Counts of Flanders
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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.
Althought 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 were solely 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 |
[edit] List of Counts of Flanders
[edit] Hereditary peerages
[edit] House of Morini
- 864-879 : Baldwin I - Baldwin Iron Arm (married Judith Martel and designated by Charles II Martel, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of France)
[edit] House of Flanders
The House of Flanders originates from the combination of the Celtic House of Morini on the one hand, and from the Germanic House of Martel, or Carolingian dynasty, on the other hand.
- 879-918 : Baldwin II - Baldwin the Bald (son of)
- 918-964 : Arnulf I - Arnulf the Great (son of)
- 958-962 : Baldwin III (son of and co-ruler with)
- 964-988 : Arnulf II (son of)
- 988-1037 : Baldwin IV - Baldwin the Bearded (son of)
- 1037-1067 : Baldwin V - Baldwin of Lille (son of)
- 1067-1070 : Baldwin VI (son of, also Count of Hainaut)
- 1070-1071 : Arnulf III (son of, also Count of Hainaut)
- 1071-1093 : Robert I - Robert the Frisian (son of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders)
- 1093-1111 : Robert II - Robert of Jerusalem (son of)
- 1111-1119 : Baldwin VII - Baldwin Hapkin (son of)
[edit] House of Yngling
[edit] House of Normandy
- 1127-1128 : William I Clito - William Clito of Normandy (great-grandson of Count Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and designated by Louis VI, King of France)
[edit] House of Alsace
- 1128-1168 : Derrick I - Derrick of Alsace (grandson of Robert I, Count of Flanders and recognised by Louis VI, King of France))
- 1168-1191 : Philip I - Philip of Alsace (son of)
- 1191-1194 : Margaret I - Margaret of Alsace (daughter of, wife of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut)
[edit] House of Hainaut
- 1191-1195 : Baldwin VIII (husband of, also Count of Hainaut)
- 1195-1205 : Baldwin IX - Baldwin of Constantinople (son of, also Count of Hainaut and Latin Emperor of Constantinople)
- 1205-1244 : Jeanne I - Jeanne of Constantinople (daughter of, also Countess of Hainaut)
- 1244-1278 : Margaret II - Margaret of Constantinople (sister of, also Countess of Hainaut, married William II of Dampierre)
- 1246-1251 : William I (son of, regent)
[edit] House of Dampierre
- 1252-1305 : Guy I - Guy of Dampierre (son of)
- 1305-1322 : Robert III - Robert of Bethune or the Lion of Flanders (son of, also Count of Nevers)
- 1322-1346 : Louis I - Louis of Nevers (son of, also Count of Nevers and Count of Rethel)
- 1346-1384 : Louis II - Louis of Male (son of, also Count of Nevers, Count of Rethel, Count of Artois and Count of Burgundy)
- 1384-1405 : Margaret III - Margaret of Male (daughter of, married Philip II of Valois, Duke of Burgundy)
[edit] House of Burgundy or House of Valois
- 1405-1419 : John the Fearless (son of, also Count of Nevers, Count of Rethel, Count of Artois, Count of Burgundy and Duke of Burgundy)
- 1419-1467 - Philip the Good (son of, also Count of Nevers, Count of Rethel, Count of Artois, Count of Burgundy, Duke of Burgundy, Margrave of Namur, Duke of Brabant, Duke of Lothier, Duke of Limburg, Count of Holland, Count of Zeeland, Count of Hainaut and Duke of Luxemburg)
- 1467-1477 : Charles the Bold (son of, also Count of Nevers, Count of Rethel, Count of Artois, Count of Burgundy, Duke of Burgundy, Margrave of Namur, Duke of Brabant, Duke of Lothier, Duke of Limburg, Count of Holland, Count of Zeeland, Count of Hainaut, Duke of Luxemburg) Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen)
- 1477-1482 : Mary of Burgundy (daughter of, also Count of Nevers, Count of Rethel, Duke of Burgundy, Margrave of Namur, Duke of Brabant, Duke of Lothier, Duke of Limburg, Count of Holland, Count of Zeeland, Count of Hainaut, Duke of Luxemburg) Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen, married Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor)
[edit] House of Habsburg
- 1493-1519 : Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (husband of, also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire)
- 1519-1556 : Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (grandson)
Charles V proclaimed the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 uniting Flanders with the other lordships of the Low Countries. When the Habsburg empire was divided among the heirs of Charles V, the Low Countries, including Flanders, went to Philip II, king of Spain, of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg.
- 1556-1598 : Philip II of Spain (son of Charles V), also King of Spain, Portugal, Naples and Sicily)
- 1598-1621 : Isabella Clara Eugenia (daughter of Philip II), married Albert, Archduke of Austria)
- 1621-1665 : Philip IV of Spain (half brother), also King of Spain, Portugal, Naples and Sicily
- 1665-1700 : Charles IV (son of Philip IV), also King of Spain, Naples and Sicily)
Between 1706 and 1714 Flanders was invaded by the English and the Dutch during the War of the Spanish Succession. 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 V (great grandson of Philip II of Spain)
- 1740-1780 : Maria Theresa of Austria (daughter of Charles VI, married Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor)
- 1780-1790 : Joseph II of Austria (son) of, also Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
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 II, Holy Roman Emperor (brother)
- 1792-1835 : Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (son)
- 1835-1848 : Ferdinand I of Austria (son)
- 1848-1916 : Franz Joseph I of Austria (grandson of Francis II, also Emperor of Austria)
[edit] Life peerages
[edit] House of Orange-Nassau
- 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 an peace treaty between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Belgium was signed.
[edit] House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- 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).
[edit] See also
- County of Flanders
- Counts of Flanders family tree
- States of Flanders
- Romance Flanders
- Walloon Flanders
- Maritime Flanders
