Coat of arms of the House of Welf-Brunswick (Braunschweig)

The House of Dampierre played an important role during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Named after Dampierre, in the Champagne region, where members first became prominent, members of the family were later Count of Flanders,

Count of Nevers The counts of Nevers were the rulers of the County of Nevers, which became a French duchy in 1539, with the rulers of the duchy calling themselves dukes. History The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected to the Duchy of Burgundy ...

, Counts and Dukes of Rethel,

Count of Artois The count of Artois (French: Comtes d'Artois, Dutch: Graven van Artesië) was the ruler over the County of Artois from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French revolutionaries in 1790. House of Artois *Odalric (c. 850 ...

and Count of Franche-Comté.

Guy II of Dampierre {{Infobox noble , name = Guy II of Dampierre , title = Lord of Dampierre , image = Coat of arms of the House of Welf-Brunswick (Braunschweig).svg , caption = The arms borne , alt = ...

, with his wedding with

Mathilde of Bourbon Mathilde of Bourbon (french: links=no, Mahaut de Bourbon; Theodore Evergates, ''The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100-1300'', (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007), 217. – 18 June 1228) was a French noblewoman who was the ruling ...

, became also lord of Bourbon and founded the

House of Bourbon-Dampierre The House of Bourbon-Dampierre refers to a noble dynasty that emerged from the marriage of Guy II of Dampierre with Mathilde of Bourbon in 1197. The male line of this house ended in 1249, while the female line persisted until 1287. History Throug ...

. The senior line of the House came to an end with the death of Margaret III in March 1405. She was succeeded in Flanders, Artois, Nevers and Franche-Comté by her eldest son

John the Fearless John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs durin ...

and in Rethel by her younger son

Anthony Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the '' Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

, which marked the start of the

House of Valois-Burgundy The House of Valois-Burgundy (french: Maison de Valois-Bourgogne, nl, Huis van Valois-Bourgondië), or the Younger House of Burgundy, was a noble French family deriving from the royal House of Valois. It is distinct from the Capetian House of Bur ...

. The junior line, springing from a younger son of Guy I reigning in Namur, ended in 1429. The earliest known member of the House of Dampierre is

Guy I of Dampierre Guy I of Dampierre (died 1151), son of Thibaut of Dampierre-sur-l’Aube and Elizabeth of Montlhéry, daughter of Milo I of Montlhéry, Viscount of Troyes. Seigneur of Dampierre, Saint-Dizier, and Moëlain. Guy travelled with Hugh I of Troyes on ...

, great-grandson of Guy I of

Montlhéry Montlhéry () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris. History Montlhéry lay on the strategically important road from Paris to Orléans. Under the Merovingians, it was owned by the ...

through his son Milo I of

. The members of the House of Dampierre had an antagonistic relation with the House of Avesnes.

Origin of the House: feud between Dampierre and Avesnes

Baldwin, the first emperor of the

Latin Empire The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzant ...

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, was as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI

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 ...

. Baldwin had only daughters and was in turn succeeded by his daughters Joan (reigned 1205-1244) and Margaret II (reigned 1244-1280). In 1212 Margaret II married Bouchard d'Avesnes, a prominent Hainaut nobleman. This was apparently a love match, though it was approved by Margaret's sister Joan, who had herself recently married. The two sisters subsequently had a falling-out over Margaret's share of their inheritance, which led Joan to attempt to get Margaret's marriage dissolved. She alleged that the marriage was invalid, and without much inspection of the facts of the case

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

condemned the marriage, though he did not formally annul it. Bouchard and Margaret continued as a married couple, having 3 children, as their conflict with Joan grew violent and Bouchard was captured and imprisoned in 1219. He was released in 1221 on the condition that the couple separate and that Bouchard get absolution from the pope. While he was in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Joan convinced Margaret to remarry, this time to

William II of Dampierre William II (1196 – 3 September 1231) was the lord of Dampierre from 1216 until his death. He was the son of Guy II, constable of Champagne, and Mathilde of Bourbon.Theodore Evergates, ''The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100-1300 ...

, a nobleman from

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

. From this marriage Margaret had two sons: William II, Count of Flanders and

Guy of Dampierre Guy of Dampierre (french: Gui de Dampierre; nl, Gwijde van Dampierre) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when his Flemings defeated the ...

. This situation caused something of a scandal, for the marriage was possibly

bigamous In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

, and violated the church's strictures on

consanguinity Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...

as well. The disputes regarding the validity of the two marriages and the legitimacy of her children by each husband continued for decades, becoming entangled in the politics of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and resulting in the long

War of the Succession of Flanders and Hainault {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = {{PAGENAME , width = , partof = , image = Carte des comtés de Flandre et de Hainaut sous la comtesse Jeanne de Constantinople (1200-1244).png , image_size = 300px , alt ...

. In 1246 king Louis IX of France, acting as an arbitrator, gave the right to inherit Flanders to the Dampierre children, and the rights to Hainaut to the Avesnes children. This would seem to have settled the matter, but in 1253 problems arose again. The eldest son,

John I of Avesnes John of Avesnes (1 May 1218 – 24 December 1257) was the count of Hainaut from 1246 to his death. Life Born in Houffalize, John was the eldest son of Margaret II of Flanders by her first husband, Bouchard IV of Avesnes. As the marriage of Marg ...

