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FLANDERS (Flem. Vlaanderen)

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Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 480 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FLANDERS (Flem. Vlaanderen) , a territorial name for See also:part of the See also:Netherlands, See also:Europe. Originally it applied only to See also:Bruges and the immediate neighbourhood. In the 8th and 9th centuries it was gradually extended to the whole of the See also:coast region from See also:Calais to the See also:Scheldt. In the See also:middle ages this was divided into two parts, one looking to Bruges as its See also:capital, and the other to See also:Ghent. The name is retained in the two Belgian provinces of See also:West and See also:East Flanders. 1. West Flanders is the portion bordering the See also:North See also:Sea, and its coast-See also:line extends from the See also:French to the Dutch frontier for a little over 40 M. Its capital is Bruges, and the See also:principal towns of the See also:province are See also:Ostend, Courtrai, See also:Ypres and See also:Roulers. Agri-culture is the See also:chief occupation of the See also:population, and the See also:country is under the most careful and skilful cultivation. The admiration of the See also:foreign observer for the Belgian See also:system of See also:market gardening is not diminished on learning that the subsoil of most of this See also:tract is the See also:sand of the " See also:dunes." Fishing employs a large proportion of the coast population. The See also:area of West Flanders is officially computed at 808,667 acres or 1263 sq. m.

In 1904 the population was 845,732, giving an See also:

average of 669 to the sq. m. 2. East Flanders lies east and north-east of the western province, and extends northwards to the neighbourhood of See also:Antwerp. It is still more productive and richer than Western Flanders, and is well watered by the Scheldt. The See also:district of Waes, See also:land entirely reclaimed within the memory of See also:man, is supposed to be the most productive district of its See also:size in Europe. The principal towns are Ghent (capital of the province), St See also:Nicolas, See also:Alost, See also:Termonde, Eecloo and Oudenarde. The area is given at 749,987 acres or 1172 sq. m. In 1904 the population was 1,073,507, showing an average of 916 per sq. m. See also:History.—The See also:ancient territory of Flanders comprised not only the See also:modern provinces known as East and West Flanders, but the southernmost portion of the Dutch province of Zeelandand a considerable district in north-western See also:France. In the See also:time of See also:Caesar it was inhabited by the Morini, Atrebates and other See also:Celtic tribes, but in the centuries that followed the land was repeatedly overrun by See also:German invaders, and finally became a part of the dominion of the See also:Franks. On the break-up of the Carolingian See also:empire the See also:river Scheldt was by the treaty of See also:Verdun (843) made the line of See also:division between the See also:kingdom of East See also:Francia (See also:Austrasia) under the See also:emperor Lothaire, and the kingdom of West Francia (See also:Neustria) under See also:Charles the Bald. In virtue of this compact Flanders was henceforth attached to the West Frankish See also:monarchy (France).

It thus acquired a position unique among the provinces of the territory known in later times as the Netherlands, all of which were included in that See also:

