Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders
Encyclopedia
Baldwin IV of Flanders known as the Bearded, was Count of Flanders
from 988 until his death. He was the son of Arnulf II, Count of Flanders
. His mother was Rozala of Lombardy.
, Hesdin
, and St. Pol.
To the north of the county Baldwin was given Zeeland
as a fief
by the Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II
, while on the right bank of the Scheldt
river he received Valenciennes
(1013) and parts of the Cambresis and Hainaut.
In the French territories of the count of Flanders, the supremacy of the Baldwin remained unchallenged. They organized a great deal of colonization of marshland along the coastline of Flanders and enlarged the harbour and city of Brugge.
, 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.
Count of Flanders
The Count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the position by the French revolutionaries in 1790....
from 988 until his death. He was the son of Arnulf II, Count of Flanders
Arnulf II, Count of Flanders
Arnulf II of Flanders was Count of Flanders from 965 until his death. He was the son of Baldwin III of Flanders and Mathilde Billung of Saxony, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony-History:...
. His mother was Rozala of Lombardy.
History
In contrast to his predecessors Baldwin turned his attention to the east and north, leaving the southern part of his territory in the hands of his vassals the counts of GuînesGuînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
, Hesdin
Hesdin
Hesdin is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:The N39, from Arras to Montreuil, used to be the main thoroughfare of the town. In the 1950s, a circular route was created to help traffic flow...
, and St. Pol.
To the north of the county Baldwin was given Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
as a fief
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
by the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
, while on the right bank of the Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
river he received Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
(1013) and parts of the Cambresis and Hainaut.
In the French territories of the count of Flanders, the supremacy of the Baldwin remained unchallenged. They organized a great deal of colonization of marshland along the coastline of Flanders and enlarged the harbour and city of Brugge.
Family
Baldwin first married Ogive of Luxembourg, daughter of Frederick of LuxembourgFrederick of Luxembourg
Frederick of Luxembourg , count of Moselgau, was a son of count Siegfried of Luxembourg and Hedwig of Nordgau.By a wife whose name is unknown , he had:...
, by whom he had a son and heir Baldwin V
Baldwin V, Count of Flanders
Baldwin V of Flanders was Count of Flanders from 1035 until his death.He was the son of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders, who died in 1035.-History:...
.
He later married Eleanor of Normandy, daughter of Richard II of Normandy, by whom he had at least one daughter Judith
Judith of Flanders, Countess of Northumbria
Judith of Flanders, Countess of Northumbria, and later Duchess of Bavaria was the wife firstly of Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria, and secondly of Welf I, Duke of Bavaria...
who married Tostig Godwinson
Tostig Godwinson
Tostig Godwinson was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson, the last crowned english King of England.-Early life:...
and Welf I, Duke of Bavaria
Welf I, Duke of Bavaria
Welf I was duke of Bavaria from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf branch of the House of Este. In the Welf genealogy he is counted as Welf IV.-Life and reign:...
.
His granddaughter, Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England. She bore William nine/ten children, including two kings, William II and Henry I.-Marriage:...
, would go on to marry William the Conqueror, therefore starting the line of Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
Kings of England.