Baldwin III (1088–1120) was

count of Hainaut The Count of Hainaut (; ; ) was the ruler of the county of Hainaut, a historical region in the Low Countries (including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany). In English-la ...

from 1098 to his death.

History

Baldwin was son of Count Baldwin II of Hainaut and Ida of Louvain. He succeeded to the

County of Hainaut The County of Hainaut (french: Comté de Hainaut; nl, Graafschap Henegouwen; la, comitatus hanoniensis), sometimes spelled Hainault, was a territorial lordship within the medieval Holy Roman Empire that straddled what is now the border of Belg ...

in 1102. Baldwin married Yolande of Guelders at a young age. He had been

betrothed An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

to Adelaide of

Maurienne Maurienne ( frp, Môrièna) is one of the provinces of France, provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. ...

, a niece of Countess Clemence of Flanders. The broken betrothal caused a scandal, and Countess Clemence brought the issue before her brother

Pope Calixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

. The pope declared that the marriage was legal and could not be dissolved.Gislebertus (of Mons), Laura Napran, Chronicle of Hainaut, 2005 Baldwin died at a young age of in 1120, and was buried in

Mons, Belgium Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

. His eldest son, Baldwin IV, succeeded him. His younger son Gerard inherited the counties of

Dodewaard Dodewaard is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Neder-Betuwe, and lies about 7 km south of Wageningen. Dodewaard was a separate municipality until 2002, when it became a part of K ...

and Dale, which had been in the possession of his mother. Countess Yolande held Hainaut as her

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...

for a while and as a regent for her son.

Family

He was married to Yolande, daughter of Count

Gerard I of Guelders Gerard I, Count of Guelders (c. 1060 – 8 March 1129) was Count of Guelders (Gelre in Dutch). He was the son of Theodoric of Wassenberg. He may have been married to Clementia of Aquitaine, although that proposed marriage seems to be based on a f ...

. Their children were: # Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut, married

Alice of Namur Alice of Namur (died July 1169 at Valenciennes) was the daughter of Count Godfrey I of Namur and Countess Ermesinde of Luxembourg. Her father married her off to Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut around 1130. Gislebert of Mons described her as having "a ...

Gerhard of Hainaut Gerhard is a name of Germanic origin and may refer to: Given name * Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate * Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark * Gerhard Barkhorn (1919–19 ...

, ancestor of the Counts of Dale # Gertrude/Ida of Hainaut, married before 9 August 1138 to Roger III of Tosny of Conches and

Flamstead Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original ''Verulamstead''. Fla ...

# Richildis of Hainaut, married: 1) Thierry d’

Avesnes Avesnes () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Geography The commune is a very small village situated some 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer, on the D 129 E 1. Population See also *Communes of ...

; 2) Everard II Radulf,

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

After Baldwin's death, Countess Yolande married c.1120 Godfrey II, lord of Ribemont and Bouchain, castellan of

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

and the son of Anselm of Ribemont.Heather J. Tanner, Families, friends, and allies: Boulogne and politics in northern France and England, c. 879-1160, Brill, 2004 Yolande and Godfrey II had two children: * Godfrey III, castellan of Valenciennes * Berthe of Valenciennes, who married 1) Count Otto II of Duras and 2) Guy de Saint-Aubert

References

*''Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700'', Frederick Lewis Weis (lines 98A-25, 163-25 160-23, 163-24, 163-26)

Footnotes

, - House of Flanders Baldwin III 1088 births 1120 deaths {{Europe-noble-stub