Eustace I,

Count of Boulogne Count of Boulogne was a historical title in the Kingdom of France. The city of Boulogne-sur-Mer became the centre of the County of Boulogne during the ninth century. Little is known of the early counts, but the first holder of the title is rec ...

, was a nobleman and founder of the Boulogne branch of the

House of Flanders The House of Flanders, also called the Baldwins (, , ), was a medieval ruling family of Franks, Frankish origin that was founded by Baldwin I, Count of Flanders, Baldwin Iron Arm, son-in-law of Charles the Bald. The House of Flanders was the firs ...

. He held the

county of Boulogne The County of Boulogne was a county within the Kingdom of France during the 9th to 15th centuries, centred on the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer. It was ruled by the counts of Flanders in the 10th century, but a separate Count of Boulogne, House of Boul ...

from 1024 until his death in 1047.

Life

Eustace was the elder son of Count Baldwin II of Boulogne and Adelina of Holland. He succeeded his father as count of Boulogne in 1024. Eustace was also the count of Lens. In 1028 Eustace confirmed the foundation of a college of canons in his castle at Lens and despite accounts of Lens passing to Baldwin V of Flanders circa 1036 it was still held by Eustace and was passed to his son Lambert at his death. During the minority of

Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders 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.Detlev ...

, Eustace's grandfather,

Arnulf III, Count of Boulogne Arnulf III of Boulogne (died 990) was a son of Arnulf II, Count of Boulogne. He succeeded his father as Count of Boulogne from 972 to 990. On his death his Partible inheritance, lands were divided among his three sons: *Baldwin II, Count of Boulo ...

had broken free of Flanders and operated as an independent prince, as did Eustace's father and Eustace himself. In 995, having attained his majority, Baldwin IV attempted to recover several of the independently held castles and to expand the Flemish borders. This had caused considerable animosity between Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders and Eustace's father, but when Baldwin IV's son Baldwin V succeeded him in 1035 Eustace and Baldwin V of Flanders cooperated on several ventures including several charters and in limiting the powers of the Castellan-advocates of several abbeys including the

Abbey of Saint Bertin The Abbey of Saint Bertin was a Benedictine monastic abbey in Saint-Omer, France. The buildings are now in ruins, which are open to the public. It was initially dedicated to but was rededicated to its second abbot, . The abbey is known for its ...

in Flanders. Eustace was allied to the ducal

house of Normandy The House of Normandy ( ) was a noble family originating from the Duchy of Normandy. The House of Normandy's lineage began with the Scandinavian Rollo who founded the Duchy of Normandy in 911. The House of Normandy includes members who were ...

by the marriage of his son Eustace II to Goda, niece of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

. This had far reaching alliances to other branches of these families including that of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

, King of England. Under Eustace the counts of Boulogne rose to great prominence in Northern France. Eustace I died in 1047. Eustace was apparently a patron of

Samer Samer (; ; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Population Notable people * Saint Vulmar, hermit who founded Samer Abbey in the 6th century. * Eustace the Monk (c. 1170–1217), pirate an ...

Abbey near

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

and he is said to have been buried there.

Family and children

Eustace married Matilda of Louvain, daughter of Lambert I of

Louvain Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of ...

and Gerberga of Lower Lorraine and had: *

Eustace II of Boulogne Eustace II, (), also known as Eustace aux Grenons ("Eustace with long moustaches"),Heather J. Tanner, 'Eustace (II), count of Boulogne (d. c.1087)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. was Count of Boulogne fro ...

. *Godfrey,

Bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been create ...

from 1061 to 1095 * Lambert II, Count of Lens. *Gerberga, married

Frederick, Duke of Lower Lorraine Frederick of Lower Lorraine ( – 18 May 1065) was a younger son of Frederick, Lord of Gleiberg. Frederick was the ''advocatus'' of the Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy from 1033, In 1044, Gothelo I, Duke of Lorraine, Gothelo I, duke of both Lorra ...

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{s-end 1049 deaths 11th-century French nobility House of Boulogne Counts of Boulogne Year of birth unknown House of Flanders