Count of Boulogne
Encyclopedia
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. It consisted of a part of the present-day French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
département of the Pas-de-Calais (French Flanders
French Flanders
French Flanders is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France. The region today lies in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas de Calais, the department of Nord, and roughly corresponds to the arrondissements of Lille, Douai and Dunkirk on the Belgian border.-Geography:French...
), in parts of which there is still a Dutch-speaking minority.
In Roman times, Boulogne was situated in the Roman provinces of Belgica and inhabited by Celtic tribes, until Germanic peoples
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
replaced them and made an end to roman imperial rule
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Its most important city was Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
.
Today the historic county is an integral part of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
The city of Boulogne-sur-MerBoulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
became the centre of the county of Boulogne in the 9th century. The founder of the dynasty of the counts of Boulogne seems to have been Hernequin of Boulogne, the son of Ragnhart. Hernequin married Bertha of Ponthieu around 850.
Later that century it was frequently raided by the Vikings. There is some uncertainly about the early counts. There are number of people called count but the first definite count does not appear until the 11th century.
Boulogne later became influential in the history of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, when Eustace II of Boulogne
Eustace II of Boulogne
Eustace II, , also known as Eustace aux Gernons was count of Boulogne from 1049–1087, fought on the Norman side at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards received a large honour in England. He is one of the few proven Companions of William the Conqueror.He was the son of Eustace I...
accompanied William the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
's invasion in 1066.
Boulogne was also a major participant in the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
; Eustace III of Boulogne
Eustace III of Boulogne
Eustace III, was a count of Boulogne, successor to his father Count Eustace II of Boulogne. His mother was Ida of Lorraine.His father Eustace II appeared at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 as an ally of William the Conqueror, and is listed as a possible killer of Harold II; he is also believed to...
's brothers, Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087...
and Baldwin of Bouillon
Baldwin I of Jerusalem
Baldwin I of Jerusalem, formerly Baldwin I of Edessa, born Baldwin of Boulogne , 1058? – 2 April 1118, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, who became the first Count of Edessa and then the second ruler and first titled King of Jerusalem...
, both became king of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, and Eustace himself was offered but declined the title.
Count Renaud of Boulogne joined the imperial
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
side at the Battle of Bouvines
Battle of Bouvines
The Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, was a conclusive medieval battle ending the twelve year old Angevin-Flanders War that was important to the early development of both the French state by confirming the French crown's sovereignty over the Angevin lands of Brittany and Normandy.Philip Augustus of...
in 1214, and was defeated by Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
.
Boulogne passed under nominal royal control in 1223 when it was given to Philip II's son Philippe Hurepel
Philippe Hurepel
Philip Hurepel was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis, Boulogne, Mortain, Aumale, and Dammartin. He was the son of Philip II of France and his controversial third wife Agnes of Merania. Illegitimacy shadowed his birth and career....
. Hurepel revolted against Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
when Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
died in 1226. When Philip died in 1235, for unknown reasons the county passed to Adelaide of Brabant, Matilda's niece, and her husband William X of Auvergne, count of Auvergne
Rulers of Auvergne
-History:In the 7th century Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom of Aquitaine...
, rather than Matilda and Philip's descendants.
Boulogne was attacked numerous times during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
. In 1477 Bertrand VI of La Tour gave up the county to Louis XI
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
who incorporated it into France, except for a brief period of English rule under Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
(see Siege of Boulogne
Siege of Boulogne
There were two sieges of Boulogne, in the Pas-de-Calais, during the Italian War of 1542–1546. Boulogne was fortified and defended as an English possession on the French mainland between 14 September 1544 and March 1550.- First siege :...
).
Uncertain counts
- ?–882? : Hernequin
- ?–? : Odakar V or Odokar the Great
- ?–? : Inglebert I
- ?–? : Odakar VI
- ?–? : Arnoul II
House of FlandersCounty of FlandersThe County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
- 896–918 : Baldwin I (also count of Flanders)
- 918–933 : AdelolfAdelolf, Count of BoulogneAdelolf, Count of Boulogne was a son of Baldwin II, Count of Flanders, and of Ælfthryth. He was probably named for his maternal great-grandfather, King Æthelwulf of Wessex....
