I hadn’t appreciated that word Montjoie had a Levantine origin so thank you for that MM. Your suggestion of a Crusader origin for name of the English (later Irish) baronetcy also seems more than plausible.
 
Montjoie as a heraldic office would appear to be more famous in the English-speaking world than the French. There could be 2 main reasons for this. The first being that, whereas many English-speaking countries still have heralds and even kings of arms, for much of the past 230 years the French state has attempted to downplay the state imagery of pre-1789 France. Heraldry would very much represent the inégalité of the ancien régime to that mindset. The second reason being the influence in English cultural history of the Great Bard and the character in the play Henry V as mentioned upthread.

That’s not to say that the various monarchical restorations in France have not attempted to revive the tradition. The Bourbon kings Louis XVIII and Charles X did so as did Napoleon Bonaparte who established his own imperial heraldic system. His nephew Louis, however, was less keen when he became Emperor Napoleon III and neither was the Orléanist ‘bourgeois’ king Louis-Philippe.



(A Napoleonic herald c.1810 – the costume is almost identical to that of the Bourbon heralds except for the royal fleurs de lys being replaced with imperial eagles.)

Vizzer wrote:

I hadn’t appreciated that word Montjoie had a Levantine origin so thank you for that MM.

Of course as ever it may not be as simple as that. As I said there are several places in France named Montjoie but it's uncertain whether they were named directly after the hill outside Jerusalem (the modern hill town of Nabi Samwil) or because each of these locations in their own way served as a significant or encouraging vantage point. For example on the final stages of the various pilgrimage routes converging on the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel sitting on its tidal island just off the Normandy coast, there are at least three Montjoies: Saint-Michel-de-Montjoie, Montjoie-de-Mortain and Montjoie-Saint-Martin, each one located on a hill from which one can get a distant view of the prilgrims' destination. But Mont-Saint-Michel had been an established site for pilgrimage from well before the First Crusade and the three Montjoie hamlets had also likely functioned for centuries simply as good lookout points from which to observe the coast and give advanced warning of marauders.

The term montjoie also seems to have sometimes been used to indicate any waymarker, roadside memorial stone or cairn, but particularly those marking the highpoint of a mountain road or where a pass opens into the next valley or descends to the coast. There's also the theory (given in the Dictionnaire Larousse, no less) that montjoie may derive from the Frankish word, mundgawi, meaning a frontier or land-ownership marker, but which became mistakenly written into Latin as mons gaudii, which literally means mont de la joie in French, or mount of joy in English. If used as a motto the Frankish mundgawi might originally have been something like an appeal to 'defend the frontiers'.

As a battlecry Montjoie was supposedly used by Charlemagne in the 9th century, thus predating the First Crusade by nearly three centuries, although this usage is first attested only in a later versions of 'The Song of Roland' written over a century after the Crusaders' capture of Jerusalem in 1099 (and it is primarily a medieval epic poem rather than an accurate historic account). I'll also mention Caldbec Hill in Sussex which is adjacent to Senlac Hill and overlooks the traditional site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings. The summit of Caldbec Hill is still marked on OS maps as being called Mountjoy, but while some chroniclers of the battle record the Normans building a cairn of stones on the summit of a hill near the battle, which they then called Montjoie in celebration of their victory, all these accounts were written some decades after the events they decribe and again also after the events of the First Crusade.

All in all it may be something of a chicken-and-egg situation, with the hill outside Jerusalem perhaps being named Montjoie after a long-established usage back home, and then the name returning - now reinforced in significance - back to Europe.

The chicken-and-egg image is quite apt as the ship which France’s king Louis IX (Saint Louis) sailed on in 1248 from Aigues-Mortes to the Seventh Crusade was also named Montjoie. The Frankish suggestion bears scrutiny too, with one theory being that the cry ‘Montjoie Saint Denis!’ was coined by the Merovingian king Clovis I who united the Franks and also converted to Catholicism at the behest of his wife Clothilde. The complicated theory goes that by invoking St Denis, Clovis was affirming his new-found Catholicism while adding the word Montjoie he was hedging his bets by fusing both the Arian and heathen traditions of the Franks thus creating a 3-way oath. It seems a bit convoluted a suggestion, however.
  
