Flanders and Hainault

Flanders- Fiefdom of West Francia

After the Treaty of Verdun the new border between Francia and the Middle Kingdom was established. The Middle Kingdom would for centuries remain an area where the

French Kings and the German Emperors would try and extend their power and influence. This battle started immediately after the Treaty was signed and the emergence of Flanders was a direct result of this. Despite the interference of the super powers, Flanders was able to remain largely independent until it became part of the Duchy of Burgundy in 1405.

Baldwin I (830-879)

After the break up of the Carolingian Empire, in a weakened West Francia, a local count Baldwin (Baudouin, Boudewijn) whose family stemmed from the middle Rhine and Alsace region, eloped, in 862, with Judith the daughter of the  King of West Francia, Charles the Bald. With the help of the East Francia  King Louis the Stammerer, he was able to  settle in the area that he was send to on official duty, Flanders. After an initial fury, Charles settled down and accepted the couple and he even bestowed Baldwin with a series of counties, including pagus Flandrensis, as well as the abbey of St Bertin (near St Omer in Artois).

Baldwin II (865 – 918)

After his death in 879, his son became Baldwin II, in order to defend his land against the Vikings he erected wooden citadels at St Omer, Bruges, Ghent and Kortrijk (Courtrai). He also utilised the opportunity to seize the royal and ecclesiastic estates which were abandoned by their owners during the Viking raids. It has been argued that the success of Flanders in following centuries was at least partially based on the strong leadership and its military success to fight the Vikings. Neighbouring France at the same time had to secede what became known as Normandy to these Vikings.

The count also successfully extended his territory to the south, adding the wealthy abbey of St Vaast in Arras. He had to overcome various Carolingian contenders who held properties in these lands, including Herbert I count of Vermandois, who traced his link back to Louis the Pious.

He also stabilised relations with Britain, he arranged to marry  Ælfthryth (Ælfthryth, Elftrude, Elfrida) of Wessex, a daughter of King Alfred the Great of England.

Arnulf I (890-965) and Baldwin III (940-962)

The fortification of the cities and the links with Britain proofed to be of enormous importance to the future of Flanders. After his death in 918 his son Arnulf inherited a rich and powerful Flanders (he was named after his distant ancestor St. Arnulf of Metz; this was intended to emphasize his family’s descent from the Carolingian dynasty ).

Arnulf I greatly expanded Flemish rule to the south, taking all or part of Artois, Ponthieu, Amiens, and Ostravent. He exploited the conflicts between Charles the Simple and Robert I of France, and later those between Louis IV and his barons.In his southern expansion Arnulf inevitably had conflict with the Normans, who were trying to secure their northern frontier. This led to the 943 murder of the Duke of Normandy, William Longsword, at the hands of Arnulf’s men.

Arnulf I had made his son Baldwin III co-ruler in 958 three years later he married Mathilde Billung of Saxony, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony, by whom he had a son, his heir Arnulf II.  Baldwin died before his father and was succeeded by his infant son Arnulf II, with his grandfather acting as regent.

Arnulf II (960-987)

After Arnulf’s death in 965, LotharII of Lotharingia felt strong enough to claim the Flemish Princedom. However the local nobles instead appointed the son of Baldwin III,  Arnulf II , Lothar than grabbed Arras in the south of the County. This new situation undermined the central power of the Count of Flanders and it allowed the smaller entities within this area  (the later cities) to obtain greater decentralised autonomy.

Baldwin IV (980-1035)

In 988 his son Baldwin IV became the new count and he started to extend his powers and established as such a greater authority over his territory. In 1018  he recaptured Ghent  from the Count of Holland. He also extended his territory further to the north into Zeeland and in the south he was able to obtain Valenciennes and parts of Hainault. This brought him in conflict with his overlord the German Emperor and one of the casualties in this power struggle here were the Counts Flamenses who had supported the  Emperor, as a consequence they had to flee and became the founders of the Counties of Gelre and Kleve (see: Gelre and Kleve).