(son of Baldwin I} - 933–964 : Arnulf IArnulf I, Count of FlandersArnulf of Flanders , called the Great, was the third Count of Flanders, who ruled the County of Flanders, an area that is now northwestern Belgium and southwestern Holland....
(son of Baldwin I, also count of Flanders) - 964–971 : Arnulf IIArnulf II, Count of BoulogneArnulf II of Boulogne was a son of Count Adalolf. He succeeded as Count of Boulogne in 964 after the death of his uncle Arnulf I, and held it until 971. He was the father of Arnulf III, Count of Boulogne....
(son of Adalolf) - 971–990 : Arnulf IIIArnulf III, Count of BoulogneArnulf III of Boulogne was a son of Arnulf II, Count of Boulogne. He succeeded his father as count of Boulogne from 971 to 990. On his death his lands were divided between his 3 sons:*Baldwin got Boulogne*Arnulf got Ternois...
(son of) - 990–1025 : Baldwin IIBaldwin II, Count of BoulogneBaldwin II of Boulogne was a son of Arnulf III, Count of Boulogne, who he succeeded as count of Boulogne.He married Adelina of Holland and was the father of Eustace I of Boulogne, who succeeded him....
(son of)
House of Boulogne
- 1032–1049 : Eustace IEustace I of BoulogneEustace I, count of Boulogne, was a son of Count Baldwin II of Boulogne and Adelina of Holland. He held the county from 1046 until his death in 1049.-Family and children:...
(son of) - 1049–1070 : Eustace IIEustace II of BoulogneEustace II, , also known as Eustace aux Gernons was count of Boulogne from 1049–1087, fought on the Norman side at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards received a large honour in England. He is one of the few proven Companions of William the Conqueror.He was the son of Eustace I...
(son of) - 1087–1125 : Eustace IIIEustace III of BoulogneEustace III, was a count of Boulogne, successor to his father Count Eustace II of Boulogne. His mother was Ida of Lorraine.His father Eustace II appeared at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 as an ally of William the Conqueror, and is listed as a possible killer of Harold II; he is also believed to...
(son of) - 1125–1151 : Matilda IMatilda of BoulogneMatilda I was suo jure Countess of Boulogne. She was also queen consort of England as the wife of King Stephen.-Biography:...
(daughter of, married to Stephen of BloisStephen of EnglandStephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
, also count of Blois, count of Mortain, Duke of Normandy and king of England)
House of Blois
- 1151–1153 : Eustace IVEustace IV of BoulogneEustace IV was a Count of Boulogne and the son and heir of King Stephen of England. He became the Heir Apparent to his father's lands by the death of an elder brother before 1135, and inherited Boulogne through his mother, Matilda of Boulogne.In 1137, he did homage for Normandy to Louis VII of...
(son of, also count of Mortain) - 1153–1159 : William IWilliam of BloisWilliam I of Blois was Count of Boulogne and Earl of Surrey jure uxoris . He was the third son of King Stephen of England and Matilda of Boulogne....
(son of, also count of Mortain and Earl of Surrey) - 1159–1170 : Mary I (daughter of, married Matthew of AlsaceMatthew of AlsaceMatthew of Alsace was the second son of Thierry, Count of Flanders and Sibylla of Anjou. By marriage to Marie de Boulogne, he became Count of Boulogne, in 1160. They were divorced in 1170, but he continued as Count until his death....
)
House of AlsaceHouse of LorraineThe House of Lorraine, the main and now only remaining line known as Habsburg-Lorraine, is one of the most important and was one of the longest-reigning royal houses in the history of Europe...
