Baldwin VII of Flanders (1093 – 17 July 1119) was

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the ...

from 1111 to 1119. Baldwin was the son of Count

Robert II of Flanders Robert II, Count of Flanders (c. 1065 – 5 October 1111) was Count of Flanders from 1093 to 1111. He became known as Robert of Jerusalem (''Robertus Hierosolimitanus'') or Robert the Crusader after his exploits in the First Crusade. Early li ...

and

Clementia of Burgundy Clementia of Burgundy (c. 1078 – c. 1133) was countess of Flanders by marriage to Robert II of Flanders. She acted as regent of Flanders from 1096 until 1100, while her spouse was on crusade, and in the name of their son Baldwin VII from 1111 unt ...

. He succeeded his father as count when he died on 5 October 1111.

Reign

Baldwin succeeded his father as count when he died on 5 October 1111. He was under the influence of his powerful mother

. He tried to assert independence from her, but she still remained influential behind the scenes. Baldwin was an impetuous and impulsive young man, extremely hostile towards

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

. The inexperienced new count solicited the advice of his cousin,

Charles the Good Charles the Good (10842 March 1127) was Count of Flanders from 1119 to 1127. His murder and its aftermath were chronicled by Galbert of Bruges. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1882 through ''cultus'' ''confirmation''. Early life Charles w ...

, who was several years older. It was Baldwin who arranged the marriage of Charles to the heiress of the County of Amiens, Margaret of Clermont, in 1118. Baldwin invaded

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

in 1118 and raided many towns. In 1105, Baldwin married Hawise of Brittany (also called Havide), daughter of Duke

Alan IV of Brittany Alan IV (c. 1063 – 13 October 1119) was Duke of Brittany from 1072 until his abdication in 1112. He was also Count of Nantes (from c. 1103) and Count of Rennes. His parents were Duchess Hawise and Duke Hoel II. He is also known as Alan Fergant. ...

. The groom was twelve and the bride nine. The union, in all probability, was never consummated. They were divorced in 1110. Baldwin did not remarry. Baldwin and Hawise had no known issue.

Death

He died after being wounded in 1118, hit on the head by a lance at the

Battle of Bures-en-Bray A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, where he was fighting

, on behalf of

Louis VI of France Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...

. When he was dying in 1119 at Eu, Baldwin declared his cousin Charles his heir. he died on 17 June 1119. Charles became the new count of Flanders after his death.

References

www.genealogie-mittelalter.de
* Bram Brutsaert: ''Boudewijn VII Hapkin, een Witte Ridder uit de 12de eeuw, graaf van Vlaanderen (1111–1119)''. Dissertation 2003–2004 in the University of Louvain, see online

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin 07, Count of Flanders Flanders, Baldwin VII of Flanders, Baldwin VII of House of Flanders Baldwin 7 12th-century people from the county of Flanders