Baldwin IV (980 – 30 May 1035), called the Bearded, was the
count of Flanders from 987 until his death.
Baldwin IV was the son of Count
Arnulf II of Flanders (c. 961 — 987) and
Rozala of Italy (950/60 – 1003), of the
House of Ivrea
The Anscarids ( la, Anscarii) or the House of Ivrea were a medieval dynasty of Frankish origin which rose to prominence in Northern Italy in the tenth century, even briefly holding the Italian throne. The main branch ruled the County of Burgun ...
.
[Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 5] He succeeded his father as Count of Flanders in 987,
but with his mother Rozala as the regent until his majority.
In contrast to his predecessors Baldwin turned his attention eastward, leaving the southern part of his territory in the hands of his
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
s the counts of
Guînes,
Hesdin, and
St. Pol. To the north of the county Baldwin was given
Zeeland as a
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
by the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Henry II, while on the right bank of the
Scheldt
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
river he received
Valenciennes (1013) and parts of the Cambresis as well as
Saint-Omer and the northern Ternois (1020).
[Heather J Tanner, ''Families, Friends, and Allies: Boulogne and Politics in Northern France and England c. 879–1160'' (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2004), pp. 73, 75-6, 77–8] In his French territories, the supremacy of the Baldwin remained unchallenged. A great deal of colonization of marshland was organized along the coastline of Flanders and the harbour and city of Brugge were enlarged.
Baldwin first married Ogive, daughter of
Frederick of Luxembourg,
[Douglas Richardson, ''Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families'', Vol.V, Royal Ancestry Series, Salt Lake City, Utah (2013), p. 497] by whom he had a son and heir,
Baldwin V (1012 – 1067). He later 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 intro ...
, daughter of
Richard II of Normandy,
[Philip Grierson, 'The Relations between England and Flanders before the Norman Conquest', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Vol. 23 (1941), pp. 109-110] by whom he had a daughter,
Judith (1033 – 1094).
Baldwin IV died on 30 May 1035.
See also
*
Counts of Flanders family tree
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin 04, Count of Flanders
Flanders, Baldwin IV of
Flanders, Baldwin IV of
House of Flanders
Baldwin 4
Margraves of Valenciennes
Medieval child rulers