Matilda Of Béthune
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Matilda of Béthune (died 8 November 1264), was a noblewoman from
Artois Artois ( , ; ; Picard: ''Artoé;'' English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities include Arras (Dutch: ...
who became countess of
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 ...
by marriage to
Guy, Count of Flanders Guy of Dampierre (; ) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and List of rulers of Namur, Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when his Flemings defeated the latter at the Battle of ...
. She was heiress to her father's titles as
Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...
of
Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a town in northern France, Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department. Geography Béthune is located in the Provinces of Fran ...
, of
Dendermonde Dendermonde (; , ) is a city in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders in Belgium. The Municipalities of Belgium, municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, M ...
, of Richebourg and of
Warneton Warneton (; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Bounding communes and places *Warneton, Belgium (part of Comines-Warneton) * Comines, east * Quesnoy-sur-Deûle, southea ...
, as well as Advocatess of the Abbey of Saint Vaast at
Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...
, and the ruler of these states in 1248-1264. She was the mother of Robert, Count of Flanders, known as Robert of Béthune after his mother.


Life

Matilda, also referred to as Mathilde or Mahaut, was born about 1230, the first child of Robert VII, Lord of the castle and town of Béthune and Advocate of the Abbey of Saint-Vaast at Arras, who was a major landowner and one of the twelve peers of Flanders. Her mother was Elizabeth, widow of Nicholas I, Lord of Condé, and daughter of Arnulf IV, last Lord of Morialmé. Robert and Elizabeth had two further daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah.


Countess

About the age of 16, Matilda was engaged to
Guy of Dampierre Guy of Dampierre (; ) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when his Flemings defeated the latter at the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302 ...
, who was made co-ruler of Flanders by his widowed mother
Margaret II, Countess of Flanders Margaret, often called Margaret of Constantinople (1202 – 10 February 1280), ruled as Countess of Flanders during 1244–1278 and Countess of Hainaut during 1244–1253 and 1257–1280. She was the younger daughter of Count Baldwin IX and M ...
alongside her and his elder brother
William III of Dampierre William III (1224 – 6 June 1251) was the lord of Dampierre from 1231 and count of Flanders from 1247 until his death. He was the son of William II of Dampierre and Margaret II of Flanders. Reign Margaret inherited Flanders and Hainault i ...
, who died in 1251. In recognition of this important match for his eldest daughter, Robert of Béthune endowed her with the major part of his lands and titles. In October 1245, she still under age and unmarried, he made her heir to the ancient lands of his ancestors outside Béthune, the Pays de l'Alleu in which he held power of life and death. The marriage contract was signed on 2 February 1246 and the wedding then took place in Béthune. On 24 June 1248 Robert and Elizabeth wrote a letter to Guy and Matilda confirming that the two would inherit his lands and titles, which happened shortly after when news reached France of Robert's death. Matilda then became Lady of Béthune, of Dendermonde, of Richebourg, and of Warneton, as well as Advocatess of the Abbey of Saint Vaast at Arras. By marriage, Guy called himself Lord of these holdings and Advocate, which he was doing by October 1249.


Death and legacy

Matilda died on 8 November 1264 and was buried in a tomb of black marble in the Chapel of
Saint Hubert In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
within the
abbey church A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...
of
Flines-lez-Raches Flines-lez-Raches (, literally ''Flines near Raches'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It was once the site of Flines Abbey. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list ...
, her husband being placed beside her later. He remarried in 1265 and had eight more children.


Issue

In their 15 years together, she and Guy had eight children: * Mary (d. 1297) married: *# in 1266 William of Jülich (d. 16 March 1278), son of
William IV, Count of Jülich William IV, Count of Jülich (c. 1210 – 16 March 1278) was the son and heir of William III of Jülich and Mathilde of Limburg, daughter of Waleran III, Duke of Limburg.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalt ...
. Their son
William of Jülich William of Jülich, called the Younger (Dutch: ''Willem van Gulik de Jongere''; died August 18, 1304), was one of the Flemish noblemen that opposed the annexation policies of the French king Philip IV, together with Pieter de Coninck. He was a ...
, known as William the Younger, died in 1304 in the
Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle The Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle (or Pevelenberg) was fought on 18 August 1304 between the French and the Flemish. The French were led by their king, Philip IV. Prelude The French king wanted revenge for the defeat in Battle of the Golden Spur ...
. *# in 1285 Simon II of Châteauvillain (d. 28 June 1305), Lord of
Arc-en-Barrois Arc-en-Barrois is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France. The 18th-century French metallurgist and Encyclopédiste Étienne Jean Bouchu (1714–1773) died in Arc-en-Barrois. Geography The Aujon ...
and
Brémur-et-Vaurois Brémur-et-Vaurois () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France. The c ...
, with whom she had eight children. * Robert III (1249–1322), who succeeded as Count of Flanders. * William (after 1249 – 1311), Lord of Dendermonde and Richebourg, married in 1286 Alice, daughter of Ralph II of Clermont and had children. *
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
(1250 – 4 October 1290), was made
Bishop of Metz This is a list of bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Metz, which now lies in eastern France. To 500 * Clement of Metz (c. 280–300) * Celestius * Felix I * Patient * Victor I 344–346 * Victor II * Simeon * Sambace * Rufus of Metz * Ad ...
and then
Bishop of Liège A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
. * Baldwin (1252–1296). *
Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
(c. 1253 – 3 July 1285), married in 1273
John I, Duke of Brabant John I, also called John the Victorious (1252/533 May 1294) was Duke of Brabant (1267–1294), Lothier and Limburg (1288–1294). During the 13th century, John I was venerated as a folk hero. He has been painted as the perfect model of a brave, ...
and had four children, including
John II, Duke of Brabant John II (27 September 1275 – 27 October 1312), also called John the Peaceful, was Duke of Brabant, Lothier and Limburg (1294–1312). He was the son of John I of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders. John II succeeded his father in 1294 ...
. * Beatrice (c. 1260 – 5 April 1291), married
Floris V, Count of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modern ...
and was the mother of
John I, Count of Holland John I (1284 – 10 November 1299) was Count of Holland and Zeeland as son of Count Floris V. John inherited the county in 1296 after the murder of his father. Shortly after his birth, after negotiations between Floris and King Edward I of E ...
. *
Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...
(c. 1263 – November 1318), Count of
Teano Teano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, northwest of Caserta on the main line to Rome from Naples. It stands at the southeast foot of an extinct volcano, Rocca Monfina. Its St. Clement's cathedral is ...
, married: *# in 1284 Matilda (d. 1303), Countess of
Chieti Chieti (, ; , , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Southern Italy, east of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti, in the Abruzzo, Abruzzo region. In Italian, the adjectival form is ''teatino'' and inhabitants of Chieti ar ...
, daughter of Ralph of Courtenay, Count of Teano and Loreto. *# c. 1305 Petronella (d. c. 1335), daughter of Geoffrey of Milly, who had three children.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathilda of Bethune 13th-century births Year of birth uncertain 1263 deaths French countesses Countesses of Flanders 13th-century French nobility 13th-century women from the county of Flanders 13th-century people from the county of Flanders 13th-century French women