The Flanders Connection part one

Exploring family trees can lead to unexpected discoveries providing greater knowledge and understanding of the past. Many years ago I discovered links in our family tree to William the Conqueror plus the Norman and Plantagenet kings of England as well as royalty in Scotland. Exploring William's ancestry leads to the arrival of Vikings in France many years earlier. But the family tree of his wife, Matilda of Flanders, also meanders through other important paths of our history.

Flanders

The County of Flanders is located in Belgium with one border on the North Sea. The county borders France in the south-west and it is across the sea from England. The area is part of the Low Countries.

Duchy of Normandy in 1066 - north east border with Flanders.

As Normandy and Flanders were neighbours it is not surprising that marriages had occurred for generations between the two locations.

Matilda of Flanders 

Matilda of Flanders was born 1031 in Bruges, Belgium. Her father was Count Baldwin V of Flanders (1012-1079) and her mother was Adela of France (1009-1079). Adela was the daughter of Robert II, King of the Franks (later known as France) and Adelaide of Aquitaine making Matilda the granddaughter of the French king. She could therefore be said to have royal connections.

Matilda probably married William, Duke of Normandy in 1051. As William's parents were not married when he was born he was considered to be base-born. Marrying Matilda with her royal connections helped raise William's status. Initially Pope Leo IX would not recognise the marriage as Matilda and William were distantly related. However Pope Nicholas II finally gave approval to the marriage in 1059. 

Matilda and William had about ten children (records vary). The sons were Robert II, duke of Normandy, Richard Curthose, William Rufus and Henry I. There were at least five daughters.

Matilda assisted William ruling Normandy and later in England. She was appointed regent when he was away. Matilda was also crowned Queen of England. Matilda had had a good education and ensured that her children, daughters as well as sons, were educated.

When her sons argued about inheritance Matilda infuriated William when he realised that she had given Robert money to assist him with his claim. Generally, however, William and Matilda worked together.

Matilda died on 2 November 1083 and was buried at buried in Caen at l'Abbaye aux Dames. William died four years later.

A longer post about Matilda of Flanders can be found in this blog. 

Count Baldwin V of Flanders

Count Baldwin V of Flanders was the father of Matilda of Flanders. He was born in 1012 and died 1067. In 1028 he married Adela of France (1009 -1079). They had three children including Matilda of Flanders. Baldwin V supported the King of France in most of his endeavours. He only partially supported his son-in-law on William's planned invasion of England as Baldwin V had previously supported Edward the Confessor in some of his decisions.

During his reign, Baldwin V secured the union between Flanders and Hainaut through strategic marriage alliances. He served as co-regent for his nephew Philip I of France from 1060 to 1067.

Count Baldwin IV of Flanders

Count Baldwin IV of Flanders, Known as the Bearded, was born in 980 and died in 1035. In around 1012 he married Otgivia (or Ogiva or Otgive) Luxembourg who was born in 955 and died in 30 May 1035.

Baldwin IV became Count of Flanders in 987 after the death of his father, Arnulf II. His mother, Rozala of Italy, served as regent until he reached maturity. Baldwin IV focused on expanding his influence eastward, delegating the southern parts of his territory to his vassals. He acquired Zeeland as a fief from Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and later gained control of Valenciennes, parts of Cambresis, Saint-Omer, and the northern Ternois. He was succeeded by his son, Baldwin V Count of Flanders.

Arnulf II Count of Flanders

Arnulf II was Count of Flanders from 965 until his death in 987. He was born to Baldwin III of Flanders and Matilda of Saxony, and became count as an infant after his father's death in 962. His grandfather Arnulf I managed Flanders until his own death in 965, after which Baldwin Balso served as regent until 973. Upon reaching majority in 976, Arnulf II faced territorial losses in Flanders, including parts of Picardy and Ponthieu. Arnulf II died on 30 March 987 at the age of 26.

Arnulf II married Rozala of Italy, daughter of Berengar II of Italy in 976. They had two children Count Baldwin III and Mathilda. After the death of her husband, Rozala became regent until in 988 she married Robert II and changed her name to Susannah. They divorced in 996.

Family Tree of Matilda of Flanders to Charlemagne

This is a brief summary of the family tree of Matilda of Flanders (my 28th great grandmother) to Charlemagne (my 38th great grandfather) and beyond.

