Matthew, Count of Boulogne, also known as ''Matthew of Alsace'' (–1173) was the second son of

Thierry, Count of Flanders Theoderic ( nl, Diederik, french: Thierry, german: Dietrich; – 17 January 1168), commonly known as Thierry of Alsace, was the fifteenth count of Flanders from 1128 to 1168. With a record of four campaigns in the Levant and Africa (including p ...

and

Sibylla of Anjou Sibylla of Anjou (–1165) was a countess consort of Flanders as the wife of Thierry, Count of Flanders. She served as the regent of Flanders during the absence of her spouse in 1147-1149. First marriage Sybilla was the daughter of Fulk V of Anj ...

. Matthew forcibly abducted the nun Marie de Boulogne, daughter of

Stephen, King of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...

, and constrained her into marriage, claiming the title of Count of Boulogne in 1160. The forced marriage was opposed by the Church and finally annulled in 1170, but he continued to rule as count until his death. Matthew and Marie had two daughters:

Ida, Countess of Boulogne Ida of Boulogne (c. 1160–1216) was suo jure Countess of Boulogne from 1173 until her death. Life Ida was the elder daughter of Matthew of Alsace and Marie I, Countess of Boulogne. Her maternal grandparents were King Stephen of England and M ...

, and Maud of Boulogne. Maud married Henry I, Duke of Brabant. In 1171, Matthew married

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

, daughter of

Ralph I, Count of Vermandois Ralph I of Vermandois (French: ''Raoul Ier'') (d. 14 October 1152) was Count of Vermandois. He was a son of Hugh, Count of Vermandois and his wife, Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois. Ralph was a grandson of Henry I of France, while Ralph‘s mother ...

, they had one short-lived daughter. Matthew was a supporter of

Henry the Young King Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive childhood. Beginning in 1170, he was titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Mai ...

, and received lands in England. He died fighting at the siege of Driencourt, during the 1173–74 revolt of

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

's sons, under the leadership of Philip of Flanders. Wounded by a

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fire ...

bolt, he did not recover.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew Of Alsace 1173 deaths Counts of Boulogne Year of birth uncertain Jure uxoris officeholders House of Metz Deaths by arrow wounds French military personnel killed in action