Baldwin of Bethune
Encyclopedia
Baldwin of Bethune or Baldwin de Béthune (French: Baudoin de Béthune Dutch: Boudewijn van Bethune) (c. 1158-1212), a knight
from the House of Bethune
in Artois
and a crusader
, was close companion to successive English kings and on marriage to Hawise of Aumale
became Count of Aumale with extensive estates in England.
of Arras
and Lord of Béthune
, and his wife Alice, daughter of Hugh III, Count of Saint-Pol.
His brothers included Robert VI of Béthune, Advocate of Arras and Lord of Béthune; William II of Béthune, also Advocate of Arras and Lord of Béthune; John of Béthune, Bishop of Cambrai; and Conon of Béthune
, poet, crusader and Regent of the Latin Empire
of Constantinople
.
His date of birth is unknown but would have been shortly before 1160, probably at Béthune.
In 1170, still in his teens, he was with his lifelong friend, William Marshal
in the court of Henry the Young King
. In 1180, at the great international tournament
of Lagny-sur-Marne
, he was a knight banneret
leading the Flemish team while William headed the English team.
About 1187, he was rewarded with his first landholding in England, the manor of Bramley, Surrey
. Once king, Richard I of England
added the manors of Wantage
, then in Berkshire, Luton
in Bedfordshire and Greens Norton
in Northamptonshire.
In 1191 he was with Richard’s contingent on the Third Crusade
in Palestine
where his father Robert, who was with the Flemish contingent, died. When Richard set out on his incognito voyage home in 1192, Baldwin was with him. They were blown ashore in a December storm near Aquileia
and the disguised Richard was captured by his Austrian enemies at an inn near Vienna
.
Baldwin stood hostage for him, let loose to organise a ransom into which he put not only months of effort but much of his own money as well. As well as cash to free Richard, Leopold V, Duke of Austria
wanted two princesses, including Eleanor
, niece of Richard. Early in December 1194, Baldwin was sent with two princesses to Vienna and told that if he did not turn up with them his life would be forfeit. Before they arrived, the Duke died and with him the death threat.
In 1195 Baldwin married, gaining through his wife vast lands and the title of Count of Aumale. The lands of Aumale
itself were however lost shortly after in 1196, when the French captured and kept them. In 1197 Baldwin was one of the English delegates to the election of Richard’s nephew Otto IV of Germany as Holy Roman Emperor
.
Through the stormy years of King John, he was less close to the king and no doubt occupied with running both his wife’s and his own extensive estates in England. On 13 or 14 October 1212 he died, probably at Hawise’s house of Burstwick
in Yorkshire, and was buried in the chapter house at Meaux Abbey
, of which nothing remains. On 3 November, Hawise promised the king 5000 marks (£3333) to keep her lands and avoid a fourth marriage.
promised both William Marshal and Baldwin that he would find them rich heiresses to marry and in 1189 was arranging a match for Baldwin with the heiress of Châteauroux
in the French province of Berry
when he died. His son and successor Richard gave her to a French noble instead, saying he would find someone better for Baldwin.
It was not until 1194, when Richard got back to England from crusade and captivity, that he fulfilled the promise and gave Baldwin the twice-widowed Hawise of Aumale. Their wedding was in the cathedral of Sées
in Lower Normandy, with Richard paying for both the celebrations and the honeymoon trip to England.
Not long after, Baldwin and Hawise had a daughter Alice, no doubt named after his mother. While still a child, she was engaged to William Marshal
the younger, son of William Marshal and Isabel of Pembroke, in 1203. As Baldwin’s heiress, it was specified in the contract that she would bring all his lands in England to her husband. (Hawise’s lands were to go to her son William de Forz
.) Alice did not long outlive her father, dying in her teens without having any children.
Some sources have claimed Baldwin as the ancestor of the Bethunes in Scotland, who start appearing in records there shortly after his death. Though some are called John, the name of one of Baldwin’s brothers, and some Robert, the name of another brother, none are ever called Baldwin.
Baldwin did in fact have a son called Baldwin, whether legitimate from a brief early marriage or illegitimate is unrecorded. This son inherited Baldwin’s lands in France, in particular the lordship of Chocques
, but later seems to have settled in England at Greens Norton as a tenant of his brother-in-law William Marshal the younger, by then 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and to have married a woman called Joan. Nothing is known of any children.
In England, using county boundaries in force at the time:
Bedfordshire. Luton.