His first was Ogive of Luxembourg, daughter of Frederick of Luxembourg, by whom he had a son and heir Baldwin V. He later married Eleanor of Normandy, daughter of Richard II of Normandy, by whom he had at least one daughter Judith who married Tostig Godwinson and Welf I, Duke of Bavaria.His granddaughter, Matilda of Flanders, would go on to marry William the Conqueror, therefore starting the line of Anglo-Norman Kings of England.

Baldwin V (1012 – 1067) and Baldwin VI (1030-1070)

During a long war (1046–1056) as an ally of Godfrey the Bearded, Duke of Lorraine, against the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, he initially lost Valenciennes to Hermann of Hainaut. However, when the latter died in 1051 Baldwin married his son Baldwin VI to Herman’s widow Richildis and arranged that the sons of her first marriage were disinherited, thus de facto uniting the County of Hainaut with Flanders (see below). Under his reign also most of Brabant was, in 1056,  incorporated in Flanders.

Arnulf III (1055 – 1071) and Robert I (1032 – 1093)

Baldwin VI early death left Flanders and Hainaut in the hands of his young son Arnulf III, with Richilde as regent. The countship was soon usurped by Baldwin’s brother Robert the Frisian, who became count Robert I of Flanders,  he was married to the Dowager Countess of Holland, Gertrude of Saxony, widow of Floris I, Count of Holland and daughter of Bernard II, Duke of Saxony and Eilika of Schweinfurt. He gained the friendship of King Philip I of France by offering him to marry his stepdaughter, Bertha of Holland.

Robert II (1065 – 1111)

His son Robert II of Flanders became  count in 1093, he joined the First Crusade two years later and made his wife Clementia of Burgundy regent in Flanders. During his absence, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV had tried to seize imperial Flanders. Robert responded by supporting the revolt of the Commune of Cambrai against the emperor and his supporters. Peace was restored in 1102 paid homage to the emperor for imperial Flanders, but after 1105, the new emperor, Henry V, marched on Flanders, with the aid of Baldwin III, Count of Hainaut and an army from Holland. Robert stopped them outside of Douai and a new peace was signed, in which the emperor recognized Robert’s claim to Douai and Cambrai.

Baldwin VII (1093 – 1119)

Baldwin VII succeeded his father when he died in 1111. He himself died – aged 24 – after being wounded at the Battle of Bures-en-Brai, where he was fighting Henry I of England, on behalf of Louis VI of France. When he was dying, Baldwin declared his cousin Charles his heir. Charles became the new Count of Flanders after his death.

Charles of Denmark/ Charles  I  of Flanders (1083 – 1127)

Charles I was born in Denmark, only son of King Canute IV (Saint Canute) and Adela of Flanders (the daughter of Robert I). His father was assassinated in Odense Cathedral in 1086, as a consequence Adela fled back to Flanders, taking the very young Charles with her. Charles grew up at the comital court of his grandfather Robert I and uncle Robert II.

Charles was noted for his kindness and generosity towards the poor. He also took action to prevent grain from being hoarded and sold at excessively high prices. Prodded by his advisors, he also began proceedings to reduce the influential Erembald family, which was heavily engaged in this scam. As a result the provost of the church of St. Donatian in Bruges, masterminded a conspiracy to assassinate Charles and his advisors.On the morning of March 2, 1127, as Charles knelt in prayer in the church of St. Donatian, a group of knights answering to the Erembald family entered the church and hacked him to death with broadswords. The brutal and sacrilegious murder of the popular count provoked a massive public outrage, and he was almost immediately regarded popularly as a martyr and saint.The Erembalds were arrested and tortured to death by the enraged nobles and commoners of Bruges and Ghent. King Louis VI of France, who had supported the revolt against the Erembalds, used his influence to select his own candidate, William Clito, as the next Count of Flanders.

William Clito (1102 – 1128)

William was the son of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, after his father’s defeat and capture by Henry I of England at the Battle of Tinchebrai (1106) the young William fell into the king’s hands. However, with the assistance of supporters he was able to escape and ended up at the court of Count Baldwin VII of Flanders, William’s cousin.

Together with Baldwin they try and recapture Normandy but after the sudden death of Baldwin the rebellion collapsed. William now received the support of the French king Louis VI. The murder of Charles gave him a chance to further William’s fortunes. He marched into Flanders at the head of an army and got the barons of the province to accept William as their new count.

