County of Flanders
Belgium, 866 CE–1797. Draft, not yet reviewed
The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Brabant and Hainaut, it was within the territory of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, the economic activity of the Flemish cities, such as Ghent, Bruges, Ypres and Lille, made Flanders one of the most affluent regions in Europe, and also gave them strong international connections to trading partners. The county of Flanders officially ceased to exist in 1795, when it was annexed by France, and divided into two departments.
Seat of power: Bruges
Rulers
Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut
Count of Flanders, 1191–1194
Baldwin was count of Hainaut (1171-1195), margrave of Namur as Baldwin I (1189-1195) and count of Flanders as Baldwin VIII (1191-1195). Baldwin acquired Flanders with his marriage to his widowed third cousin once removed Margaret I of Flanders in 1169.
Portrait of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut: Olivier De Wree,Lambertus Vossius, Public domain, file
Baldwin I of Constantinople
Count of Flanders, 1194–1205
Baldwin took possession of a much-reduced Flanders, lessened by the large chunk, including Artois, given by Philip of Alsace as dowry to Baldwin's sister Isabelle of Hainaut. The eight years of Baldwin's rule in Flanders were dominated by his attempts to recover some of this land. The Treaty of Péronne was signed in January 1200 on the condition that Baldwin receive the territories he had won during the war.
Portrait of Baldwin I of Constantinople: maître de fauvel, Public domain, file
Joan, Countess of Flanders
Count of Flanders, 1205–1244
Joan's policies favored economic development in her counties; in fact, she granted several charters to the Flemish cities. Joan then ruled her counties alone from the age of 14. She faced the rivalry of her younger sister, Margaret, as well as the revolt of her domains, guided by a man who claimed to be her father.
Portrait of Joan, Countess of Flanders: Olivier De Wree,Lambertus Vossius, Public domain, file
Culture
- The wealth of many Flemish cities (as their belfries and cloth halls testify) came from the drapery industry.
- The wool trade with England was of special importance to the rising cloth industry in Flanders.
- Flemish knights in the 11th and 12th centuries were some of the most effective and well-respected knights of Europe even before the Crusades.
- Trade in Flanders was so extensive that statues of the Madonna and Child were made in Flanders with ivory, which was accessible only by the Indian Ocean trade networks.
Picture
The Belfry of Bruges is a medieval bell tower in the centre of Bruges, Belgium.
Image: Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.