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 county of Flanders was annexed to France and ceased to exist. In the 19th century, the title was appropriated by Belgium and granted twice to younger sons of Belgian kings. The most recent holder died in 1983.
In 862 Baldwin I was appointed as the first Margrave of Flanders by King Charles II. It was a military appointment, responsible for repelling the Viking raids from the coast of Francia. The title of margrave evolved into that of count. Arnulf I was the first to name himself as count, by the Grace of God. The title of margrave largely fell out of use by the 12th century. Since then, the rulers of Flanders have only been referred to as counts.
The counts of Flanders enlarged their estate through a series of diplomatic marriages. The counties of Hainaut, Namur, Béthune, Nevers, Auxerre, Rethel, Burgundy, and Artois were all acquired in this manner. However, the County of Flanders suffered the same fate in turn. As a result of the marriage of Countess Margaret III with Philip II, Duke of Burgundy, the county and the subsidiary counties entered a personal union with the Duchy of Burgundy in 1405.
The counts of Flanders were also associated with the Duchy of Brittany prior to its union with France. In, Joan, the daughter of Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, married the second son of Count Robert III. Joanna of Flanders, the granddaughter of Count Robert III and daughter of his son, Count Louis I, married John Montfort. During Montfort's imprisonment, she fought on his behalf, alongside English allies, during the Breton War of Succession for the ducal crown, which was won definitively by her son John V, Duke of Brittany. It was through this alliance that the Duchy of Brittany was eventually joined to the throne of France.
List of counts
[House of Flanders]
| Name | Lifespan | Reign | Consorts | Succession |
| Baldwin I | – 879 | 862 – 879 | Judith of Flanders 4 children | Married Judith, daughter of Charles the Bald |
| Baldwin II | – 10 September 918 | 879 – 10 September 918 | Ælfthryth 4 children | Son of Baldwin I and Judith |
| Arnulf I | /899 – 27 March 964 | 10 September 918 – 27 March 964 | Adele of Vermandois 934 5 children | Son of Baldwin II |
| Baldwin III | 958-962 | Matilda of Saxony 1 son | Ruled jointly with his father Arnulf I | |
| Arnulf II | – 30 March 987 | 965 – 30 March 987 | Rozala of Italy 976 2 children | Son of Baldwin III |
| Baldwin IV | 980 – 30 May 1035 | 988 – 30 May 1035 | Ogive of Luxembourg 1012 1 son Eleanor of Normandy 1031 1 daughter | Son of Arnulf II |
| Baldwin V | 19 August 1012 – 1 September 1067 | 30 May 1035 – 1 September 1067 | Adela of France 1028 3 children | Son of Baldwin IV |
| Baldwin VI | – 17 July 1070 | 1 September 1067 – 17 July 1070 | Richilde, Countess of Hainaut 2 sons | Son of Baldwin V; also Count of Hainaut |
| Arnulf III | – 22 February 1071 | 17 July 1070 – 22 February 1071 | Never married | Son of Baldwin VI; also Count of Hainaut |
| Robert I | – 13 October 1093 | 22 February 1071 – 13 October 1093 | Gertrude of Saxony 1063 5 children | Son of Baldwin V |
| Robert II | – 5 October 1111 | 13 October 1093 – 5 October 1111 | Clementia of Burgundy 1097 1 son | Son of Robert I |
| Baldwin VII | 1093 – 17 July 1119 | 5 October 1111 – 17 July 1119 | Hawise of Brittany 1105 no issue | Son of Robert II |
[House of Estridsen]
[House of Normandy]
House of Alsace or House of Metz">House of Lorraine">House of Alsace or House of Metz
[House of Flanders]
In 1244, the Counties of Flanders and Hainaut were claimed by Margaret II's sons, the half-brothers John I of Avesnes and William III of Dampierre in the War of the Succession of Flanders and Hainault. In 1246, King Louis IX of France awarded Flanders to William.[House of Dampierre]
House of Burgundy">House of Valois-Burgundy">House of Burgundy
[House of Habsburg]
Charles V proclaimed the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549 eternally uniting Flanders with the other lordships of the Low Countries in a personal union. When the Habsburg empire was divided among the heirs of Charles V, the Low Countries, including Flanders, went to Philip II of Spain, of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg.| Portrait | Name | Lifespan | Reign | Consorts | Succession |
| Philip V | 21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598 | 16 January 1556 – 6 May 1598 | Maria Manuela of Portugal 12 November 1543 Salamanca 1 son Mary I of England 25 July 1554 Winchester Cathedral no issue Elisabeth of Valois 1559 Guadalajara 2 daughters Anna of Austria May 1570 5 children | Son of Charles III, also King of Spain as Philip II | |
| Isabella Clara Eugenia | 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633 | 6 May 1598 – 13 July 1621 | Albert VII, Archduke of Austria 18 April 1599 Valencia no issue | Daughter of Philip V; ruled jointly with her husband Albert VII, Archduke of Austria | |
| Albert | 13 November 1559 – 13 July 1621 | 6 May 1598 – 13 July 1621 | Isabella Clara Eugenia 18 April 1599 Valencia no issue | Husband of Isabella Clara Eugenia | |
| Philip VI | 8 April 1605 – 17 September 1665 | 13 July 1621 – 17 September 1665 | Elisabeth of France 18 October 1615 Bordeaux 8 children Mariana of Austria 7 October 1649 Navalcarnero 5 children | Grandson of Philip V | |
| Charles IV | 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700 | 17 September 1665 – 1 November 1700 | Marie Louise d'Orléans 19 November 1679 Quintanapalla no issue Maria Anna of Neuburg 14 May 1690 Valladolid no issue | Son of Philip VI |
[House of Bourbon]
Between 1706 and 1714, Flanders was invaded by the English and the Dutch during the War of the Spanish Succession. The fief was claimed by the House of Habsburg and the House of Bourbon. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht settled the succession and the County of Flanders went to the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg.[House of Habsburg]
The title was abolished de facto after revolutionary France annexed Flanders in 1795. Emperor Francis II relinquished his claim to the Low Countries in the Treaty of Campo Formio of 1797, and the area remained part of France until the end of the Napoleonic Wars.Modern usage
House of Belgium">Monarchy of Belgium">House of Belgium (formerly [House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha])
In modern times, the title was granted to two younger sons of the kings of the Belgians.- Prince Philippe, son of King Leopold I of Belgium
- Prince Charles, son of King Albert I of Belgium
[House of Bourbon]