William II, Lord of Béthune, nicknamed ''William the Red'' (french: links=no, Guillaume II « le Roux » de Bethune; d. April 1214) was French nobleman. He was a ruling

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department. Geography Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...

, Richebourg and Warneton, as well as hereditary ''

advocatus During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...

'' of the Abbey of St. Vaast, near Arras.

Family

He was a member of the influential

House of Bethune A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, who had their ancestral seat in

in the

Artois Artois ( ; ; nl, Artesië; English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: ''Atrecht'') ...

region. He was the second son of Lord Robert V, nicknamed ''Robert the Red'', and his wife Adelaide of Saint-Pol. His brothers were: * Robert VI (d. 1193) * Baldwin (d. 1212) *

Conon Conon ( el, Κόνων) (before 443 BC – c. 389 BC) was an Athenian general at the end of the Peloponnesian War, who led the Athenian naval forces when they were defeated by a Peloponnesian fleet in the crucial Battle of Aegospotami; later he c ...

(d. 1219 or 1220), a famous

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairi ...

and crusader *

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

(d. 1219), bishop of Cambrai

Life

William II and his elder brother Robert VI accompanied their father in the armed escort of Count

Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) (1 ...

of Flanders when he made a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the Holy Land in 1177. When they arrived in the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establish ...

, William II and Robert VI wanted to marry Sibylla and

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

, the sisters of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. The King, however, turned them down. In 1191, the Béthune family, now including the younger brothers Baldwin and Conon, accompanied Count Philip I and their father on another pilgrimage to the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

. During the crusade, both Philip I and Robert V died. When Robert VI died childless in 1193, William II inherited the Béthune family possessions. He married Mathilda, the heiress of Dendermonde and had several children with her, including Daniel, who succeeded him, and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, who married the heiress of Saint-Pol,

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

. Members of the Béthune family had divided loyalties in the conflict between King

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...

and Count

Baldwin IX of Flanders Baldwin I ( nl, Boudewijn; french: Baudouin; July 1172 – ) was the first Emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople; Count of Flanders (as Baldwin IX) from 1194 to 1205 and Count of Hainaut (as Baldwin VI) from 1195-1205. Baldwin was o ...

about who was the rightful liege lord of Artois. William II and his oldest son Daniel sided with France, while his younger brothers and his son Robert VII sided with Flanders. On 23 February 1200, William II and Conon departed to accompany Count Baldwin during the Fourth Crusade. Conon became famous for his heroic deeds; William's actions were less noticeable. He was present when the crusaders took

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 ( ...

in April 1204. Baldwin IX of Flanders was elected Emperor of the newly founded

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 ...

as Baldwin I. After the disastrous

Battle of Adrianople The Battle of Adrianople (9 August 378), sometimes known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis, was fought between an Eastern Roman army led by the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens and Gothic rebels (largely Thervings as well as Greutungs, non-Gothic A ...

, where William did not participate, he and 7000 other crusaders returned home. Conon and Cardinal Peter of Capua tried in vain, and according to de Villehardouin in tears, to persuade William to stay in Constantinople.Geoffrey de Villehardouin: ''Memoirs Or Chronicle of the Fourth Crusade and the Conquest of Constantinople'', Echo Library, 2010, p. 75 Conon remained in Constantinople, and died there several years later.

Issue

Married Mathilda of Dendermonde and had seven known children, the first five born by 1194: * Daniel, Lord of Béthune (died 1227), who married Eustacia of Châtillon, daughter of

Walter III of Châtillon Walter III of Châtillon (french: Gaucher III de Châtillon ; la, Gualcherius de Castellione) was a French knight and Lord of Châtillon, Montjay, Troissy, Crécy et Pierrefonds until his death in 1219. With his marriage, he became Count of ...

and his wife

Elizabeth, Countess of Saint-Pol Elizabeth, in French Élisabeth Candavène (c. 1180 – 1240/1247), was the countess of Saint-Pol from 1205 until her death, although her effective rule was limited to the periods 1219–1222 and 1226–1227. The rest of the time the county was ru ...

. *

Robert VII, Lord of Béthune Robert de Béthune VII ( – 12 November 1248 in Sardinia) was a nobleman from the House of Bethune from Artois. He served as a knight and military leader in Flanders and England before inheriting his family territories in France and the Low Co ...

(died 1248), who married Elizabeth of Morialmé. * Baldwin of Béthune, who died young and unmarried. * Alice of Béthune (died 1256), who before 1215 married Walter II of

Nanteuil Nanteuil () is a commune of the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. See also * Communes of the Deux-Sèvres department The following is a list of the 256 communes of the Deux-Sèvres department of France. The communes cooperate in th ...

. * Maud of Béthune (died 1251), who married first Baldwin III of Comines, secondly Godfrey III of Breda, thirdly Gilbert of

Zottegem Zottegem (, Sotteghem and Sottegem in older English and French language sources) is a municipality located in Belgium and more particularly in Flanders, in the province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Zottegem proper and ...

, and fourthly Arnold V of

Diest Diest () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around ...

. * William III of Bethune (died 1243), who married Elizabeth of

Roesbrugge Roesbrugge is a small rural village in the Belgian province of West Flanders. Roesbrugge is the larger of two villages that make up the "deelgemeente" Roesbrugge-Haringe in the municipality of Poperinge. Roesbrugge is located in the northwestern ...

. A junior line of the House of Béthune, descended from him survives to this day as Lords of

Meulebeke Meulebeke (; vls, Mullebeke) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Meulebeke proper. On January 1, 2006, Meulebeke had a total population of 10,980. The total area is 29.35& ...

. * John of Béthune (died 1238), who married Elizabeth, Countess of Saint-Pol, widow of Walter III of Châtillon and mother of Eustacia, his sister-in-law.

Death

William died in April 1214, a few months before the

Battle of Bouvines The Battle of Bouvines was fought on 27 July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders. It was the concluding battle of the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. Although estimates on the number of troops vary considerably among mo ...

References

* Charles Emmanuel Joseph Poplimont: ''La Belgique héraldique: recueil historique, chronologique, généalogique et biographique complet de toutes les maisons nobles, reconnues de la Belgique'', vol. 1, 1863 * E. Warlop: ''The Flemish Nobility before 1300'', Kortrijk, 1975-1976 * Pierre Bruyelle, Alain Derville: ''Histoire de Béthune et de Beuvry'', 1985

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:William 02 Bethune Christians of the Third Crusade Christians of the Fourth Crusade Lords of France 12th-century births 1214 deaths Year of birth unknown 12th-century French people