Initially, William did well, securing most of the county by the end of May. But English money and the emergence of a rival in Thierry of Alsace led to a deterioration of his position. Saint-Omer, Ghent and Bruges declared war against him. However, he struck back at Bruges and defeated Thierry with his Norman knights and French allies.

At this point he was joined by his father-in-law, Duke Godfrey of Brabant, and together their armies besieged Aalst. But he was wounded and the wound became gangrenous and William died at the age of twenty-five on 28 July 1128.

Thierry (Dietrich) of Alsace (1099 – 1168)

After the murder of his cousin Charles the Good, Thierry claimed the county as grandson of Robert I, but William Clito became count instead. After his death Thierry was the only claimant to the county.

He set up his government in Ghent and was recognized by all the Flemish cities as well as King Henry, who had his Flemish lords in England swear fealty to him. Thierry himself swore homage to Louis VI after 1132, in order to gain the French king’s support against Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut, who had advanced his own claim on Flanders.

In 1139 then went on the first of many pilgrimages as a crusader to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and married Sibylla of Anjou, daughter of King Fulk of Jerusalem and widow of William Clito; a very prestigious marriage.

During one of these pilgrims he had to returned to Flanders to put down a revolt in the Duchy of Lower Lotharingia, ruled at the time by Godfrey III of Leuven.

During his reign Flanders prospered during a period of relative peace.

 

Prominent Crusaders

Flanders has played a key role in the crusades between 1095 and 1291. Godfrey of Bouillon has arguably been the only successful crusader and this saw the start of long term involvement of Flemish nobles in the Holy Land with titles such as Kings of Jerusalem and Emperors of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.

When Pope Urban II called for a holy war against the Islamic forces, Godfrey of Bouillon of Lorraine took out loans on most of his lands, or sold them, to the bishop of Liège and the bishop of Verdun. With this money he gathered thousands of knights to fight in the Holy Land. In this he was joined by his older brother, Eustace, and his younger brother, Baldwin, who had no lands in Europe.

Robert of Flanders joined the Brabantine and Lorraine forces in the First Crusade. Legend has it the Dietrich of Flanders  brought the Holy Blood to Bruges from Jerusalem, which received magical veneration. His son Philip I of Flanders died in the Third Crusade during yet another siege of Acre.

There is a 2nd legend linked to Flanders and the Holy Blood, according to a different story Judith of Flanders, daughter of Baldwin IV and married to Duke Welf I (or IV) of Bavaria brought back the blood soaked earth of Jesus that had been retrieved by one the Roman soldiers. On her deathbed Judith bequeathed the reliquary to Weingarten Abbey in Bavaria.

Another Flemish member of the family, Baldwin IX was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade and became, as Baldwin I, in 1204 the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He failed to make peace with the Bulgars and – year later – was killed by them. His son Henry of Flanders was more successful, he became the 2^nd emperor of Constantinople and under his reign the Latin Empire reached its height of power. After Henry’s death, Baldwin daughter Johanna (Jeanne) of Flanders ruled as empress. However, she could not seriously oppose Philip Augustus King of France. He took effective control over Flanders and Hainault. Under his influence Peter II of Courtney was appointed at the next Emperor of the Latin Empire Peter was married to Johanna’s’s aunt Yolanda of Flanders who became the rent of the Latin Empire.

Of course the Flemish resisted French domination and when Philip Augustus died in 1223 there were rumours that Baldwin would rise to once again take control. A fantasy that fitted nicely in the eschatology and chiliastic believes of the Middle Ages. A year later a hermit from around Tournai was recognised as Baldwin. He was instantly accepted by the cities as well as by the nobility as the Count. Civil war saw the deposition of Johanna. In 1225 he was officially crowned as Count of Flanders and Emperor of Constantinople and Thessalonica.

There was mass hysteria around this ‘saviour’ and poor and rich bestowed him with whatever they could lay their hands on. This ‘saviour’ status was certainly helped by the fact that Flanders in that year had one of its worst famines ever. He signed a treaty with Henry III of England, who did see in him a powerful ally against France. This saw the French King Louis VII form an alliance with Countess Johanna. Louis exposed that the hermit; he could not recall important elements of Baldwin’s activities during the Fourth Crusade and he established that he in fact was a serf named Bertrand of Ray from Burgundy, who had participated in that crusade as a minstrel.

