Siegfried de Guînes (c. 915-c. 965) ( la, Sifridus Dacus), also known as Siegfried "the Dane" (''Sifridus de Dachia''), Sigifrid, or Sigifroy, was a

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

who controlled the area around Guînes in 928, although he never seemed to be formally designated as Count even though he is known as such.Lambert of Ardres (Lamberti Ardensis). ''Historia Comitum Ghisnensium''. Edited by I. Heller. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptorum, vol. 24, pp. 550-642. Hannover, 1879. p. 568. He is the founder of the line of the

Counts of Guînes 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: ...

. The lands of Guînes originally belonged to the Abbey of Sithiu, which later became the

Abbey of Saint-Bertin The Abbey of St. Bertin was a Rule of St. Benedict, 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 abb ...

in Saint-Omer,

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 ...

. In 877,

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

had confirmed the abbey's possessions of these lands, which were afterwards were obtained by the

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was a historic territory in the Low Countries. From 862 onwards, the counts of Flanders were among the original twelve peers of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, their estates around the cities of Ghent, Bruges and Ypr ...

. There are two hypotheses regarding how Siegfried came to and took possession of Guînes: * William I, Count of Ponthieu, took the Boulonnais, Guînes, and

Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise (, literally ''Saint-Pol on Ternoise''; vls, Sint-Pols-aan-de-Ternas) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is the seat of the canton of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise. The population of the town is 4, ...

from Arnulf II of Flanders in 965, whereupon Arnulf enlisted the aid of the Danes. They succeeded in regaining the territories for Arnulf, who then gave Guînes to Siegfried as well as his aunt Elftrudis in marriage. * Siegfried and the Normans or Vikings invaded the area around 928 and started building the city of Guînes. Arnulf I of Flanders did not counterattack and recognized Siegfried as a vassal and gave him his daughter Elftrudis in marriage. There is also a legend that around 965 Siegfried fell in love with Elftrude, daughter of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders, and Elftrude became pregnant. That same year, Siegfried died and Elftrude had a posthumous son, baptised as Ardolf (Ardolph), who became the first Count of Guînes. Although this has been accepted by a number of historians, such as Siegfried Rösch, there are no contemporary records of these events, as the earliest recorded history was written 200 years later. Thus, his existence is obscure. He is mentioned for the first time at the beginning of the 13th century in the chronicle of the Counts of Guînes by Lambert of Ardres as the progenitor of the Count's house. Lambert puts Siegfried's arrival in Guînes around 928 and puts his death in 965 or 966, shortly after the death of Arnulf I of Flanders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegfried, Count of Guines 910s births 960s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 10th-century European people Counts of Guînes French nobility