northern part of Austrasia assigned on the See also:death of the emperor Lothaire (855) to See also:King Lothaire II., and from his name called Lotharingia or See also:Lorraine. The first ruler of Flanders of whom history has See also:left any See also:record is See also:Baldwin, surnamed See also:Bras-defer (See also:Iron-See also:arm). This man, a brave and daring See also:warrior under Charles the Bald, See also:fell in love with the king's daughter See also:Judith, the youthful widow of two See also:English See also:kings, married her, and fled with his See also:bride to Lorraine. Charles, though at first very angry, was at last conciliated, and made his son-in-See also:law See also:margrave (Marchio Flandriae) of Flanders, which he held as an hereditary See also:fief. The Northmen were at this time continually devastating the coast lands, and Baldwin was entrusted with the See also:possession of this outlying borderland of the west Frankish dominion in See also:order to defend it against the invaders. He was the first of a line of strong rulers, who at some date See also:early in the loth See also:century exchanged the See also:title of margrave for that of See also:count. His son, Baldwin II.—the Bald—from his strong-hold at Bruges maintained, as did his See also:father before him, a vigorous See also:defence of his lands against the incursions of the North-men. On his See also:mother's See also:side a descendant of See also:Charlemagne, he strengthened the dynastic importance of his See also:family by marrying Aelfthryth, daughter of See also:Alfred the See also:Great. On his death in 918 his possessions were divided between his two sons See also:Arnulf the See also:Elder and See also:Adolphus, but the latter survived only a See also:short time and Arnulf succeeded to the whole See also:inheritance. His reign was filled with warfare against the Northmen, and he took an active part in the struggles in Lorraine between the emperor See also:Otto I. and See also:Hugh See also:Capet. In his old See also:age he placed the See also:government in the hands of Baldwin, his son by Adela, daughter of the count of See also:Vermandois, and the See also:young man, though his reign was a very short one, did a great See also:deal for the commercial and See also:industrial progress of the country, establishing the first weavers and fullers at Ghent, and instituting yearly fairs at Ypres, Bruges and other places. On Baldwin III.'s death in 961 the old count resumed the See also:control, and spent the few remaining years of his See also:life in securing the See also:succession of his See also:grandson Arnulf II.—the Younger.

The reign of Arnulf was terminated by his death in 989, and he was followed by his son Baldwin IV., named Barbatus or the Bearded. This Baldwin fought successfully both against the Capetian king of France and the emperor See also:

Henry II. Henry found himself obliged to See also:grant to Baldwin IV. in fief See also:Valenciennes, the burgraveship of Ghent, the land of Waes, and See also:Zeeland. The count of Flanders thus became a feudatory of the empire as well as of the French See also:crown. The French fiefs are known in Flemish history as Crown Flanders (Kroon-Vlaanderen) , the German fiefs as Imperial Flanders (Rijks-Vlaanderen). Baldwin's son-afterwards Baldwin V.—rebelled in ro28 against his father at the instigation of his wife Adela, daughter of See also:Robert II. of France; but two years later See also:peace was sworn at Oudenaarde, and the old count continued to reign till his death in 1036. Baldwin V. proved a worthy successor, and acquired from the See also:people the surname of Debonnaire. He was an active enter-prising man, and greatly extended his See also:power by See also:wars and alliances. He obtained from the emperor Henry IV. the territory between the Scheldt and the Dender as an imperial fief, and the margraviate of Antwerp. So powerful had he become that the Flemish count on the decease of Henry I. of France in ro6o was appointed See also:regent during the minority of See also:Philip I. (see FRANCE). Before his death he saw his eldest daughter See also:Matilda (d.

1(383) sharing the English See also:

throne with See also:William the Conqueror, his eldest son Baldwin of See also:Mons in possession of See also:Hainaut in right of his wife Richilde, heiress of See also:Regnier V. (d. Io36) and widow of See also:Hermann of See also:Saxony (d. 1050/1) (see HAINAUT), and his second son Robert the Frisian regent (voogd) of the See also:county of See also:Holland during the minority of See also:Dirk V., whose mother, Gertrude of Saxony, widow of See also:Floris I. of Holland (d. ro61), Robert had married (see HOLLAND). On his death in Io67 his son Baldwin of Mons, already count of Hainaut, succeeded to the countship of Flanders. Baldwin V. had granted to Robert the Frisian on his See also:marriage in 1063 his imperial fiefs. His right to these was disputed by Baldwin VI., and See also:war See also:broke out between the two See also:brothers. Baldwin was killed in See also:battle in 1070. Robert now claimed the tutelage of Baldwin's See also:children and obtained the support of the emperor Henry IV., while Richilde, Baldwin's widow, appealed to Philip I. of France. The contest was decided at Ravenshoven, near See also:Cassel, on the 22nd of See also:February 1071, where Robert was victorious. Richilde was taken prisoner and her eldest son Arnulf III. was slain. Robert obtained from Philip I. the See also:investiture of Crown Flanders, and from Henry IV. the fiefs which formed Imperial Flanders.

