The Treaty of Pont-à-Vendin was a treaty signed on 25 February 1212 at Pont-à-Vendin between king

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...

and the count (''

iure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...

'') and countess of Flanders.

Background

After count

Baldwin IX of Flanders Baldwin I (; ; July 1172 – ) was the first Emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople; Count of Flanders (as Baldwin IX) from 1194 to 1205 and Count of Hainaut (as Baldwin VI) from 1195 to 1205. Baldwin was one of the most prominent lead ...

, who had been able to conclude the for the French disadvantageous peace of Péronne, disappeared under mysterious circumstances when he undertook in his capacity as emperor of the

Latin Empire The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantin ...

an expedition against the

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

in 1205, king

had his eldest daughter Joan brought over to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It was imperative for this ambitious king to have the heiress of Flanders under his control. Therefore she was betrothed to the Portuguese prince

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

(son of Sancho I), in whom he saw an easily manipulated count of Flanders.{{Aut, D.M. Nicholas, ''Medieval Flanders'', New York - London, 1992, p
152

Treaty

In January 1212 Joan and Ferdinand tied the knot in Paris. Thereupon the young pair wished to go to the county of Flanders in order to take over the reins of power from Joan's uncle (her father's brother)

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 ...

margrave of Namur The County of Namur was not often an independent state, rather under the dominion of other entities like the counties of Hainaut and Flanders or the Duchy of Burgundy. Succession is from father to son, unless otherwise noted. Counts House ...

, and temporary regent for the county. During their journey to their new county the couple was taken captive by prince Louis of France, who also took the cities of

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...

and

Aire-sur-la-Lys Aire-sur-la-Lys (; ; literally "Aire on the Lys (river), Lys") is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography The commune is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of ...

. Philip II let them know that he would release them once they signed a treaty in which they would cede the two captured towns to France. Eventually, on 25 February 1212, they both signed this treaty at Pont-à-Vendin, a Flemish-Artesian border town on the

Deûle The Deûle (; ) is a river of northern France which is channeled for the main part of its course (from Lens to Lille). The upstream part is still partly free-flowing and is known as the Souchez. The Deûle flows into the Lys (right bank) in De� ...

between

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...

and

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. Philip now thought that with Ferdinand he had appointed a count of Flanders who he could easily manipulate.

References

1210s in France 13th century in the county of Flanders Pont-à-Vendin Treaties of Flanders 1210s treaties 1212 in Europe Philip II of France Louis VIII of France