The Avesnes family played an important role during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. The family has its roots in the small village

Avesnes-sur-Helpe Avesnes-sur-Helpe (; ), Picard language, Picard: ''Avinne-su-Helpe'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of ...

, in the north of France. One branch produced a number of

Counts of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. The Frisian origins While the Frisian kingdom had comprised most of the present day Netherlands, the later province of Friesland ...

during the 13th century. The family died out in the 16th century.

Origin of the House: feud between Dampierre and Avesnes

Baldwin Baldwin may refer to: People * Baldwin (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Places Canada * Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario * Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District * Baldwin's Mills, ...

, the first 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 ...

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, was as Baldwin IX

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

and as Baldwin VI

Count of Hainaut The Count of Hainaut (; ; ) was the ruler of the county of Hainaut, a historical region in the Low Countries (including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany). In English-la ...

. Baldwin had only daughters and was in turn succeeded by his daughters Joan (reigned 1205–1244) and Margaret II (reigned 1244–1280). In 1212 Margaret II married Bouchard d'Avesnes, a prominent Hainaut nobleman. This was apparently a love match, though it was approved by Margaret's sister Joan, who had herself recently married. The two sisters subsequently had a falling-out over Margaret's share of their inheritance, which led Joan to attempt to get Margaret's marriage dissolved. She alleged that the marriage was invalid, and without much inspection of the facts of the case

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

condemned the marriage, though he did not formally annul it. Bourchard and Margaret continued as a married couple, having 3 children, as their conflict with Joan grew violent and Bouchard was captured and imprisoned in 1219. He was released in 1221 on the condition that the couple separate and that Bouchard get absolution from the pope. While he was in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Joan convinced Margaret to remarry, this time to

William II of Dampierre William II (1196 – 3 September 1231) was the lord of Dampierre from 1216 until his death. He was the son of Guy II, constable of Champagne, and Mathilde of Bourbon. His brother, Archambaud VIII, inherited Bourbon, and William inherited ...

, a nobleman from

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. From this marriage Margaret had two sons:

William II, Count of Flanders 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 ...

and

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 ...

. This situation caused something of a scandal, for the marriage was possibly

bigamous In a culture where only monogamous relationships are legally recognized, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their mari ...

, and violated the church's strictures on

consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...

as well. The disputes regarding the validity of the two marriages and the legitimacy of her children by each husband continued for decades, becoming entangled in the politics of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and resulting in the long

War of the Succession of Flanders and Hainault The War of the Flemish Succession was a series of feudal conflicts in the mid-thirteenth century between the children of Margaret II, Countess of Flanders. They concerned the succession to the countship of two counties, one a fief of the King ...

. In 1246 king

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 ...

, acting as an arbitrator, gave the right to inherit Flanders to the Dampierre children, and the rights to Hainaut to the Avesnes children. This would seem to have settled the matter, but in 1253 problems arose again. The eldest son,

John I of Avesnes John of Avesnes (1 May 1218 – 24 December 1257) was the count of Hainaut from 1246 to his death. Life Born in Houffalize, John was the eldest son of Margaret II of Flanders by her first husband, Bouchard IV of Avesnes. As the marriage of Ma ...

, who was uneasy about his rights, convinced William of Holland, the German king recognized by the pro-papal forces, to seize Hainaut and the parts of Flanders which were within the bounds of the empire. William of Holland was theoretically, as king, overlord for these territories, and also John's brother-in-law. A civil war followed, which ended when the Avesnes forces defeated and imprisoned the Dampierres at the

Battle of West-Capelle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

of 4 July 1253, after which John I of Avesnes was able to force Guy of Dampierre and his mother to respect the division of Louis and grant him Hainault. Margaret did not rest in her defeat and did not recognise herself as overcome. She instead granted Hainault to

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

, the brother of King Louis, who had recently returned from the crusade. Charles took up her cause and warred with John I of Avesnes, but failed to take

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

and just missed being killed in a skirmish. When Louis returned in 1254, he reaffirmed his earlier arbitration and ordered his brother to get out of the conflict. Charles returned to

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

. With this second arbitration of the holy king, the conflict closed and John I of Avesnes was secure in Hainault. The following decades saw further strife between the Dampierres and the Avesnes, who by the start of the 14th century had also inherited the

County of Holland The County of Holland was a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire from its inception until 1433. From 1433 onward it was part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading pro ...

and

Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...

Family Tree

*Fastré I d'Oisy m. Ade **Fastré II d'Oisy m. Richilde ***Wautier I d'Oisy m. Ida de Mortagne **** Nicholas le Beau (1129–1171) m. Mathilde de La Roche *****

James of Avesnes James of Avesnes (also ''Jacques'' or ''Jacob''; 1152 – 7 September 1191) was a son of Nicholas d'Oisy, Lord of Avesnes and Matilda de la Roche. He was the lord of Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Avesnes, Condé-en-Brie, Condé, and Leuze-en-Hainaut, Le ...