Berkshire. Wantage.
Buckinghamshire. Aylesbury.
Hampshire. Ovington, Polhampton.
Hertfordshire. Rushden.
Kent. Brabourne, Kemsing, Sutton Valence.
Norfolk. Foulsham, Hengham, Roltesham.
Northamptonshire. Greens Norton.
Somerset. Haselbury Plucknett.
Worcestershire. Severn Stoke.
In France:
Chocques, Ecche, Lapugnoy, St Sauveur, St Pierre Mesnil
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
from the House of Bethune
House of Bethune
The House of Béthune or House of Bethune is a French noble house dating back to about 1000 CE. They came from Béthune, in the former province of Artois in the north of France. They were traditionally lords of the town and castle of Béthune and Advocates of the Abbey of St. Vaast at Arras...
in Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
and a crusader
Crusader
- Military :* Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades* Crusader states, states set up by the Europeans in the Middle East during The Crusades* Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II* HMS Crusader, three British naval ships...
, was close companion to successive English kings and on marriage to Hawise of Aumale
Hawise of Aumale
Hawise, countess of Aumale was the daughter and heiress of William "the Fat" , Count of Aumale and Cicely, daughter and co-heiress of William fitz Duncan. She became countess of Essex as well by her marriage to the third earl of Essex, William de Mandeville.Hawise was countess in her own right...
became Count of Aumale with extensive estates in England.
Origins
Baldwin was the third son of Robert V of Béthune, AdvocateAdvocatus Ecclesiae
Advocatus ecclesiae , literally 'advocate of the church', is the Latin title, in the Middle Ages, of certain lay persons, generally of noble birth, whose duty it was, under given conditions, to represent a particular church or monastery, and to defend its rights against force.-History:These...
of Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
and Lord of Béthune
Béthune
Béthune is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.-Geography:Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated South-East of Calais, West of Lille, and North of Paris.-Landmarks:...
, and his wife Alice, daughter of Hugh III, Count of Saint-Pol.
His brothers included Robert VI of Béthune, Advocate of Arras and Lord of Béthune; William II of Béthune, also Advocate of Arras and Lord of Béthune; John of Béthune, Bishop of Cambrai; and Conon of Béthune
Conon de Béthune
Conon de Béthune was a crusader and "trouvère" poet.-Life:...
, poet, crusader and Regent of the Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
His date of birth is unknown but would have been shortly before 1160, probably at Béthune.
Career
His career was as a knight in royal service, though not with the kings of his native France but with their English opponents.In 1170, still in his teens, he was with his lifelong friend, William Marshal
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
in the court of Henry the Young King
Henry the Young King
Henry, known as the Young King was the second of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine but the first to survive infancy. He was officially King of England; Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine.-Early life:Little is known of the young prince Henry before the events...
. In 1180, at the great international tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
of Lagny-sur-Marne
Lagny-sur-Marne
Lagny-sur-Marne is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France from the center of Paris....
, he was a knight banneret
Knight banneret
A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner and were eligible to bear supporters in English heraldry.The military rank of a knight banneret was...
leading the Flemish team while William headed the English team.
About 1187, he was rewarded with his first landholding in England, the manor of Bramley, Surrey
Bramley, Surrey
Bramley is a village and civil parish about three miles south of Guildford in the Borough of Waverley in Surrey, south east England. With a population of c.3,300 most of the parish lies in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is evidence of iron age settlement in the area,...
. Once king, Richard I of England
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
added the manors of Wantage
Wantage
Wantage is a market town and civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. The town is on Letcombe Brook, about south-west of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot....
, then in Berkshire, Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
in Bedfordshire and Greens Norton
Greens Norton
Greens Norton is a village in South Northamptonshire, England, just over from Towcester. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 1,587 people.-Facilities:It has a pub called the Butchers Arms, a post office, and a...
in Northamptonshire.
In 1191 he was with Richard’s contingent on the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
where his father Robert, who was with the Flemish contingent, died. When Richard set out on his incognito voyage home in 1192, Baldwin was with him. They were blown ashore in a December storm near Aquileia
Aquileia
Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times...
and the disguised Richard was captured by his Austrian enemies at an inn near Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
Baldwin stood hostage for him, let loose to organise a ransom into which he put not only months of effort but much of his own money as well. As well as cash to free Richard, Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V , the Virtuous, was a Babenberg duke of Austria from 1177 and of Styria from 1192 until his death...
wanted two princesses, including Eleanor
Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany
Eleanor the "Fair Maid of Brittany", 5th Countess of Richmond , also known as Damsel of Brittany or Pearl of Brittany for her peerless beauty, was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Constance, Duchess of Brittany...