While he initially still had popular support, Bertrand lost his nerve and fled from city to city – on the run for the King of France – finally he was caught and hanged in Lille.

See also: Crusades.

 

 

Dating back to Merovingian times the region attracted a number of important monasteries, some were mentioned above others will follow below. Many of these monasteries received large donations of land both for religious purposes as well as for the protection of their properties against subdivision according to Frankish inheritance rule. Very large areas of low laying lands along the coast were donated to monasteries as they had a very low value. The only use for this land was sheep farming and this became the basis for the important cloth industry that started to emerge in the 11th century, that would make Flanders one of the wealthiest parts of Europe.

The Foundation of Ghent

The city receives its name from Ganda/Góntia which was the name of the local Celtic goddess of the moon. Archaeological evidence shows occupation throughout the Stone and Iron Ages and during the Roman period. When the Franks invaded the region they most likely also took over the remnants of what had been left over from the Roman civilisation. The Franks established the Merovingian empire and this region became a centre of their activities.

The Merovingian king Clothar II asked if the missionary Amandus could come and preach amongst his subjects. In 628  he established two small monasteries Ganda (on the confluence of the rivers Scheldt and Leie) and Mount Blandin; a few years later Amandus was joined in Ghent by (Saint) Bavo.

At the Treaty of Verdun in 843 the Scheldt became the boarder between East Francia and the Middle Kingdom. The Vikings ransacked the city twice and for a while had here their own settlement right on the border near the current Duivelsteen, where today there is still the last remnant of the old Scheldt left. Apart from their plundering the Vikings also stimulated trade and long lasting relations were built with the Viking rulers in what would later become Holland.

Shorty after the Vikings went the town re-centred around Gravensteen [1.  Gravensteen, Sofie Derom, 1995] .

Gravensteen Ghent

The site of the impressive castle right in the middle of Ghent was perhaps already used by the Romans it is positioned on an oblong island formed by the rivers Lys and Lieve.

After the Flemish Count Baldwin had built the first wooden citadel, Arnulf, early in the 10^th century, reinforced the site which became known as Novum Castellum. It was a small city where the inhabitants could retreat to in times of war. As an important river portus the current city of Ghent started to grow around the castle. The hotel we stayed in at the Korenlei was oposite the early portus.

By 1180 under Philip I of Alsace, count of Flanders the current castle started too look very recognisable to the people from that time.

As the caste was built for protection purposes, comfort was not a key issue. However, with the growing wealth of the city and the county the Counts were looking for a more prestigious palace and Louis the Male built the Prinsenhof (Counts Court), the first party given here was in 1355. It was also here that the later Emperor Charles V was born in 1500. The only part left of this once extensive complex is a small gate.

The High Court of the Council of Flanders took place at Gravensteen until 1778.

Gravensteen means (stone) castle of the counts. I visited the castle in 2007

Flanders part of Duchy of Burgundy

The French King Charles V was able to arrange a marriage between the Burgundy Duke Philip the Bold and Margaret de Male, the only daughter of the Louis de Male, duke of Flanders. This marriage took place on June 19, 1369 in Gent and was one of the most spectacular weddings ever seen in Europe. As a gift Charles ceded Walloon to Flanders.  Flanders was now -  all but in name – independent from France.

This was important as England was their main trading party, who was still in the midst of the 100 year war with France. At occasions France demanded Flemish troops and money to fight against the English but equally the Flemish (and Burgundians) were able to influence peace negotiations that lead to trading privileges between the Flemish and the English.

In 1370, Count Louis had the Count’s chapel built in the Church of Our Lady in Kortrijk to be a mausoleum for he himself and to honour the holy Catharina. The Chapel, which we visited in 2007,  contains paintings of all the rulers of Flanders.

Louis died in 1384 and Philip the Bold became the ruler of both Flanders and Burgundy. The county and the subsidiary counties were officially absorbed into the Duchy of Burgundy in 1405. For a while the cities could maintain their independence but under Philip the Good they lost this and slowly that would also lead to their economic downfall.