The second son of Richilde was recognized as count of Hainaut (see HAINAUT), which was thus after a brief See also:

union separated from Flanders. Robert died in 1093, and was succeeded by his son Robert II., who acquired great renown by his exploits in the first crusade, and won the name of the See also:Lance and See also:Sword of Christendom. His fame was second only to that of See also:Godfrey of See also:Bouillon. Robert returned to Flanders in 'See also:loo. He fought with his suzerain See also:Louis the See also:Fat of France against the English, and was drowned in 1111 by the breaking of a See also:bridge. His son and successor, Baldwin VII., or Baldwin with the See also:Axe, also fought against the English in France. He died at the age of twenty-seven from the See also:wound of an arrow, in 1119, leaving no See also:heir. He nominated as his successor his See also:cousin Charles, son of Knut IV. of See also:Denmark and of Adela, daughter of Robert the Frisian. Charles tried his utmost to put down oppression and to promote the welfare of his subjects, and obtained the surname of " the See also:Good." His determination to enforce the right made him many enemies, and he was foully murdered on Ash Wednesday, 1127, at Bruges. He died childless, and there were no less than six candidates to the countship. The contest See also:lay between two of these, William Clito, son of Robert of See also:Normandy and grandson of William the C -nqueror and Matilda of Flanders, and See also:Thierry or Dirk of See also:Alsace, whose mother Gertrude was a daughter of Robert the Frisian. William Clito, through the support of Louis of France, was at first accepted by the Flemish nobles as count, but he gave offence to the communes, who supported Thierry.

A struggle ensued and William was killed before Alost. Thierry then became count without further opposition. He married the widow of Charles the Good, See also:

Marguerite of Clermont, and proved himself at See also:home a See also:wise and prudent See also:prince, encouraging the growth of popular See also:liberty and of See also:commerce. In 1146 he took part in the second crusade and distinguished himself by his exploits. In 1157 he resigned the countship to his son Philip of Alsace and betook himself once more to See also:Jerusalem. On his return from the East twenty years later Thierry retired to a monastery to See also:die in his own land. Count Philip of Alsace was a strong and able man. He did much to promote the growth of the municipalities for which Flanders was already becoming famous. Ghent, Bruges, Ypres, See also:Lille and See also:Douai under him made much progress as flourishing industrial towns. He also conferred rights and privileges on a number of ports, Hulst, Nieuwport, Sluis, See also:Dunkirk, Axel, See also:Damme, See also:Gravelines and others. But while encouraging the development of the communes and " See also:free towns," Philip sternly repressed any spirit of See also:independence or attempted uprisings against his authority. This count was a powerful prince.

He acted for a time as regent in France during the minority of his godson Philip See also:

Augustus, and married his See also:ward to his niece See also:Isabella of Hainaut (1180). Philip took part in the thirdcrusade, and died in the See also:camp before See also:Acre of the pestilence in 1191. As he had no children, the succession passed to Baldwin of Hainaut, who had married Philip's See also:sister See also:Margaret. The count-See also:ships of Flanders and Hainaut were thus See also:united under the same ruler. Baldwin did not obtain possession of Flanders without strong opposition on the part of the French king, and he was obliged to cede See also:Artois, St Omer, See also:Lens, Hesdin and a great part of See also:southern Flanders to France, and to allow Matilda of See also:Portugal, the widow of Philip of Alsace, to retain certain towns in right of her See also:dowry. Margaret died in 1194 and Baldwin the following See also:year, and their eldest son Baldwin IX. succeeded to both count-ships. Baldwin IX. is famous in history as the founder of the Latin empire at See also:Constantinople. He perished in See also:Bulgaria in 1206. The emperor's two daughters were both under age, and the government was carried on by their See also:uncle Philip, See also:marquess of See also:Namur, whom Baldwin had appointed regent on his departure to Constantinople. Philip proved faithless to his See also:charge, and he allowed his nieces to fall into the hands of Philip Augustus, who married the elder sister Johanna of Constantinople to his See also:nephew See also:Ferdinand of Portugal. The Flemings were averse to the French king's supremacy, and Ferdinand, who acted as See also:governor in the name of his wife, joined himself to the confederacy formed by See also:Germany, See also:England, and the leading states of the Netherlands against Philip Augustus. Ferdinand was, however, taken prisoner at the disastrous battle of See also:Bouvines (1214) and was kept for twelve years a prisoner in the Louvre.

