Adelolf, Count of BoulogneHis name is variously spelled Adelulf, Adalulf, Adalolf, and, in French, Adalolphe; in Latin, Adalolphus. (died 933), was a younger brother of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders and was given the County of Boulogne by his father. He was a son of

Baldwin II, Count of Flanders Baldwin II ( 865 – 10 September 918) was the second margrave (or count) of Flanders, ruling from 879 to 918. He was nicknamed the Bald (''Calvus'') after his maternal grandfather, Emperor Charles the Bald. Rule Baldwin II was born around 86 ...

, and of Ælfthryth, daughter of

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 5 He was probably named for his maternal great-grandfather, King

Æthelwulf of Wessex C3, C-3, C.3, C03, C.III or C-III may refer to: Life and biology * C3 carbon fixation in plants * C3-convertase, an enzyme * Complement component 3, a protein of the innate immune system * Apolipoprotein C3, a human very low density lipoprotein ...

. Baldwin II's extensive lands and many offices in what is now the north of modern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the west of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

were divided among his sons on his death in 918.Renée Nip, 'The Political Relations between England and Flanders (1066-1128)', ''Anglo-Norman Studies 21: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1998'', ed. Christopher Harper-Bill (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK, 1999), p. 150 The elder,

Arnulf Arnulf is a masculine German given name. It is composed of the Germanic elements ''arn'' "eagle" and ''ulf'' "wolf". The ''-ulf, -olf'' suffix was an extremely frequent element in Germanic onomastics and from an early time was perceived as a mere ...

, became

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

while Adelolf succeeded his father as count of Saint-Pol,

Count of Boulogne Count of Boulogne was a historical title in the Kingdom of France. The city of Boulogne-sur-Mer became the centre of the county of Boulogne during the ninth century. Little is known of the early counts, but the first holder of the title is recor ...

and of Thérouanne. He was also the lay abbot of the Abbey of Saint Bertinus (Saint-Bertin) at Saint-Omer.Régine Le Jan, 'Famille et Pouvoir dans le Monde Franc (VIIe–Xe Siècle)', ''Essai d'anthropologie sociale'' (Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 2003), In 926 Adelolf was sent as an ambassador to his maternal first cousin King Æthelstan of England by Count

Hugh the Great Hugh the Great (16 June 956) was the duke of the Franks and count of Paris. Biography Hugh was the son of King Robert I of France and Béatrice of Vermandois.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europ ...

, effective ruler of northern France under Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy, who had been elected

king of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...

in 923. Adelolf was to seek the English king's agreement to a marriage between Hugh and another of Æthelstan's sisters. Among the lavish gifts sent to Æthelstan, an avid collector of relics, were said to be the sword of the Roman Emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

and the

Holy Lance The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus (named after Saint Longinus), the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his crucifixion. Biblical references The l ...

. The embassy was a success and Hugh was married to Æthelstan's half-sister

Eadhild Eadhild (died 937) was an English princess, the second wife of Hugh, duke of the Franks. She was a daughter of Edward the Elder, king of the Anglo-Saxons and his second wife Ælfflæd. In 926 Edward's son, king Æthelstan, received an embassy ...

. In 933, Æthelstan's half-brother

Edwin The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" (rich, blessed) and "ƿine" (friend). The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadƿine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures. People * Edwin of Northumbria (died ...

was drowned and his body cast ashore. Adelolf received the body of his kinsman with honour and took it to the

Abbey of Saint Bertin The Abbey of St. Bertin was a Benedictine monastic abbey in Saint-Omer, France. The buildings are now in ruins, which are open to the public. It was initially dedicated to but was rededicated to its second abbot, . The abbey is known for its La ...

for burial. Adelolf was the father of Arnulf II, Count of Boulogne (

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...

971), and of an illegitimate son named Baldwin (died 973) who was guardian of Arnulf II, Count of Flanders. Adelolf died November 13, 933.Lambert of Ardres, ''The History of the Counts of Guines and the Lords of Ardres'', trans. Leah Shopkow (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007), p. 26 He was buried at Saint-Bertin.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adelolf, Count Of Boulogne Year of birth unknown 933 deaths 10th-century French people Counts of Boulogne House of Flanders French people of English descent