ruins of a feudal fortress (see CASTLE), which was bombarded and destroyed in 1917 and 1918.
Coucy gave its name to the sires de Coucy, a famous feudal house. The founder of the family was Enguerrand de Boves, who, at the end of the 11th century, seized the castle of Coucy by force. Later his son, Thomas de Marle, succeeded him in 1115 and was subdued by King Louis VI. in 1117. Enguerrand III., the Great, fought at Bouvines under Philip Augustus (1214), but was accused of aiming at the crown of France, and took part in disturbances which arose during the regency of Blanche of Castile. These early lords of Coucy remained till the 14th century in possession of the land from which they took their name. Enguer rand IV., sire de Coucy, died in 1320 without issue and was suc ceeded by his nephew Enguerrand, son of Arnold, count of Guines, and Alix de Coucy, from whom is descended the second line of the house of Coucy. Enguerrand VI. had his lands ravaged by the English in 1339 and died at Crecy in 1346. Enguerrand VII. was sent as a hostage to England, where he married Isabel, the eldest daughter of King Edward III. Wishing to remain neutral in the struggle between England and France, he went to fight in Italy. He took part in the crusade of Hungary against the Sultan Bayezid, during which be was taken prisoner, and died shortly after the battle of Nicopolis (1397) . His daughter Marie sold the fief of Coucy to Louis, duke of Orleans, in 1400. The Chate lain de Coucy did not belong to the house of the lords of Coucy, but was castellan of the castle of that name.