Jeanne Of FLANDERS

Female 1188 - 1244  (56 years)


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  • Name Jeanne Of FLANDERS  [1
    Birth 1188  Valenciennes, Nord, france Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Female 
    Birth 1200  [2
    Name Jeanne Countess Of Flanders  [1
    Death 05 Dec 1244  Marquette Les Lile, Nord, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Notes 
    • Jeanne, called of Constantinople (1199/1200 ? 1244) was countess of Flanders and Hainaut.

      She was the eldest daughter of Baldwin IX of Flanders, who was also (as Baldwin VI) count of Hainaut as well as Emperor of Constantinople. Her mother was Marie of Champagne.

      In 1202 Baldwin left on the Fourth Crusade, and Marie left to join him two years later, leaving Jeanne and her baby sister in the care of their uncle Philip of Namur.

      Jeanne's mother died in Aug 1204, and her father died the next year, leaving her a five-year-old orphan under the guardianship of Philip of Namur. He continued as regent as well, ruling in her name rather than her father's. Philip soon put his nieces in a difficult position. He became betrothed to a daughter of King Philip Augustus of France, and give the king custody of the two girls. Philip Augustus in turn agreed to sell their custody to Enguerrand de Coucy, who probably planned to marry Jeanne when she came of age. But these plans fell through, and in the end she married Ferdinand, prince of Portugal in Paris in January 1212. He was the nephew of Jeanne's great-aunt-by-marriage Matilda of Portugal.

      While on their way to Flanders the newlyweds were captured by Jeanne's first cousin Louis (the future Louis VIII of France), eldest son of Philip Augustus and his first wife, Jeanne's aunt Elizabeth of Flanders, otherwise known as Isabelle of Hainaut. Louis' aim was to acquire his dead mother's dowry, a large piece of Flemish territory including Artois, which Jeanne's father had taken back by force after Isabel/Elizabeth's death.

      Released after this concession, Jeanne and Ferdinand soon joined the old allies of her father, king John of England and Emperor Otto IV, in an alliance against France. They were decisively defeated at Bouvines in July 1214, where Ferdinand was taken prisoner.

      Ferdinand was to remain in French hands for the next 12 years, while Jeanne ruled alone. During this period Jeanne ended up at odds with her younger sister Margaret over the latter's inheritance, a matter complicated by the questionable validity of both of Margaret's marriages. A war between the sisters broke out, which only added to difficulties caused by famine.

      In 1225 a man appeared who claimed to be Jeanne's father Baldwin, returned after 20 years. He soon became the focus of a popular revolt, which Jeanne only put down with aid from Louis VIII.

      In 1237 she married Thomas II of Savoy, but this marriage was childless.
    Person ID I22531  Main Tree

    Father Baldwin VI,   b. Jul 1172   d. 11 Jun 1215, Bulgaria Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 42 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Mother Marie Of CHAMPAGNE,   b. 1174, Champagne, France Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 09 Aug 1204 (Age 30 years) 
    Relationship Step 
    Marriage 06 Jan 1185/6  [2, 3, 4
    Family ID F03757  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Fernando Of PORTUGAL,   b. 24 Mar 1188   d. 04 Mar 1233 (Age 44 years) 
    Marriage Jan 1212  Paris Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Family ID F17489  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Thomas II Of PIEDMONT,   b. Abt 1199   d. 7 Feb 1259 (Age 60 years) 
    Marriage Apr 1237  [2
    Family ID F17490  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 26 Feb 2016 

  • Sources 
    1. [S03581] Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

    2. [S5840] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonist Who Came to America before 1700.

    3. [S03483] The Spear and the Spindle: Ancestors of Sir Francis Bryan (d. 1550), Kt.

    4. [S03311] Roderick W. Stuart, Royalty For Commoners - Fourth Edition, (Name: Name: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc;;).