The title Count of Flanders however, continued until the French Revolution in 1795.

Economic powerhouse

It was the cloth and weaving industry that became the engine of the Flemish economy. The quality and fine colours of Flemish fabrics were prized throughout Europe, as far afield as in Constantinople. While technically a fief of France, its major trading partner was England and the 100 year war between England and France was often a major headache for the merchants.

Together with some of the mini states in Italy, Flanders and Brabant were amongst of the richest places in Europe with important trading cities such as Ghent, Brugge, Antwerp and Mechelen. However, the richness of these cities also made them very powerful and the Count of Flanders/Duke of Burgundy had to continuous negotiate taxes and privileges in order to get the cooperation of these cities. Conflicts between the cities and the counts and dukes continued to well into the 16th century, when finally the centralised government could establish their authority over the for ever divided cities. Also on a political, legal and bureaucratic level they had lost their struggle with the much better organised central government.

The richness of the merchants stood also in stark contrast to the poverty of the majority of the people. Many of these rich merchants didn’t live in these Flanders cities but organised their trade through their (Hanse) kantors. This huge divide between rich and poor also led to several popular uprisings and eventually the Reformation. This also meant the final death-knell for the economic boom, with the fall of Antwerp in 1585 trade moved up to Amsterdam, which rapidly started its Golden Age.

Antwerp and Ghent started to develop its own trading skills in the 10^th century. Flemish merchant were already trading in England around that time. Already in the 13^thcentury cities such as Ghent, Ypres and Bruges were digging canals to improve their trading facilities.

As was rather unique in Europe the Flemish cities became a dominant political force. They participated in military actions and were involved in decision making process both in relation to national as well as international affairs.

Until well into the 16th century Ghent remained the largest city in northern Europe, larger than London,  Cologne or Moscow . Only Paris started to rival Ghent in the late 14th century.

Early forms of democracy

Until 1302 the city of Ghent was ruled by 39 rich patrician families. This ended with the Battle of the Golden Spurs at the patricians supported the King of France who was defeated by the Count of Flanders, who in turn was supported by the guilds and tradespeople of Ghent and Brugge. From this time onwards these two last groups did receive a greater say in the ruling of the city.

The power of the people of Ghent showed again during the first phase of the Hundred Year war. The Count of Flanders had chosen the side of the King of France against the King of England. England was of critical importance to the city of Ghent as it was the key trading partner in the wool trade and because of the alliance England had stopped the trade with Ghent. The rich cloth merchant Jacob van Artevelde led the revolt against the Count and in 1339 established a Council of five Chiefs (Audiëntie) of which he was the leader, he was as such recognised by the rest of the Country of Flanders. He established a city alliance between Ghent, Ypres and Brugge (The Three Members) and tried to establish better social relationships between the different groups within the city. He reformed the administration of the city and requested the Count to use Flemish bureaucrats when he was in the County.

He was killed under rather unclear circumstances during a local uprising in 1345 – perhaps because of his often rather tyrannic regime as some have suggested. However, his legacy as a ‘wise ruler’  survived. His sons fled to England and Philip van Artevelde went back to Ghent in 1360. He organised a range of rather successfulness uprising between 1379 and 1382. He had some success in May that year, however he was killed in  a battle led by the French later on in that year.

In 1386, the ‘Three Members’ became the official Council of Flanders (Raad van Vlaanderen)  under Philip the Bald and was established in Bruges. A new member was added the ‘Franc of Bruges’ so it became known as the ‘The Four Members’. However in 1407 the Council was moved to Gravensteen in Ghent.

The administration of the town was in the hand of 26 justices (schepenen). The guilds and tradespeople held no less than 20 of these seats.

The relationship between the city and the counts remained uneasy. Over the next two hundred years there were regular uprisings, all aimed at keeping the city independence. However, at no time was the remarkable democratic city able to remain totally independent. The situation deteriorated in particular under the Dukes of Burgundy. Philip the Good wanted to wind back the city privileges to the situation before the Battle of the Golden Spurs.  A particular devastating uprising was triggered by a permanent tax on salt that Philips wanted to impose on the city.  This resulted in the Revolt of Ghent (1449 – 1453) when Philip the Good subdued the city in a bloody way – known as the Battle of Gavere – that cost the lives of between 16.000 and 20.000 people.

