Baldwin V(c.1012 – 1 September 1067) wasCount of Flandersfrom 1035 until his death.[1]He secured thepersonal unionbetween the counties ofFlandersandHainautand maintained close links to the Anglo-Saxon monarchy, which wasoverthrownby his son-in-law,William the Conqueror,near the end of his life.
| Baldwin V | |
|---|---|
 Seal of Baldwin V | |
| Count of Flanders | |
| Reign | 1035–1067 |
| Predecessor | Baldwin IV |
| Successor | Baldwin VI |
| Regent of France | |
| Regency | 1060–1066 |
| Monarch | Philip I |
| Co-Regent | Anne of Kiev |
| Born | 19 August 1012 Arras,Flanders |
| Died | 1 September 1067(aged 55) Lille,Flanders |
| Spouse | Adela of France |
| Issue | |
| House | Flanders |
| Father | Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders |
| Mother | Ogive of Luxembourg |
Family
editBaldwin was born into theHouse of Flanders,the son ofBaldwin IV of FlandersandOgive of Luxembourg.Baldwin marriedAdela,daughter of KingRobert II of France,in 1028 inAmiens;[2]at her instigation he rebelled against his father but in 1030 peace was sworn and the old count continued to rule until his death. The couple had three children:Baldwin VI(1030–1070),[2]Matilda(c.1031–1083), who was married toWilliam the Conqueror,[2]andRobert I(c.1033–1093).[2]
Career
editDuring a long war (1046–1056) as an ally of DukeGodfrey III of Lower LorraineagainstEmperor Henry III,Baldwin initially lostValenciennesto CountHerman of Mons.However, when the latter died in 1049, Baldwin had his son, Baldwin VI, marry Herman's widowRichilde,[2]and arranged that the children of her first marriage were disinherited, thusde factouniting theCounty of Hainautwith Flanders.[3]Upon the death of Henry III this marriage was acknowledged by treaty byAgnes of Poitou,mother and regent ofHenry IV.
Baldwin V played host to a gratefulEmma of Normandy,the exiledqueen dowagerof England, atBruges.[4]He supplied armed security guards, entertainment, comprising a band ofminstrels.Bruges was a bustling commercial centre, and Emma fittingly grateful to the citizens. She dispensed generously to the poor, making contact with themonastery of Saint BertinatSt Omer,and received her son KingHarthacnutof England at Bruges in 1039.
From 1060 to 1067 Baldwin was the co-regentwithAnne of Kievfor his nephewPhilip I of France,indicating the importance he had acquired in international politics.[5]As count of Flanders, Baldwin supported the king of France in most affairs, but he was also father-in-law to DukeWilliam II of Normandy,who had married his daughter Matilda. Flanders played a pivotal role inEdward the Confessor's foreign policy when the king of England was struggling to find an heir. Historians have argued that he may have sentHarold Godwinsonto negotiate the return ofEdward the ExilefromHungary,and passed throughFlanders,on his way to Germany. Baldwin's half-sister had marriedEarl Godwin's third son,Tostig.[3]The half-DanishGodwinsonshad spent their exile inDublin,at a time William II of Normandy was fiercely defending his duchy. It is unlikely, however, that Baldwin intervened to prevent the duke's invasion plans of England, after the count had lost the conquered province ofPonthieu.Baldwin died 1 September 1067.[5]
References
edit- ^DeVries, Kelly (2020), Hosler, John D.; Isaac, Steven (eds.),"Count Baldwin V of Flanders: Broker of Eleventh-Century Power",Military Cultures and Martial Enterprises in the Middle Ages: Essays in Honour of Richard P. Abels,Boydell & Brewer, pp. 81–98,ISBN978-1-78744-852-0
- ^abcdeOksanen 2012,p. xii.
- ^abOksanen 2012,p. 12.
- ^Oksanen 2012,p. 11.
- ^abOksanen 2012,p. 257.
Bibliography
edit- Frans J. Van Droogenbroeck,De markenruil Ename – Valenciennes en de investituur van de graaf van Vlaanderen in de mark Ename,Handelingen van de Geschied- en Oudheidkundige Kring van Oudenaarde 55 (2018) S. 47-127
- Oksanen, Eljas (2012).Flanders and the Anglo-Norman World, 1066-1216.Cambridge University Press.
