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Counts of Flanders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The counts of Flanders were the rulers over the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French revolutionaries in 1790.
Although the early rulers, from Arnulf I onwards, were sometime referred to as margraves or marquesses, this alternate title largely fell out of use by the 12th century. Since then the rulers of Flanders have only been referred to as counts.
The counts of Flanders enlarged their estate through a series of diplomatic manoeuvres. The counties of Hainaut, Namur, Béthune, Nevers, Auxerre, Rethel, Burgundy, and Artois were acquired via marriage with the respective heiresses. Ironically, the county of Flanders itself suffered the same fate. By the marriage of Margaret III, Countess of Flanders with Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, the county and the subsidiary counties were absorbed into the Duchy of Burgundy in 1405.
Contents |
- 864-879 : Baldwin I Iron Arm, married Judith and was granted lands and honours in Flanders. These would evolve into the County of Flanders.
- 879-918 : Baldwin II the Bald, son of
- 918-964 : Arnulf I the Great, son of
- 958-962 : Baldwin III, son of and co-ruler with
- 964-988 : Arnulf II, son of
- 988-1037 : Baldwin IV the Bearded, son of
- 1037-1067 : Baldwin V of Lille, son of
- 1067-1070 : Baldwin VI, son of
- 1070-1071 : Arnulf III, son of
- 1071-1093 : Robert I the Frisian, son of Baldwin V
- 1093-1111 : Robert II of Jerusalem, son of
- 1111-1119 : Baldwin VII Hapkin, son of
- 1119-1127 : Charles I the Good, cousin of and designated by
- 1127-1128 : William I Clito of Normandy, great-grandson of Baldwin V and designated by Louis VI of France
- 1128-1168 : Derrick I of Alsace, grandson of Robert I and recognised by Louis VI of France
- 1168-1191 : Philip I of Alsace, son of
- 1191-1194 : Margaret I of Alsace, daughter of, married
- 1191-1195 : Baldwin VIII, husband of
- 1195-1205 : Baldwin IX of Constantinople, son of, also Latin Emperor of Constantinople as Baldwin I
- 1205-1244 : Jeanne I of Constantinople, daughter of
- 1244-1278 : Margaret II of Constantinople, sister of, married William II of Dampierre
- 1246-1251 : William I of Dampierre, son of, regent
- 1252-1305 : Guy I of Dampierre, son of
- 1305-1322 : Robert III of Bethune or the Lion of Flanders, son of
- 1322-1346 : Louis I of Nevers, son of
- 1346-1384 : Louis II of Male, son of
- 1384-1405 : Margaret III of Male, daughter of, married Philip II, Duke of Burgundy
- 1405-1419 : John the Fearless, son of
- 1419-1467 - Philip II the Good, son of
- 1467-1477 : Charles II the Bold, son of
- 1477-1482 : Mary I the Rich, daughter of, married
- 1493-1519 : Maximilian, husband of, also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire as Maximilian I
- 1519-1556 : Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, grandson, also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire as Charles V
Charles V proclaimed the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 eternally uniting Flanders with the other lordships of the Low Countries in a personal union. When the Habsburg empire was divided among the heirs of Charles V, the Low Countries, including Flanders, went to Philip II of Spain, of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg.
- 1556-1598 : Philip III, son of, also King of Spain as Philip II
- 1598-1621 : Isabella Clara Eugenia, daughter of, married Albert, Archduke of Austria)
- 1621-1665 : Philip IV, nephew of, also King of Spain as Philip IV
- 1665-1700 : Charles III, son of, also King of Spain as Charles II
Between 1706 and 1714 Flanders was invaded by the English and the Dutch during the War of the Spanish Succession. The fief was claimed by the House of Habsburg and the House of Bourbon. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht settled the succession and the County of Flanders went to the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg.
- 1714-1740 : Charles IV, great grandson of Philip III
- 1740-1780 : Mary II Theresa, daughter of, married Francis I
- 1780-1790 : Joseph I, son of, also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire as Joseph II
The title was factually abolished in the aftermath of the French revolution and the annexation of Flanders by France in 1795. Although, the title remained officially claimed by the descendants of Leopold II until the reign of Karl I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
- 1790-1792 : Leopold, brother of, also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire as Leopold II
- 1792-1835 : Francis II, son of, also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire as Francis II
- 1835-1848 : Ferdinand, son of, also Emperor of Austria as Ferdinand I
- 1848-1916 : Francis III Joseph, grandson of Francis II, also Emperor of Austria as Francis Joseph I
- no claimants after 1839
In modern times, from 1815 onwards the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was established by the Congress of Vienna and William I of the Netherlands was made King of the Netherlands (Latin: rex belgium). The Belgian Revolution of 1830 caused a split in the kingdom between the North and the South. Neither he or his descendants made any claims to the title of count of Flanders after 1839, when a peace treaty between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Belgium was signed.
- Prince Philippe of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of Leopold I of Belgium
- Prince Charles of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of Albert I of Belgium
In modern times, from 1831 onwards the title of Count of Flanders has been given to younger sons of the Kings of the Belgians (Latin: rex belgarum).
- Juan Carlos I, King of Spain
The title Count of Flanders is one of the titles of the Spanish Crown.