- 1170–1173 : Matthew IMatthew of AlsaceMatthew of Alsace was the second son of Thierry, Count of Flanders and Sibylla of Anjou. By marriage to Marie de Boulogne, he became Count of Boulogne, in 1160. They were divorced in 1170, but he continued as Count until his death....
- 1173–1216 : IdaIda, Countess of BoulogneIda of Boulogne was Countess of Boulogne. She was the eldest daughter of Matthew of Alsace by Marie I, Countess of Boulogne. Her maternal grandparents were King Stephen of England and Matilda I of Boulogne....
(daughter of, married Renaud of DammartinRenaud de DammartinRenaud de Dammartin was Count of Boulogne from 1190, Count of Dammartin from 1200 to 1214 and Count of Aumale from 1204 to 1214. He was son of Alberic II of Dammartin, and Mathilde of Clermont....
, count of Dammartine and count of Aumale)- 1173–1180 : Matthew II
- 1181–1182 : Gerard
- 1183–1186 : Berthold
House of Dammertin
- 1216–1260 : Matilda IIMatilda II of BoulogneMahaut or Matilda II of Boulogne was Countess of Boulogne in her own right and Queen of Portugal by marriage to King Afonso III from 1248 until their divorce in 1253....
(also queen of Portugal, countess of Mortain, countess of Aumale, and countess of Dammartin, married)- 1223–1235 : Philip I (also count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis)
- 1235–1253 : AfonsoAfonso III of PortugalAfonso III , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , the Bolognian , the fifth King of Portugal and the first to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve, from 1249...
(also king of Portugal)
House of Auvergne
- 1253–1260 : Damìèn of Auvergne (count of Auvergne)
- 1260–1261 : Adelaide (cousin of, married William III, count of Auvergne)
- 1261–1277 : Robert I (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1277–1314 : Robert II (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1314–1325 : Robert III (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1325–1332 : William II (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1332–1360 : Joanna I (daughter of, also countess of Auvergne, married)
- 1338–1346 : Philip II (also count of Auvergne)
- 1350–1360 : John IJohn II of FranceJohn II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
(also king of France, count of Auvergne)
House of BurgundyHouse of BurgundyThe House of Burgundy was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of Robert II of France....
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- 1360–1361 : Philip IIIPhilip I, Duke of BurgundyPhilip I of Burgundy, also Philip II of Palatine Burgundy, Philip III of Artois, Philip III of Boulogne and Auvergne, nicknamed Philip of Rouvres was Duke of Burgundy from 1350 until his death. Philip was the only son of Philip of Burgundy, heir to the Duchy of Burgundy, and Joanna I, Countess of...
(son of, also duke of Burgundy, count of Auvergne, count of Artois and count of Franche-Compté)
House of Auvergne
- 1361–1386 : John II (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1386–1404 : John III (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1404–1424 : Joanna II (daughter of, also countess of Auvergne, married)
- 1404–1416 : John IV (also duke of Berry)
- 1416–1424 : George
- 1424–1437 : Mary II (cousin of, also countess of Auvergne)
House of La Tour d'AuvergneLa Tour d'AuvergneLa Tour d'Auvergne was a French noble family. Its senior branch, extinct in 1501, held the titles of count of Auvergne and count of Boulogne for about half a century. Its junior branch, extinct in 1802, held the title of duke of Bouillon since 1594 and the titles of duke of Albret and duke of...
- 1437–1461 : Bertrand I (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1461–1497 : Bertrand II (son of, also count of Auvergne)
- 1497–1501 : John VJohn III, Count of AuvergneJohn III of Auvergne , Count of Auvergne, was the son of Bertrand VI of Auvergne and Louise de La Tremoille , Dame de Boussac, the daughter of Georges de la Trémoille...
(son of, also count of Auvergne)
After the death of John V, count of Boulogne, the county of Boulogne was integrated into the royal domain
Crown lands of France
The crown lands, crown estate, royal domain or domaine royal of France refers to the lands, fiefs and rights directly possessed by the kings of France...
.