Clovis’ religious conversion, however, is mentioned in John Coke’s The Debate Betwene the Heraldes of Englande and Fraunce written in 1549. Coke’s book is a rather silly and jingoistic reworking of Le Débat des Héraulx d'armes de France et d'Engleterre written c.1460 and attributed to Charles, Duke of Orléans. Charles (cousin of the king of France) had been taken prisoner at the Battle of Agincourt and had then spent 25 years as a hostage in England during which time he became a renowned poet. Unlike Coke’s petulant work, however, Le Débat is a balanced piece about a discussion between 2 heralds in a garden (one French and one English) each trying to convince the Lady Prudence of the various virtues of his own country – which has the best food, which was the prettier landscape, which has the more skilled artisans, which has the most beautiful women etc. Being fictional, however, neither herald is named.
    
What is intriguing about Montjoie the herald is that he seems to have been almost written out of French history. One explanation for this could relate to the period following the deaths of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France in 1422. Whereas the Treaty of Troyes had made provision for Henry’s son (Charles’ grandson) Henry to succeed to the throne of France upon Charles’ death, by dying a few months before Charles, Henry V’s demise gave new hope to the supporters of Charles’ son the Dauphin also named Charles. However, with both Paris (the seat of law) and Rheims (the place of coronation) controlled by the Plantagenets and the Burgundians respectively, Charles was in no practical position to effect his claim. It’s quite possible, therefore, that Montjoie and the other French heralds, based in Paris (and by definition sticklers for law and protocol) would have acceded to the terms of the Treaty of Troyes and duly proclaimed Henry’s infant son (Henry VI of England) as Henri II of France to the citizenry of Paris, Rouen and Bordeaux etc. For this they would no doubt have been seen as traitors or quislings by the Armagnac supporters of the dauphin Charles. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the saying Le roi est mort, vive le roi! is first attributed to the accession of Charles VII upon the death of his father. This could have been to symbolically get around the inconvenient facts on the ground. It also seems that if heralds did play a role in the proclamation of a new king in France prior to 1422 then that tradition was generally discontinued after that date.

The question of heralds, proclamations and contested accessions is topical. The following 10 realms have issued formal proclamations on the accession of King Charles III:

(in chronological order)

Australia - the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website issued a proclamation naming ‘King Charles the Third, by Grace of God King of Australia and his other realms and territories’ dated the 9th of September. The proclamation was signed by prime minister Anthony Albanese and read out by Governor-General David Hurley at Parliament House, Canberra on the 11th of September.
    
Great Britain & Northern Ireland – on the 10th of September the Accession Council of the United Kingdom in St James's Palace, Westminster, proclaimed ‘Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of his other Realms and Territories, King’. This was then relayed to the public outside by Garter, King of Arms.
 
The Bahamas – on the 10th of September in Parliament Square, Nassau, the former prime minister Hubert Ingraham read out a proclamation signed by Governor General Sir Cornelius Smith which stated that ‘King Charles III by the death of our sovereign Queen Elizabeth II, is now formally proclaimed sovereign of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas’. The text of the proclamation is not carried on the Bahamas government website and the current prime minster Philip Davis, who attended the ceremony, is reported to have said that he would wish for a republic.
    
Canada – on the 10th of September at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, the Chief Herald of Canada read out a proclamation in English and French, in the name of Governor General Mary Simon and the Privy Council of Canada which proclaimed ‘Charles Trois, par la Grâce de Dieu, Roi du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires’. The ceremony was attended by prime minister Justin Trudeau. Note the wording of the proclamation which puts the United Kingdom ahead of Canada.
  
Antigua & Barbuda – on the 10th September in Government House, St John’s, the director of communications Maurice Merchant read a proclamation which stated that “the High and Mighty Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now, by death of our late Sovereign of happy and glorious memory, become our only lawful and rightful Lord Charles the Third by the Grace of God, King of Antigua and Barbuda and of His other Realms and Territories”. No mention of the statement appears on the A&B government website and prime minister Gaston Browne has stated a referendum on becoming a republic could take place “within the next, probably, 3 years”.

New Zealand – on the 11th of September at Parliament House, Wellington, the New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary Phillip O’Shea and kaumātua Kura Moeahu read out a proclamation in English and Maori from Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, prime minister Jacinda Ardern and the Executive Council proclaiming ‘Kīngi Tiāre te Tuatoru, i runga i te Atawhai o te Atua, ko Ia te Kīngi o Aotearoa me Ērā Atu o Ōna Whenua’. The text of the proclamation is not carried on the New Zealand government website and Ardern has stated that New Zealand will become a republic “over the course of my lifetime”.
  
