Baldwin II ( 865 – 10 September 918) was the second
margrave (or count) of Flanders, ruling from 879 to 918. He was nicknamed the Bald (''Calvus'') after his maternal grandfather, Emperor
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, 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 series of civil wars during t ...
.
Rule
Baldwin II was born around 865 to Margrave
Baldwin I of Flanders and
Judith, daughter of Emperor
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, 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 series of civil wars during t ...
.
[Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1984), Tafel 5] The early years of Baldwin II's rule were marked by a series of devastating
Viking
Vikings were 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 settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
raids into Flanders.
[David Nicholas, Medieval Flanders (Longman Group UK, Ltd., 1992)pp. 17–18] By 883, he was forced to move north to
Pagus Flandransis, which became the territory most closely associated with the Counts of Flanders.
Baldwin constructed a series of wooden fortifications at
Saint-Omer,
Bruges
Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country.
The area of the whole city amoun ...
,
Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
, and
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...
. He then seized lands that were abandoned by royal and ecclesiastical officials.
[Pierre Riché, ''The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe'', Trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia), p. 235] Many of these same
citadel
A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
...
s later formed
castellanies which housed government, militia, and local courts.
In 888, the Western
Frankish king
The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...
,
Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat (839 – 13 January 888) was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 887. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandson of Charlemagne. He was t ...
, was deposed, leaving several candidates vying to replace him.
[David Nicholas, Medieval Flanders (Longman Group UK, Ltd., 1992)p. 19] As a grandson of Charles the Bald, who was king of
West Francia, Baldwin could have competed for the crown.
Instead, Baldwin and others tried to convince the
East Frankish king,
Arnulf, to take the West Frankish crown, but Arnulf declined.
The
Robertine Odo, Count of Paris, was eventually made king. Odo and Baldwin's relationship deteriorated when Odo failed to support Baldwin's attempts to gain control of the
Abbey of St. Bertin. Odo attacked Baldwin at Bruges but was unable to prevail.
Baldwin continued his expansion to the south and gained control over
Artois, including the important
Abbey of St. Vaast.
Marriage
Between 893 and 899, Baldwin II married
Ælfthryth (or Elftrude or Elfrida), the daughter of King
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...
of Wessex. The immediate goal of that Anglo-Flemish alliance was to help Baldwin control the lower
Canche River valley.
[Pierre Riché, ''The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe, Trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia), p. 236''] They had four children: Count
Arnulf I of Flanders (c. 890–964), Count
Adalulf of Boulogne (c. 890–933), Ealswid, and Ermentrud.
Death
When the Abbey came under the
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...
of Archbishop
Fulk of Reims in 900, Baldwin had the archbishop assassinated and was excommunicated by
Pope Benedict IV.
When his attempts to expand further into the upper
Somme River valley were opposed by
Herbert I, Count of Vermandois, Baldwin had the count assassinated as well.
Baldwin died on 10 September 918,
[Philip Grierson, 'The Relations between ]England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
before the Norman Conquest', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Vol. 23 (1941), p. 86 at
Blandijnberg (near
Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
) and was succeeded by his eldest son,
Arnulf I of Flanders. His younger son,
Adalulf, became the first
Count of Boulogne.
Family
Baldwin II was married to
Ælfthryth, daughter of
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...
,
and had children:
*
Arnulf I of Flanders (c. 893/99–964/65); married
Adela of Vermandois
*
Adalulf,
Count of Boulogne (c. 893/99 – 933)
*Ealswid
*Ermentrud
References
Sources
*
Additional references
* Folcwine. ''Gesta Abbatum S. Bertini Sithiensium''.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin 02, Margrave of Flanders
860s births
918 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
9th-century people from West Francia
10th-century people from West Francia
9th-century counts of Flanders
10th-century counts of Flanders
Frankish warriors
House of Flanders
Counts of Boulogne
People excommunicated by the Catholic Church