Baldwin VI ( 1030 – 17 July 1070), also known as Baldwin the Good, was

Count of Hainaut The Count of Hainaut (; ; ) was the ruler of the county of Hainaut, a historical region in the Low Countries (including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany). In English-la ...

from 1051 to 1070 (as Baldwin I) and Count of Flanders from 1067 to 1070. Baldwin was the eldest son of Baldwin V of Flanders and Adela, a daughter of King

Robert II of France Robert II (c. 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (french: link=no, le Pieux) or the Wise (french: link=no, le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted h ...

and

Constance of Arles Constance of Arles (c. 986 – 28 July 1032), also known as Constance of Provence, was Queen of France as the third spouse of King Robert II of France. Life Born Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europ� ...

. His father arranged his marriage, under threat of arms, to Richilde, the widow of

Herman of Mons Herman (died 3 July 1049), Count of Mons and Hainaut, son of Reginar V, Count of Mons, and Mathilde of Verdun, daughter of Herman, Count of Verdun. As the Count of Mons, a title inherited from his father, he allied with Godfrey the Bearded, Duke ...

and heir of Hainaut.Renée Nip, 'The Political Relations Between England and Flanders (1066–1128)', ''Anglo-Norman Studies 21: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1998'', Ed. Christopher Harper-Bill (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1989), p. 147. As Hainaut was a part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

this enraged

Emperor Henry III Henry III (28 October 1016 – 5 October 1056), called the Black or the Pious, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 until his death in 1056. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was the eldest son of Conrad II and Gisela of Swabia. Henry was raised by ...

, who had not been consulted, causing him to wage war on the two Baldwins but was not successful. Between 1050 and 1054 Count Lambert II of Lens fought alongside the Baldwins against Henry III finding that this alliance best protected his interests.Lambert II was reported to have died in 1054 at Lille fighting on the side of the Counts Baldwin against Henry III. See John Carl Andressohn, ''The ancestry and life of Godfrey of Bouillon'' (Ayer Publishing, 1972), p. 20. Others fighting for the Counts of Flanders against Henry III included the lords of Alost. See Heather J. Tanner, ''Families, Friends, and Allies (Leiden: Brill, 2004), pp. 87–88 n. 74. Baldwin VI died on 17 July 1070.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 5 Baldwin had constructed the church of St. Peter's of

Hasnon Hasnon () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes cooperate in th ...

, placed monks there and designated it as his burial place. His early death left

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-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 cultu ...

and Hainaut in the hands of his young son, Arnulf III, with Richilde as regent. Arnulf III was killed at the Battle of Cassel in 1071. Baldwin VI's younger son, Count Baldwin II of Hainaut, could not claim Flanders from Baldwin VI's brother, Robert I.Gilbert of Mons, ''Chronicle of Hainaut'', Trans. Laura Napran (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2005), p. 6

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