The Kings - A Brief History of the Kingdom of Flanders Through its Leaders

[OAM]

The Kings - A Brief History of the Kingdom of Flanders Through its Leaders​

Index​

Preface Part One​

Preface Part Two​

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Preface Part One​

The Kingdom of Flanders[1] has been such a driving force in international for so long that it is hard to pinpoint exactly where the nation was set down its path to greatness. While some scholars start with 1081, the year Flanders was officially declared a kingdom, to get a good view of the big picture, one must look farther back, to the later years of Count Baldwin V[2][3].

The mid eleventh century was a turbulent time for the region. In a war against the Holy Roman empire, Baldwin had lost much land and been forced to accept an unfavorable peace. A rivalry was established with the House of Hainaut that would would keep him in check in the short term. However, Baldwin was a shrewd diplomat. He managed to engineer a marriage between his son, Baldwin VI, and the widow of Herman of Hainaut, also making sure that it was son's, and not Herman's children that inherited the title, reuniting the areas defacto, but not de jure.

Despite the downturn in fortunes, Baldwin still had quite a bit of clout. He was the strongest ruler West of the Rhine, North of France, and East of the ocean. While he maintained a modest demeanor, on the inside he had visions of greatness. In his later life, Baldwin started to loosen up with his dreams, slowly spreading the idea that the House of Flanders was destined to rule over much more then they presently had. His friendly mannerisms prevented those who might take offense from doing so.

Baldwin also took on a somewhat obsessive desire to improve the internal state of his realm. The last decade of his life he worked feverishly on improving the infastructure around Brugge, where he ruled from. By the time of his death in May of 1077, the County had a clear edge over all its neighbors, the common man had more food this his counterpart elsewhere and masterfully designed facilities were being built for the upper classes. The size and training of the royal guard increased drastically in this time period as well. When Baldwin VI inherited the realm, all the nessisary tools and resources to make his father's dream come true were present and ready, but the struggle would be epic to transform the small, but bold County into the power it is today.

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[1] "The Kingdom of Flanders" is the most common name the state will have throughout history, though by no means the only name. It will also be the general shortened form for peroids when the name get's longer, etc. So common usage, basically.

[2] I'm using English names for consistency. The game says one thing, wikipedia says another, online translaters say yet a third, etc. It can get confusing, and while I'm ususally rather strict about sticking with a native language, I'm just going to stick with what I know here. Besides, even names generally left alone, such as Wilhelm, were changed by my high school text book, so it isn't a long shot.

[3] Died in 1067 historically, lived to 1077 in game.

 

[Nekromans]

Looks interesting - I'll be keeping an eye on this. Flanders is one of my favourite startpoints in Hastings.

 

[Hannibal X]

Dutch culture? Please?! I'd go for Netherlands and rich crusade lands- Andalusia and Egypt come to mind.

 

[OAM]

Preface Part Two​

Baldwin VI did not rule Flanders for long, though his rule was considered one of the best and most exciting peroids in Flemish history. At the time, rumors were circulating that he should perhaps be named "Baldwin the Great". Unfortunately, he was quite the old man when he took the throne in 1077. No one had expected his father to live as long as he did, the vigor of his last decade being quite the surprise. Fortunately, Baldwin was occupied by governing Hainaut, and therefore well experienced by the time he finally got his father's titles.

While the state of the realm was at an all time high, Flanders was still in a very delicate position. The HRE was dominating the region, France sat close by, ready to strike, and there were many petty arguments between local lords. However, this last point worked somewhat to Baldwin's advantage. He and his father had been on the attack diplomatically for almost a decade now, and the fruits of their struggles were starting to pay off. Firstly, the counties immediately East of Flanders had been brought under Baldwin's sway through a combination of marriage agreements, gold payments, and subtle force. This resulted in alot of tension in the region, but also a gruding respect for Flanders. However, to the North, the rulers of Holland took strong offense to Baldwin's actions, forming the long standing rivalry between the regions on the basis for much future conflict.

There was one more consequence of this diplomatic front, one with the most drastic and profound effect on the course of history. The Duchy of Luxembourg had been having some recent troubles after over exerting itself, both financial and with it's royal lineage. Baldwin offered repeated assistance, but was refused every time. Eventually, the requests drove a wedge between the Duchy and its neighbors, and even the Holy Roman Emperor himself. Luxembourg started to drift towards France, eventually war was provoked between the two major powers.

The region provided the bulk of the combatants, most had aspirations in the area and hoped to profit greatly from the war. Flanders was able to test out its new strength, its forces serving honorably. While the soliders did not hold back, they did not go out of their way to brutalize the enemy's pesants like some did. While the French by no means liked the invaders, they were preferable to troops from Holland, who were rampaging along the coast. Conduct of soliders became another sore point between the two. The counties following Flander's lead generally followed their lead, but Holland also had many followers, the region was being further compartmentalized.

However, as battles were won, sad news reached the front. Baldwin had been died, his son, Arnold III[1] was to be recalled to lord over the realm now. Morale took a hit, and the forward momentum was lost, but the soliders held their ground still, in memory of the late ruler. Little did they know that the storm was only starting to brew...

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[1] Died in 1071 historically, in battle, only 16, whereas Baldwin VI died in 1070 historically.

Comments:

@Nekromans: Heh, well I've played this game up to 1304 so far, and let's just say heavy emphasis on "starting" in starting position is needed

@Hannibal X : Don't worry, the de Flanderes dynasty gets a nice mix of cultures as it grows