Robert III (1249 – 17 September 1322), also called Robert of Béthune and nicknamed The Lion of Flanders (''De Leeuw van Vlaanderen''), was the

Count of Nevers The counts of Nevers were the rulers of the County of Nevers, which became a French duchy in 1539, with the rulers of the duchy calling themselves dukes. History The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected to the Duchy of Burgundy ...

from 1273 and Count of Flanders from 1305 until his death.

History

Robert was the oldest son of

Guy of Dampierre Guy of Dampierre (french: Gui de Dampierre; nl, Gwijde van 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 ...

from his first marriage with Matilda of Béthune. His father essentially transferred the reign of

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 ...

to him in November 1299, during his war with Philip IV of France. Both father and son were taken into captivity in May 1300, and Robert was not released until 1305. Robert of Béthune gained military fame in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, when he fought at the side of his father-in-law,

Charles I of Sicily Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...

(1265–1268) against the last

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

s, Manfred and Conradin. Together with his father he took part in 1270 in the Eighth Crusade, led by Saint Louis. After his return from the Crusade he continued to be a loyal aid for his father, politically and militarily, in the fight against the attempts of the French King Philip IV the Fair to add Flanders to the French crown lands. Guy of Dampierre broke all feudal bonds with the French king (on 20 January 1297) mainly under his influence. When the resistance seemed hopeless Robert allowed himself to be taken prisoner, together with his father and his brother William of Crèvecoeur, and taken to the French King (May 1300). Shortly before that he had become the

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

ruler of Flanders. He was locked in the castle of Chinon. Contrary to popular belief, and the romantic portrayal by Hendrik Conscience in his novel about these events (''The Lion of Flanders''), he did not take part in the Battle of the Golden Spurs. In July 1305, after his father had died in captivity, he was allowed to return to his county. The execution of the Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge would mark the rule of Count Robert. Initially, he achieved some success in moving the countryside and the cities to fulfill their duties. However, in April 1310 he started to radically resist the French, with support of his subjects and his family. Both diplomatically and militarily he managed to make a stand against the French king. In December 1318, King Edward II of England sent nobles to mediate between Count Robert and William I, Count of Hainaut, in order to ease the passage of trade. When Robert marched to Lille in 1319 the militia from

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

refused to cross the Leie with him. When his grandson Louis I of Nevers pressured him as well, Robert gave up the battle and went to Paris in 1320 to restore feudal bonds with the French King. But even after that, he would hamper the execution of the Treaty of Athis-sur-Orge to the point of being excommunicated. Robert died in 1322 and was succeeded by his grandson, Louis, Count of Nevers. He was buried in Flanders in Saint Martin's Cathedral in

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

, as was his explicit wish to be buried on Flemish soil. His body was only allowed to be transferred to the abbey of Flines (near

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...

) when Lille and Douai were again part of the County of Flanders. His first wife and his father were also buried in this abbey.

Family

Robert married twice. His first wife was Blanche (d. 1269), daughter of

and Beatrice of Provence, in 1265. They had one son, Charles, who died young. His second wife was Yolande II, Countess of Nevers (d. 11 June 1280), daughter of Odo, Count of Nevers, in c. 1271. They had five children: * Louis (b. 1272, d. 24 July 1322,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

), Count of Nevers, married December 1290 Joan, Countess of Rethel (d. aft. 12 March 1328). Their son was

Louis I of Flanders Louis I ( – 26 August 1346, ruled 1322–1346) was Count of Flanders, Nevers and Rethel. Life He was the son of Louis I, Count of Nevers, and Joan, Countess of Rethel, and grandson of Robert III of Flanders. He succeeded his father as c ...

. *Robert (d. 1331), Count of Marle, married c. 1323 Joan of Brittany (1296 - 24 March 1363), Lady of Nogent-le-Rotrou, daughter of

Arthur II, Duke of Brittany Arthur II (25 July 1261 – 27 August 1312), of the House of Dreux, was Duke of Brittany from 1305 to his death. He was the first son of John II and Beatrice, daughter of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. After he inherited the duca ...

. Their children were: ::*John, Seigneur of Cassel (d. 1332) ::*Yolande (c.1320–1395), married Henry IV of Bar in 1340. *Jeanne (d. 15 October 1333), married 1288 Enguerrand IV, Lord of Coucy (d. 1310),

Viscount of Meaux A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

. *Yolande (d. 1313), married c. 1287 (d. 1309). *Matilda, married c. 1314 Matthias of Lorraine (d. c. 1330), Lord of Warsberg.

References

Sources

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External links

Count Robert III of Flanders
, - {{Authority control Robert III of Flanders Robert III of Flanders Robert III Counts of Flanders Counts of Nevers Robert III of Flanders 14th-century peers of France 14th-century people from the county of Flanders