, niece of Richard. Early in December 1194, Baldwin was sent with two princesses to Vienna and told that if he did not turn up with them his life would be forfeit. Before they arrived, the Duke died and with him the death threat.
In 1195 Baldwin married, gaining through his wife vast lands and the title of Count of Aumale. The lands of Aumale
Aumale
Aumale is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France.-Geography:A village of farming and associated light industry, situated in the valley of the Bresle River of the Norman Pays de Bray in Normandy on the border with Picardie. It is around ...
itself were however lost shortly after in 1196, when the French captured and kept them. In 1197 Baldwin was one of the English delegates to the election of Richard’s nephew Otto IV of Germany as 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...
.
Through the stormy years of King John, he was less close to the king and no doubt occupied with running both his wife’s and his own extensive estates in England. On 13 or 14 October 1212 he died, probably at Hawise’s house of Burstwick
Burstwick
Burstwick is a village and civil parish in the Holderness region of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated about east of Hull city centre...
in Yorkshire, and was buried in the chapter house at Meaux Abbey
Meaux Abbey
Meaux Abbey was a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1151 by William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle , Earl of York and 4th lord of Holderness, near Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire....
, of which nothing remains. On 3 November, Hawise promised the king 5000 marks (£3333) to keep her lands and avoid a fourth marriage.
Marriage and family
King Henry IIHenry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
promised both William Marshal and Baldwin that he would find them rich heiresses to marry and in 1189 was arranging a match for Baldwin with the heiress of Châteauroux
Châteauroux
Châteauroux is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussines or Castelroussins....
in the French province of Berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
when he died. His son and successor Richard gave her to a French noble instead, saying he would find someone better for Baldwin.
It was not until 1194, when Richard got back to England from crusade and captivity, that he fulfilled the promise and gave Baldwin the twice-widowed Hawise of Aumale. Their wedding was in the cathedral of Sées
Sées
Sées is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.It lies on the Orne River from its source and north-by-northeast of Alençon.-Name:...
in Lower Normandy, with Richard paying for both the celebrations and the honeymoon trip to England.
Not long after, Baldwin and Hawise had a daughter Alice, no doubt named after his mother. While still a child, she was engaged to William Marshal
William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was a medieval English nobleman, and the son of the famous William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.-Early life:William was born in Normandy probably during the spring of 1190...
the younger, son of William Marshal and Isabel of Pembroke, in 1203. As Baldwin’s heiress, it was specified in the contract that she would bring all his lands in England to her husband. (Hawise’s lands were to go to her son William de Forz
William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
William II de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle was an English nobleman. He is described by William Stubbs as "a feudal adventurer of the worst type".-Family background:...
.) Alice did not long outlive her father, dying in her teens without having any children.
Some sources have claimed Baldwin as the ancestor of the Bethunes in Scotland, who start appearing in records there shortly after his death. Though some are called John, the name of one of Baldwin’s brothers, and some Robert, the name of another brother, none are ever called Baldwin.
Baldwin did in fact have a son called Baldwin, whether legitimate from a brief early marriage or illegitimate is unrecorded. This son inherited Baldwin’s lands in France, in particular the lordship of Chocques
Chocques
Chocques is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village by the banks of the Clarence River, some west of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D70 and the N43 roads...
, but later seems to have settled in England at Greens Norton as a tenant of his brother-in-law William Marshal the younger, by then 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and to have married a woman called Joan. Nothing is known of any children.
Landholdings
A list of lands held at some time in his own right, rather than through his wife, by Baldwin of Bethune.In England, using county boundaries in force at the time:
Bedfordshire. Luton.
Berkshire. Wantage.
Buckinghamshire. Aylesbury.
Hampshire. Ovington, Polhampton.
Hertfordshire. Rushden.
Kent. Brabourne, Kemsing, Sutton Valence.
Norfolk. Foulsham, Hengham, Roltesham.
Northamptonshire. Greens Norton.
Somerset. Haselbury Plucknett.
Worcestershire. Severn Stoke.
In France:
Chocques, Ecche, Lapugnoy, St Sauveur, St Pierre Mesnil