William I (1324 – 1 October 1391), also called the Rich, was

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 1337 until his death.

Life

He was the fifth son of

John I, Marquis of Namur John I (1267 – 31 January 1330) was the count of Namur from 1305 to 1330. He was a member of the House of Dampierre, the son of Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders and Marquis of Namur, and his second wife Isabelle of Luxembourg. John was the ...

, and Marie of Artois. Because his four elder brothers all died childless between 1333 and 1337, he still became Marquis of Namur. Because he was a minor when he became Marquis, his mother ruled as regent until he became of age.E. Bernays , Marie d'Artois, comtesse de Namur, dame de l'Écluse et de Poilvache, i Annales de la Société archéologique de Namur 37 (1925) William participated in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

on the side of the English. Despite this, Namur itself remained at peace, except for a revolt of the weavers in 1351. He was defeated and taken prisoner in the

Battle of Baesweiler The Battle of Baesweiler (22 August 1371) was a conflict between the duke of Luxembourg-Brabant against the Duke of Jülich. Background Attacks on Brabant's commercial interests in the territory of the Duke of Jülich had almost caused war in 13 ...

in 1371. Thanks to the fortune, first of his mother and then of his wife, William was able to buy several territories which enlarged the Marquisate. In 1362 he obtained from

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...

that Namur depended directly from the Holy Roman Empire and ceased to be a vassal of 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 ...

. He also developed the mining and forging industries, as well as commerce.

Family

He first married on 13 February 1348 with

Jeanne of Hainault Jeanne (or Johanna) of Hainault (1323 – December 1350) was ruling Countess of Soissons from 1344 until 1350. She was a daughter of John of Beaumont, lord of Beaumont and Margaret of Soissons. She succeeded her mother in 1344 as Countess of S ...

, daughter of John of Beaumont and

Margaret of Soissons Margaret (or Margaretha) of Soissons (died ca. 1350) was ruling Countess of Soissons in 1305-1344. She was the only daughter of Hugh, Count of Soissons, and Johanna of Argies. In 1306 she succeeded her father as Countess of Soissons. Margaret wa ...

. Jeanne died 2 years later form the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

without children. William remarried in March 1352 with Catherine of Savoy, daughter of

Louis II of Vaud Louis II (1283×94 – 1348×49), son of Louis I of Vaud of the House of Savoy, was the Baron of Vaud from 1302 until his death. A military man, he fought widely in Italy and, during the first phase of the Hundred Years' War, in France. As a dipl ...

and Isabella of Châlon. They had 3 children : * William II (1355-1418), Marquis of Namur * John III (?-1429), last Marquis of Namur * Marie (?-1412), married in 1370 Guy II de Blois-Châtillon and in 1405 Pierre de Brabant,

Admiral of France Admiral of France (french: Amiral de France) is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, du ...

. William also had several illegitimate children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:William I, Marquis Of Namur 1324 births 1391 deaths Margraves of Namur