Ferdinand ( Portuguese: ''Fernando'', French and Dutch: ''Ferrand''; 24 March 1188 – 27 July 1233) reigned as '' jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders and Hainaut from his marriage to Countess Joan, celebrated in Paris in 1212, until his death.

Biography

Ferdinand was born in Coimbra, and he was an Infante of Portugal as the fourth son of King Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon. While on their way to

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 ...

, Ferdinand and Joan were captured by Joan's first cousin Louis, eldest son of Philip II of France and Joan's aunt Isabella. Louis' aim was to acquire his dead mother's dowry, a large piece of Flemish territory including Artois, which Joan's father had taken back by force after Isabella's death. Released after this concession, Joan and Ferdinand soon joined the old allies of her father, King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

and Emperor Otto IV, in an alliance against France. They were decisively defeated at Bouvines in July 1214, where Ferdinand was taken prisoner. Ferrand van Vlaanderen 001

Ferdinand was to remain in French hands for the next 12 years, while Joan ruled alone. He was released in 1226, by the French

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

, Blanche of Castile, after the accession of her son

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

. Ferdinand died in Noyon on 27 July 1233. His and Joan's only child, a daughter named Maria, died childless, and their counties eventually passed to Joan's younger sister, Margaret II.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand, Count Of Flanders 1188 births 1233 deaths 13th-century counts of Flanders 12th-century Portuguese people 13th-century Portuguese nobility 13th-century peers of France House of Burgundy-Portugal Portuguese infantes People from Coimbra Sons of kings Jure uxoris counts