Baldwin II, Count of Hainaut
Baldwin II, Count of Hainaut
| Baldwin II, Count of Hainaut | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1056 |
| Died | presumably 1098 Anatolia |
| Noble family | House of Flanders |
| Spouse(s) | Ida of Louvain |
| Father | Baldwin VI, Count of Flanders |
| Mother | Richilde, Countess of Mons and Hainaut |
Baldwin II of Mons (1056–1098?) was count of Hainaut from 1071 to his death. He was the younger son of Baldwin VI, Count of Flanders and Richilde, Countess of Mons and Hainaut.
| Baldwin II, Count of Hainaut | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1056 |
| Died | presumably 1098 Anatolia |
| Noble family | House of Flanders |
| Spouse(s) | Ida of Louvain |
| Father | Baldwin VI, Count of Flanders |
| Mother | Richilde, Countess of Mons and Hainaut |
History
Baldwin became Count after the death of his older brother, Arnulf III, Count of Flanders, at the battle of Cassel. His claim to the title Count of Flanders, as son of Baldwin VI, could not be enforced, and was usurped by his uncle Robert the Frisian.
During his minority, which lasted until 1083, Richilde constantly fought against Robert to recover Flanders for her son, but she was unsuccessful. In order to obtain funds, she enfeoffed the county to the Bishopric of Liege. With the funds obtained in the transaction, around 1072, she assembled a coalition that included the Duke of Bouillon, the counts of Namur, Louvain, Montaigu, Chiny, Hautmont (Clermont, according to Reiffenberg [1]) and others, all to no avail: Robert defeated the coalition decisively at Broqueroie. [1][2]
Baldwin joined the First Crusade in the army of Godfrey of Bouillon (rather than with his nearer relative Robert II of Flanders, whose family was still at odds with his own), after selling some of his property to the Bishopric of Liège. In 1098 he was sent back to Constantinople with Hugh of Vermandois after the siege of Antioch, to seek assistance from Byzantine emperor Alexius I. However, Baldwin disappeared during a raid by the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia, and was presumably killed.
Baldwin's fate remained uncertain for a long time. While on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1106, Baldwin's wife Ida organized a search for her lost husband in Anatolia, which was inconclusive.[3]
Family
He married Ida of Leuven (a daughter of Henry II, Count of Leuven and sister of Godfrey I of Leuven, Duke of Lower Lotharingia) in 1084. Their children were:
Baldwin III, Count of Hainaut
Louis, living 1096
Simon, a canon in Liege
Henry, living 1096
Willem, died after 1117
Arnould; m. Beatrix von Ath (b. c. 1075 – before 1136), daughter of Walter von Ath and Ade de Roucy. Father of Eustace the Elder of Roeulx.[2]
Ida, (c. 1085 – after 1101); 1m: Guy de Chievres; 2m: c. 1100 Thomas, Lord of Coucy (also called Thomas of Marle) [2]
Richilde, (c. 1095 – after 1118); m. c. 1115 (div. 1118) Amaury III de Montfort. Became a nun at Mauberge after the death of her husband.[2]
Aelidis, (before 1098 – 1153); m. Nicolas II de Rumigny
See also
Counts of Hainaut family tree