The countess Johanna ruled the united countships with prudence and courage. On Ferdinand's death she married See also:

Thomas of See also:Savoy, but died in 1244, leaving no heirs. She was succeeded in her dignities by her younger sister Margaret of Constantinople, commonly known amongst her contemporaries as " See also:Black Meg " (Zwarte Grief). Margaret had been twice married. Her first See also:husband was (1212) Buchard of See also:Avesnes, one of the first of Hainaut's nobles and a man of knightly prowess, but originally destined for the See also:church. On this ground he was excommunicated by See also:Innocent III. and imprisoned by the countess Johanna, with the result that Margaret at last was driven to repudiate him. She married in second wedlock (1225) William of Dampierre. Two sons were the issue of the first marriage, three sons and three daughters of the second. When Margaret in 1244 became countess of Flanders and Hainaut, she wished her son William of Dampierre to be acknowledged as her successor. See also:John of Avesnes, her eldest son, strongly protested against this and was supported by the French king. A See also:civil war ensued, which ended in a See also:compromise (1246), the succession to Flanders being granted to William of Dampierre, that of Hainaut to John of Avesnes. Margaret, however, ruled with a strong See also:hand for many years and survived both her sons, dying at the age of eighty in 1280.

On her death her grandson, John II. of Avesnes, became count of Hainaut : See also:

Guy of Dampierre, her second son by her second marriage, count of Flanders. The two counties were once more under See also:separate dynasties. The government of Guy of Dampierre was unfortunate. It was the See also:interest of the Flemish weavers to be on good terms with England, the See also:wool-producing country, and Guy entered into an See also:alliance with See also:Edward I. against France. This led to an invasion and See also:conquest of Flanders by Philip the See also:Fair. Guy with his sons and the leading Flemish nobles were taken prisoners to See also:Paris, and Flanders was ruled as a French dependency. But though in the principal towns, Ghent, Bruges and Ypres, there was a powerful French faction—known as Leliaerts (adherents of the See also:lily)—the arbitrary See also:rule of the French governor and officials stirred up the See also:mass of the Flemish people to See also:rebellion. The See also:anti-French partisans (known as Clauwaerts) were strongest at Bruges under the leadership of See also:Peter de Conync, See also:master of the See also:cloth-weavers, and John Breydel, master of the butchers. The French See also:garrison at Bruges were massacred (May ,9th, 1302), and on the following 11th of See also:July a splendid French See also:army of invasion was utterly defeated near Courtray. Peace was concluded in 1305, but owing to Guy of Dampierre, and the leading Flemish nobles being in the hands of the French king, on terms very disadvantageous to Flanders. Very shortly afterwards the aged count Guy died, as did also Philip the Fair. Robert of See also:Bethune, his son and successor, had continual difficulties with France during the whole of his reign, the Flemings offering a stubborn resistance to all attempts to destroy their independence.

