Nov 10, 1280 - Margaret I de FLANDERS died. - Margaret was born about 1202, the younger daughter of Baldwin VI-IX, count of Flanders and Hainault, emperor of Constantinople, and Marie de Champagne. He left on the Fourth Crusade before she was born, and her mother left two years later, leaving Margaret and her older sister Jeanne in the guardianship of their uncle Philippe of Namur. After her mother died in 1204, and her father the following year, the now-orphaned Margaret and the much older Jeanne remained under Philippe of Namurs guardianship until 1208, when he gave their wardship to King Philippe II August of France. On 23 July 1212, aged only ten, she was married to her first husband Bouchard dAvesnes, a prominent Hainault nobleman, son of Jacques dAvesnes, seigneur dAvesnes, Condé et de Leuze and Ameline de Guise. Given Margarets youth the marriage could not be consummated for some years. However it was apparently a love match, initially approved by Margarets sister Jeanne, who had herself recently married. The two sisters subsequently had a falling-out over Margarets share of their inheritance, which led Jeanne to attempt to get Margarets marriage dissolved. She alleged that the marriage was invalid, and without much inspection of the facts of the case Pope Innocent III condemned the marriage, though he did not formally annul it. Bouchard and Margaret continued as a married couple, having three sons, two of whom would play an important part in the War of the Succession of Flanders and Hainault: Jan I, later count of Hainault; and Baldwin, sire de Beaumont. Their first-born son, also called Baldwin, had died in infancy. As the couples conflict with Jeanne grew violent, Philippe II August advised Pope Innocent III to declare the marriage of Bouchard and Margaret illegal. Innocent eventually excommunicated the couple on 19 January 1216. They took refuge in Luxembourg. In 1219 Bouchard was captured in combat and imprisoned in Ghent for two years. To obtain his liberation, Margaret in 1221 accepted the dissolution of the marriage and Bouchard left for Italy to fight for the Holy See. Upon his return he was decapitated at Rupelmonde on 7 September 12144, on the orders of Jeanne. While Bouchard was in Rome, Jeanne convinced Margaret to re-marry, this time to Guillaume de Dampierre, son of Guy II de Dampierre, seigneur de Bourbon, de Montlucon, the constable of Champagne, and Mahaut I, dame de Bourbon. Margaret and Guy had five children of whom two sons, Guy and Jean, would have progeny. The situation caused something of a scandal, for the marriage was bigamous in some eyes, and violated the churchs strictures on consanguinity as well. The disputes regarding the validity of the two marriages and the legitimacy of Margarets children by each husband continued for decades, becoming entangled in the politics of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1246 King Louis IX of France, acting as an arbitrator, gave the right to inherit Flanders to the Dampierre children, and the rights to Hainault to the Avesnes children. This would seem to have settled the matter, but in 1253 problems arose again. The eldest son, Jan I dAvesnes uneasy about his rights, convinced Willem II, count of Holland to seize Hainault and the parts of Flanders which were within the bounds of the empire. Willem was, as emperor-elect, overlord for these territories, and also Jans brother-in-law. A civil war followed, which ended when Willems brother Floris, regent of Holland, and Jan I dAvesnes defeated the forces of Jans mother Margaret and her son Guy de Dampierre at the Battle of Walchered on 4 July 1253. Following the death of Margaret in 1280, the union of Flanders and Hainault was formally dissolved. Margarets son Guy de Dampierre succeeded to the countship of Flanders, and her grandson Jan II dAvesnes became count of Hainault.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:55:56 +0000
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