Grenada – on the 12th of September in Government House, St George’s, a proclamation from Governor-General Dame Cécile La Grenade, prime minister Dickon Mitchell and other members of the Houses of Parliament was read out by Governor La Grenade proclaiming that “the High and Mighty Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now, by death of our late Sovereign of happy and glorious memory, become our only lawful and rightful Lord Charles the Third by the Grace of God, King of Grenada and of His other Realms and Territories”.
   
Solomon Islands – on the 12th of September in Honiara, Governor General Sir David Vunagi read out the proclamation of the UK Accession Council. The Solomon Islands were not mentioned by name.

Papua New Guinea – on the 12th of September in Port Moresby, Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae is reported to have proclaimed King Charles III as head a state in a ceremony in front of Parliament House. The text of the proclamation is not available and there is no mention of it on either the PNG parliament or prime minister’s websites.

Jamaica – on the 13th of September in King’s House, Kingston, Governor-General Sir Patrick Linton Allen proclaimed that ‘King Charles III is, By the Grace of God, King of Jamaica and of his Other Realms and Territories’. The proclamation makes no reference to the parliament or the government of Jamaica. The text of the proclamation is posted on the Governor-General’s website but no mention of it appears on either the parliament or the government websites.
   
As well as the sovereign independent realms there have been a slew of proclamations and announcements made in constituent union realms, principalities, crown dependencies, associated states, overseas territories, federal states, provinces, lordships and counties etc such as Scotland (Lord Lyon, King of Arms), Bermuda (Governor Rena Lalgie), Tasmania (Governor Barbara Baker), Isle of Man (Lieutenant-General Sir John Lorimer), Cayman Islands (Governor Martin Roper), Wales (Herodr Arbennig Cymru and the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan), Cook Islands (King’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters), Northern Ireland (Norroy and Ulster, King of Arms), Turks & Caicos Islands (Governor Nigel Dakin) Newfoundland & Labrador (Governor Judy Foote), Gibraltar (Vice Admiral Sir David Steel), Queensland (Governor Jeannette Young), Jersey (Bailiff Sir Timothy Le Cocq) etc.

The following realms and territories have (so far as is known) issued no proclamations as yet:

Belize
St Lucia
St Kitts & Nevis
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Tuvalu
Norfolk Island
Christmas Island
Cocos Keeling Islands
Niue
Tokelau

It could be that these are waiting until after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth before making a decision.




(French heralds proclaim the Treaty of Arras on 21 September 1435 following a congress which saw a rapprochement between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions in France and marked the beginning of the end of Plantagenet fortunes in the Hundred Years War.)

I've just stumbled upon this ...

From wiki: "Monte do Gozo (Hill of Joy) is a hill in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It is known for being the place where Christian pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) get their first views of the three spires of their destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. At 370 metres (1,210 ft), it is the pilgrims' last hill and last stop before reaching the cathedral, with about an hour's walk still to go, and by tradition is where they cry out in rapture at finally seeing the end of their path."

Like with the various Montjoie hills on the final approach to Mont Saint-Michel in France, Santiago de Compostela was well established as a pilgimage site long before the 1st Crusade, although the Monte do Gozo hill might well have acquired its name later, particularly as French wiki says that a chapel was built on the hill by the bishop of Compostelle in 1105 (that's just six years after Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders). Either way it illustrates yet again that the term montjoie, or its equivalent, was used outside of France (in the Middle Ages Santiago de Compostella was at various times within the kingdoms of Asturias, Galicia, Leon or Castile).

PS :

Mount Joy is also the name of a small but prominent hill located in the suburbs of Durham (NE England) which overlooks the whole city at about a mile distant from the cathedral and city centre. Durham Cathedral's relics include Saint Cuthbert's bones (transported to Durham in 875 by monks fleeing a Danish raid on Lindisfarne monastery and despite the ravages of Henry VIII they are thought to remain intact below his shrine within the cathedral), plus Saint Oswald's head which was supposedly interred alongside St Cuthbert remains (although there are at least four other claimed heads of Oswald in continental Europe) and also the Venerable Bede's remains. Before the rise to pre-eminence of Canterbury Cathedral and the associated cult of Saint Thomas à Becket (martyred in 1170) Durham was one of England's premier pilgrimage destinations. But again I'm not sure when Durham's Mount Joy hill acquired its name - for all I know it may just be a Victorian affectation.