Over the following period – under the Dukes of Burgundy – a far more sophisticated centralised administrative and legal system was established. The city was never able to match that level of professionalism. Together with the other cities Ghent failed to built a strong unified alliance between these economic powerhouses and the counts and dukes were only to eager to use this to create more division. This escalated under Hapsburg rule, the cities resisted the ongoing centralisation that was put upon them by Charles V.

Ghent revolted again between 1537 and 1539, it refused to pay the extra taxes needed for the Emperor’s war in Artois gainst France. This led to threats from Queen Mary and this in turn led to civil war between her supporters and the more radical and poorer elements in town; known as the creesers (krijsers). The economic situation had deteriorated over previous years and that in it self had also created significant social unrest,  Several diplomatic missions were send to Ghent but all at no avail. The people of Ghent then looked towards the French king for assistance, however he had at that moment no interest in meddling in the imperial affairs. The rebels than turned to the Emperor and tried to convince him of their ancient, but rather obsolete,  privileges. However, they were given a cold shoulder. The people then tore the privileges (known as the Calfskin from 1407) that Charles had confirmed to the city in 1515 apart and rebelled for days throughout the city.

Rather heavyhandedly Charles finally succeeded, in 1540, to end the revolt. He entered the city with 5,000 landknechts (halberdiers) and he settled himself in his birthplace the Prinsenhof. For the quartering of his troops he pulled down a whole district. He severely punished the city, the whole public treasure was confiscated, arms, artillery and ammunition stores  were taken away all of the possessions of the guilds and trades organisations were confiscated, included houses and financial resources. All the leaders were trialled and executed on the spot. He ordered a solemn apology and the citizens were ordered to march barefoot with nooses around their necks. Until this day the people of Ghent are commemorating their fallen comrades from 1540. The people of Ghent are still proudly know as noose bearers (stroppendragers). At the Ghentse Feesten (Ghent Festivities) I was able to get one of these nooses.

The famous ‘Klokke Roeland’ a church bell dating back to 1314 was taken from the Belfort Tower by Charles in 1540 to further humiliate the burghers of his birth town.

He issued a new constitution known as the Carolingian Concession. The Council and other city institutions were abolished and replaced with his own appointees. This  marked the decline of  the proud city state. However, in all reality, by that time the economic power-shift to Antwerp  and from there further north was well and truly under way.

Brugge

It isn’t until the 9th century before Brugge is mentioned (Bruggia, Bruccia – landing place or port). There are indications that there could be a link with Bryggen the port of Bergen, Norway. There were indeed early trading links between the two cities.

Like many other places in the Low Countries also Brugge grew throughout the Medieval Warm Period (800-1300) and because of its position both as a port and as a centre for wool growers it was able to establish itself as the most important trading city north of the Alps.

However, the silting up of the sea arm (Zwin) that provided the city with a sea port  threatened its future prosperity. A major flood in 1134 however, kept – at least for the next few hundred years – the Zwin open.

During the Golden Age of Brugge (14th century) also the Burgundian Dukes resided in the city and Charles the Bold married here Margarteha of York and together with his daughter Maria of Burgundy he is buried at the Church of Our Lady (Onze Live Vrouwe Kerk).

During Late Middle Ages we see that the role of merchant changed from a travelling merchant to a residing merchant. Brugge attracted merchants from all over Europe many of them established permanent representations in the city. These merchants, with their international connections, rapidly established international trading networks. Most of the important international business dealings were all done within their own network.

This of course linked in very well with a similar culture that existed in the Hanse and the Hanse Kantor in Brugge became the most important international network junction of northern Europe and Brugge became the first network-city of northern Europe ¹. This not just included these merchants themselves but also the innkeepers, the confraternities, guilds and various other social clubs;  all part of the big network family. These networks also played a social function especially in relation to their widows, orphans their sick and their poor. All highly religious people they also had a much wider positive social effect on the broader community of the city.