(1150–1191) m. Ameline de Guise ******

Walter II of Avesnes Walter II of Avesnes (b. 1170 – d. 1244) was lord of Avesnes, Leuze, of Condé and Guise, and through his marriage to Margaret of Blois, he became count of Blois and Chartres. He was the son of James of Avesnes, and Adèle, lady of Guise. Wal ...

(1180?-1246) m. Marguerite de Blois (1231) ******

Bouchard IV of Avesnes Burchard IV or Bouchard IV (1182–1244) was the lord of Avesnes and Étrœungt. He was the son of James of Avesnes and Adela of Guise and brother of Walter, Count of Blois.(FR)Henri Platelle, ''Présence de l'au-delà: une vision médiéval ...

(1182–1244) m. Margaret of Flanders *******

(1218–1257) m.

Adelaide of Holland Adelaide of Holland (; – buried 9 April 1284), was a Countess of Hainaut by marriage to John I, Count of Hainaut. She acted as the regent of the County of Holland during the minority of her nephew Count Floris V between 1256 and 1263. She w ...

******** John II of Avesnes count of Hainaut and Holland (r. 1280-1304) m.

Philippa of Luxembourg Philippa of Luxembourg (1252 – 6 April 1311) was the daughter of Count Henry V of Luxembourg and his wife, Marguerite of Bar. She married John II, Count of Holland.M. A. Pollock, ''Scotland, England and France After the Loss of Normandy, 1204-1 ...

*********

William III of Avesnes William the Good (, ; – 7 June 1337) was count of County of Hainaut, Hainaut (as William I), Avesnes family, Avesnes, County of Holland, Holland (as William III), and Zeeland (as William II) from 1304 to his death. Career William, born , wa ...

(1286–1337) m. Joan of Valois **********

William IV of Avesnes William II (1307 – 26 September 1345) was Count of Hainaut from 1337 until his death. He was also Count of Holland (as William IV) and Count of Zeeland. He succeeded his father, Count William I of Hainaut. While away fighting in Prussia, the F ...

(r. 1337-1345) m.

Joanna, Duchess of Brabant Joanna (24 June 1322 – 1 December 1406) was a ruling duchess of Brabant from 1355 until her death. She was duchess of Brabant until the occupation of the duchy by her brother-in-law Louis II of Flanders. Following her death, the rights to the ...

**********

Margaret II of Hainaut Margaret II of Avesnes (1311 – 23 June 1356) was Countess of Hainaut and Countess of Holland (as Margaret I) from 1345 to 1356. She was Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Germany by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian. Lif ...

(r. 1345-1356) m. Louis IV Wittelsbach ********

Guy of Avesnes Guy van Avennes (also spelt as Guy van Avesnes; Dutch Gwijde van Avesnes) (c. 1253 – 23 May 1317, Utrecht) was Bishop of Utrecht from 1301 to 1317. Family He was descended from an important Hainaut family, the House of Avesnes. He was the ...

(-1317) ********* Aleid of Avesnes, married

Otto van Asperen van Heuckelom Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

********* Maria of Avesnes, married Arnold, Lord of IJsselstein ********

Florent of Hainaut Florent of Hainaut (also ''Floris'' or ''Florence''; Hainaut, also spelled "Hainault") (c. 1255 – 23 January 1297) was Prince of Achaea from 1289 to his death, in right of his wife, Isabella of Villehardouin. He was the son of John I of Aves ...

(r. 1289–1297) m.

Isabella of Villehardouin Isabella of Villehardouin (1260/1263 – 23 January 1312) was reigning Princess of Achaea from 1289 to 1307. She was the elder daughter of Prince William II of Achaea and of his third wife, Anna Komnene Doukaina, the second daughter of Michael ...

*********

Matilda of Hainaut Matilda of Hainaut (French language, French: ''Mathilde de Hainaut''; November 1293 – 1331), also known as Maud and Mahaut, was Prince of Achaea, Princess of Achaea from 1316 to 1321. She was the only child of Isabella of Villehardouin and Flor ...

(1293–1331) *******

Baldwin of Avesnes Baldwin of Avesnes (September 1219 in Oizy – 10 April 1295 in Avesnes) was a son of Bouchard IV of Avesnes and his wife, Margaret II of Flanders. His parents' marriage was later declared illegal, because his father had already received mino ...

(1219–1295) m. Felicitas of Coucy ******** Beatrice of Avesnes (died 1321) m.

Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg Henry VI ( – 5 June 1288) was Count of Luxembourg and Arlon from the death of his father, Henry V the Blond, in 1281 until his own death at the battle of Worringen, seven years later, when he was succeeded by his son, Henry VII. Lif ...

External links

* The History Files
The Kings of Holland (uses Dutch spellings of names)

Origin of the House: feud between Dampierre and Avesnes

Family Tree

See also

Further reading

External links