Matilda of Flanders (1031-1083) & William the Conqueror (1028-1134)

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Count Baldwin V of Flanders (1012-1067) & Adela of France (1009-10079)

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Count Baldwin IV of Flanders (980-1035) & Ogivia Luxemboug (955-1029)

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Arnulf II of Flanders (961-987) & Rosala of Italy (937-1003)

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Count Baldwin III of Flanders (940-962) & Mathilde Billung of Saxony (945-1008)

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Arnulf I of Flanders (889-964) & Adela de Vermandois (c910-960) 

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Count Baldwin II of Flanders (865-918) & Aelfthryth of England (877-929)

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Judith of Flanders (843-870) & Count Baldwin I of Flanders (843-879)

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Charles II (the Bald) of Flanders (823-877) & Ermentrude de Orleans (823-869)

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Louis I (the Pious) (788-840) & Judith of Bavaria (c807-843)

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Charlemagne (c742-814) & Hildegarde of Swabia (d. 818)

 

 I

Pepin III (King of the Franks) (717-768) & Berthe of Laon (720-783)

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Charles Martel of the Franks (676-741) & Rotrude A de Treves (690-724)

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Pepin II of Heristal (635-714) & Alpaide Von Sasche (654-)

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Ansegisel of Austrasia (602-) & Begue of Landen (613-694)

I 

Arnold des Francs Ripuaires of Metz (582-640) & Dode of Saxony (586-) 

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Bodegise of Aquitaine (562-589) &  Oda of Savoy (562-611)

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Mummolin des Francs (505-568) & Aldeberge Blithildis de Paris (c541-580) 

Medieval Queens in the family tree - Matilda of Flanders

Matilda of Flanders (1031-1083)

Impression of what Matilda might have looked like

Matilda of Flanders married King William the Conqueror.

Matilda was born in Flanders, France, in 1031. She was the daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders and Adela, daughter of King Robert II of France. Possibly in 1052 or 1053 Matilda married William, Duke of Normandy, - an alliance to secure the relationship between Flanders and Normandy. The Pope did not approve of the marriage initially but the wedding took place anyway and some years later a papal blessing on the marriage was given.

Matilda and William had four sons, including the future Henry I of England, and five daughters.

In Normandy Matilda worked with William managing the region including preciding over the courts and witnessing charters. She often travelled with her husband when he was visiting parts of his duchy. When William travelled to England for the Battle of Hastings, Matilda was left in charge.

Duke William of Normandy and Edward the Confessor, King of England, were related and William believed that as the English king had no children he was heir to the English throne. However, before his death, the English king selected Harold Godwinson, a military leader, as his successor. William and his army then headed to England to fight Harold for the right to rule England. King Harold II won a victory against an attempted Viking invasion shortly before facing William at the Battle of Hastings which William won on 14 October, 1066. 

William, Duke of Normanby, was crowned William 1 of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. Matilda was crowned as Queen of England in 1067.

During the following years, much of William's time was spent securing his position as King of England. At times Matilda joined him in England but much of her time was acting as his regent in Normandy until their eldest son, Robert Curthose, was old enough to be more involved. Unfortunately William and Robert did not get along for much of the time resulting in much antagonism between the two men. For a while Matilda supported her eldest son providing him with money to support his campaign against his father. The matter was eventually resolved and when William died he left the governance of Normandy to Robert and the kingdom of England to his youngest son, Henry.

Although Matilda was usually busy keeping law and order as regent in Normandy in her husband's absence, there are reports of her spending some of her time with her husband in England. When in England she would attend to court matters as required including land disputes and travel to different parts of England with her husband. 

Crossing the English Channel between Normandy and England was dangerous  and reports suggest that Matilda made the two way journey five times. In total she may have spent only four years in England. Most of her life was spent in Normandy. But her role as ruler of Normandy allowed her husband to concentrate on ruling England, despite some opposition.

Matilda was also responsible for the education of her children and ensured that her daughters also had a good education. Being from France the family spoke French, not just at home but in the court. Latin was the language used for writing documents.

During their reign William and Matilda built many Norman castles and churches. As Queen, Matilda was expected to be a benefactress of the church by making endowments to religious institutions. There are also references to her charity to the poor and sick. 

However the Queen also owned large landholdings in England, particularly in Buckinghamshire and Surrey as well as land between Cornwall and Winchester. The Queen had a large staff to run the estates as well as household staff.

Matilda died on 2 November 1883. She was buried at the Convent of the Holy Trinity at Caen in Normandy.

This statue of Matilda of Flanders is in the gardens of the Luxembourg Palace, Paris.

Apart from her French connections, Matilda was also a direct descendant of Alfred the Great, the Anglo Saxon king of England.