The city also was the first one to have a Bourse (since 1309). The name comes from the family who established this institution ‘van de Beurse’. It was at his premises that the merchants gathered to do their financial business and the establishment was soon known as the ‘Bruges Bourse’. For image see also: ‘Money Matters’

Such wealth gave rise to social upheavals against the ruling dukes and counts, which were for the most part harshly contained. However, after the BrugeMatins (the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by the members of the local Flemish militia on 18 May 1302), the population, for once, joined forces with the Count of Flanders against the French, culminating in the victory at the Battle of the Golden Spurs, fought near Kortrijk on July 11.

The ongoing threat of the silting up of its harbour continued relentlessly and after 1500 the city started to loose the battle with the water and had to hand over its leading trading position to Antwerp.

Hainault (Henegouwen)

In Roman times the pagus Hanoniensis was situated in the Roman provinces of Belgica and Germania.

The first known Count (of Mons) Reginar I possessed considerable domains between the Meuse and the Scheldt, the abbacies of Echternach, Stavelkot, St Servatius of Maastricht and lands in the Ardennes, Hainault and Brabant. Reginar was linked to the Carolinians through his mother Ermengard, a daughter of Lothar I. Reginar I ‘Longneck’ considered himself the natural leader of Lotharingia.

The most important cities were Mons (Bergen), Cambrai (Kamerijk) and Charleroi.

We also know Reginar from the battle he fought with the Frisian Prince Raboud in 870 against the Vikings See: Frisia)

The County of Hainault was split – after Reginar III was defeated by Bishop Bruno of Cologne in 958 – into the counties of Bergen, and Valenciennes.

In 1021 Emperor Henry II granted Gerard van Antoing from Hainault the lands of Gelre. This is seen as the start of County of Gelre, which became one of the most important regional powers in Low Countries.

In 1071 a succession war had erupted between Robert I of Flanders (or Robert the Frisian) and his nephew, Arnulf III (son of Baldwin VI of Flanders). Arnulf succeeded his father Baldwin in 1070 and was supported by his mother Richilde, Countess of Mons and Hainaut.

However, Robert challenged Arnulf’s succession to the throne of Flanders.

Arnulf’s ranks contained individuals such as the Counts Eustace II and III of Boulogne and Godfrey of Bouillon. He was supported by King Philip I of France since Philip’s aunt, Adèle Capet, married Baldwin V of Flanders. A contingent of ten Norman knights led by William FitzOsborn were among the forces sent by Philip to aid Arnulf. Adele’s and Baldwin’s daughter Mathilda married William of Normandy who in 1066 conquered England.

At Cassel, on 22 February 1071,  Robert’s forces launched a surprise attacked on Arnulf’s numerically superior army. Arnulf was killed along with William FitzOsborn while Richilde was captured by Robert’s forces. However, Robert himself was captured by Eustace II. Ultimately, Richilde was exchanged for Robert’s freedom.

The Battle led to the unification of the county of Hainaut as imperial fief.  After the defeat Richilde, tried to sell her fiefs to Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. He ordered the Bishop of Liège to purchase the fiefs and then return them as a unified county to the countess Richilde under feudal overlordship of the Duke of Lower Lotharingia.

The ‘new’ county of Hainaut, was strategically located in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, near to the borders with the Kingdom of France. Three unification fiefs were:

• the county of Mons
• the southern part of the landgraviate of Brabant
• the Ottonian margravate of Valenciennes

In 1299, after the murder on Floris V, the regency of this County was handed over to Jean I d’Avesnes Count of Hainaut (Henegouwen) who was married to Aleid the daughter of Floris IV. Two weeks later Jan I of Holland dies aged 15 and Jean became as Jan II the next Count of Holland.

From 1299 till 1345 Hainault would be governed under a personal union with Holland. The next set of counts called themselves the Counts of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut (William I and William II). One of William I  daughters, Philippa,  married Edward III of England.

In 1346 – after the death of William II, the male line of the Avesnes dynasty died out in Hainault. The eldest sister of the diseased count, Margaret was married to the German emperor Louis of Bavaria from the house of Wittlesbach. She declared herself a heir to do territory.

This was not tolerated by the neighbours in particular Holland. She had to agree to succeed Holland-Zeeland to her son Willem V. He in turn took also possession of Hainault after Margaret died in 1356, see Holland.

Today the historic county of Hainaut is territorially divided between Belgium and France.

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