, who was uneasy about his rights, convinced William of Holland, the German king recognized by the pro-papal forces, to seize Hainaut and the parts of Flanders which were within the bounds of the empire. William of Holland was theoretically, as king, overlord for these territories, and also John's brother-in-law. A civil war followed, which ended when the Avesnes forces defeated and imprisoned the Dampierres at the Battle of West-Capelle of 4 July 1253, after which John I of Avesnes was able to force Guy of Dampierre and his mother to respect the division of Louis and grant him Hainault. Margaret did not rest in her defeat and did not recognise herself as overcome. She instead granted Hainault to

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...

, the brother of King Louis, who had recently returned from the crusade. Charles took up her cause and warred with John I of Avesnes, but failed to take

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 ...

and just missed being killed in a skirmish. When Louis returned in 1254, he reaffirmed his earlier arbitration and ordered his brother to get out of the conflict. Charles returned to

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. With this second arbitration of the holy king, the conflict closed and John I of Avesnes was secure in Hainault. The following decades saw further strife between the Dampierres and the Avesnes, who by the start of the 14th century had also inherited the

County of Holland The County of Holland was a State of the Holy Roman Empire and from 1433 part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading province of the Dutch Republic, of which it remained a par ...

and

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

Counts of Flanders

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

(r. 1247-1251), son of Margaret II and William II of Dampierre, Count of Flanders by ''

Jure matris ''Jure matris'' (''iure matris'') is a Latin phrase meaning "by right of his mother" or "in right of his mother". It is commonly encountered in the law of inheritance when a noble title or other right passes from mother to son. It is also used in ...

'' * Guy I (r. 1251-1280 ''jure matris'' and 1280-1305 ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

''), son of Margaret II and William II of Dampierre, imprisoned 1253-1256 by John I of Avesnes, Guy was also

Count of Namur Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

from 1263 on. * Robert III ("the Lion of Flanders") (r. 1305-1322), son of Guy I, Count of Flanders, by marriage '' Jure uxoris'' Count of Nevers (1272-1280). *

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ...

(r. 1322-1346), grandson of Robert III, Count of Flanders, Nevers, and Rethel (inherited from his mother Joan in 1328) * Louis II (r. 1346-1384), son of Louis I, Count of Flanders, Nevers, Rethel, Artois and Franche-Comté (inherited from his mother Margaret in 1382) * Margaret III (r. 1384-1405), daughter of Louis II, Countess of Flanders, Nevers, Rethel, Artois and Franche-Comté **jointly with her husband,

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

, Duke of Burgundy

Legacy

The main line of the House of Dampierre, originally only counts of Flanders, had managed to inherit the counties of Nevers (1280) and Rethel (1328) through a clever marriage policy. Through Louis II's mother, a daughter of King

Philip V of France Philip V (c. 1293 – 3 January 1322), known as the Tall (french: Philippe le Long), was King of France and Navarre (as Philip II) from 1316 to 1322. Philip was the second son of King Philip IV of France and Queen Joan I of Navarre. He was gr ...

, the counties of Artois and Burgundy (the "Franche Comté") were added to this. These lands were to provide the core of the dominions of the

, which were, together with the

Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; la, Ducatus Burgundiae; french: Duché de Bourgogne, ) emerged in the 9th century as one of the successors of the ancient Kingdom of the Burgundians, which after its conquest in 532 had formed a constituent part of the ...

, to provide them with a power base to challenge the rule of their cousins, the Valois kings of France in the 15th century.

Counts of Namur

In 1263, the

count of Namur Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, Baldwin II of Courtenay, sold his county to Guy I of Dampierre. Guy in turn gave over the county on his death to his younger son John I from his marriage to his second wife

Isabelle of Luxembourg Isabelle of Luxembourg (1247–1298) was a countess consort of Flanders and a marquis consort of Namur by marriage to Guy of Dampierre. Life She was the daughter of Henry V of Luxembourg and Margaret of Bar. Isabelle was a member of the House o ...

. The house of Dampierre would rule Namur until 1421, when the county of Namur was sold to the Burgundian duke Philip the Good. The last Dampierre count, John III, died in 1429. * Guy I, r. 1263-1305 * John I, son of Guy I, r. 1305-1330 *

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

, son of John I, r. 1330-1335 * Guy II, brother of John II, r. 1335-1336 * Philip III, brother of Guy II, r. 1336-1337 *

, brother of Philip III, r. 1337-1391 * William II, son of William I, r. 1391-1418 * John III, son of William II, r. 1418-1421

Other members

* Philip of Chieti, count of Chieti and Teano, youngest child of Guy I and his first wife Matilda of Bethune. * Henry of Flanders, count de Lodi (c. 1270–1337), elder son of Guy I *

Guy of Namur Guy of Dampierre, Count of Zeeland, also called Guy of Namur ( nl, region=BE, Gwijde van Namen, label=Flemish) (ca. 1272 – 13 October 1311 in Pavia), was a Flemish noble who was the Lord of Ronse and later the self-proclaimed Count of Zeela ...

, younger son of Guy I and his second wife Isabelle of Luxembourg. * Louis I of Nevers, count of Nevers (r. 1280-1322) and ''jure uxoris'' count of Rethel, son of Robert III and father to Louis I.

Origin of the House: feud between Dampierre and Avesnes

Counts of Flanders

Legacy

Counts of Namur

Other members

See also