Robert was succeeded in 1322 by his grandson Louis of See also:

Nevers. Louis had been brought up at the French See also:court, and had married Margaret of France. His sympathies were entirely French, and he made use of French help in his contests with the communes. Under Louis of Nevers Flanders was practically reduced to the status of a French province. In his time the See also:long contest between Flanders and Holland for the possession of the See also:island of Zeeland was brought to an end by a treaty signed on the 6th of See also:March 1323, by which West Zeeland was assigned to the count of Holland, the See also:rest to the count of Flanders. The latter part of the reign of Louis of Nevers was remarkable for the successful revolt of the Flemish communes, now rapidly advancing to great material prosperity under See also:Jacob See also:van See also:Artevelde (see ARTEVELDE, JACOB VAN). Artevelde allied himself with Edward III. of England in his contest with Philip of See also:Valois for the French crown, while Louis of Nevers espoused the cause of Philip. He fell at the battle of See also:Crecy (1346). He was followed in the countship by his son Louis II. of Male. The reign of this count was one long struggle with the communes, headed by the See also:town of Ghent, for See also:political supremacy. Louis was as strong in his French sympathies as his father, and relied upon French help in enforcing his will upon his refractory subjects, who resented his arbitrary methods of government, and the heavy See also:taxation imposed upon them by his extravagance and love of display. Had the great towns with their organized See also:gilds and great See also:wealth held together in their opposition to the count's despotism, they would have proved successful, but Ghent and Bruges, always keen rivals, broke out into open See also:feud.

The power of Ghent reached its height under Philip van Artevelde (see ARTEVELDE, PHILIP VAN) in 1382. He defeated Louis, took Bruges and was made See also:

reward of Flanders. But the See also:triumph of the See also:White Hoods, as the popular party was called, was of short duration. On the 27th of See also:November 1382 Artevelde suffered a crushing defeat from a large French army at Roosebeke and was himself slain. Louis of Male died two years later, leaving an only daughter Margaret, who had married in 1369 Philip the Bold, See also:duke of See also:Burgundy. Flanders now became a portion of the great Burgundian domain, which in the reign of Philip the Good, Margaret's grandson, had absorbed almost the whole of the Netherlands (see BURGUNDY; NETHERLANDS). The history of Flanders as a separate See also:state ceases from the time of the acquisition of the countship by the Burgundian See also:dynasty. There were revolts from time to time of great towns against the exactions even of these powerful princes, but they were in vain. The conquest and humiliation of Bruges by Philip the Good in 1440, and the even more relentless See also:punishment inflicted on rebellious Ghent by the emperor Charles V. exactly a century later are the most remarkable incidents in the long-continued but vain struggle of the Flemish communes to maintain and assert their privileges. The Burgundian See also:dukes and their successors of the See also:house of See also:Habsburg were fully alive to the value to them of Flanders and its See also:rich commercial cities. It was Flanders that furnished to them no small part of their resources, but for this very See also:reason, while fostering the development of Flemish See also:industry and See also:trade, they were the more determined to See also:brook no opposition which sought to See also:place restrictions upon their authority. The effect of the revolt of the Netherlands and the War of Dutch Independence which followed was ruinous to Flanders.

See also:

Albert and See also:Isabel on their See also:accession to the See also:sovereignty of the southern Netherlands in 1599 found " the great cities of Flanders and See also:Brabant had been abandoned by a large part of their in-habitants; See also:agriculture hardly in a less degree than commerce and industry had been ruined." In 1633 with the death of Isabel, Flanders reverted to See also:Spanish rule (1633). By the treaty of See also:Munster the north-western portion of Flanders, since known as States (or Dutch) Flanders, was ceded by Philip IV. to the United Provinces (1648). By a succession of later treaties—ofthe See also:Pyrenees (1659), See also:Aix-la-Chapelle (1668), See also:Nijmwegen (1679) and others—a large slice of the southern portion of the old county of Flanders became French territory and was known as French Flanders. From 1795 to 1814 Flanders, with the rest of the Belgic provinces, was incorporated in France, and was divided into two departments—departement de l'Escaut and departementde la Lys. This division has since been retained, and is represented by the two provinces of East Flanders and West Flanders in the modern kingdom of See also:Belgium. The title of count of Flanders was revived by See also:Leopold I. in r84o in favour of his second son, Philip See also:Eugene Ferdinand (d. 1905). (G.

End of Article: FLANDERS (Flem. Vlaanderen)

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