Louis II, Count of Flanders
Louis II, also known as Louis of Male, a member of the House of Dampierre, was the count of Flanders, Nevers, and Rethel from 1346 to 1384, and also of Artois and Burgundy from 1382 until his death. He was the son and successor of Count Louis I of Flanders and Countess Margaret I of Burgundy, a daughter of King Philip V of France.
Summary of his reign
Becoming count after his father was killed at the Battle of Crécy, he broke with his father’s pro-French policies to adopt a stance closer to his subjects, skillfully navigating between the conflicting interests of the kings of France and England, who were in open war. Despite the Black Death, he ensured Flanders thirty years of relative peace and economic recovery, a period framed by two major revolts led by the weavers of Ghent. With the support of Margaret of France, he prepared for the establishment of the House of Valois-Burgundy in the county of Flanders through his administrative reforms and the marriage of his only daughter, Margaret of Flanders. She later married Philip the Bold. This allowed for the return of Romance Flanders to the county.Early years: 1330–1346
The son of Louis I of Flanders and Margaret I of Burgundy, he was baptized by the Bishop of Arras, Pierre Roger, who would become Pope Clement VI. As a child, he was married to Margaret of Brabant to seal the reconciliation between Duke John III of Brabant and his father. Injured but surviving the Battle of Crécy, where he witnessed his father's death, Louis of Male was knighted on the same day by Philip VI of Valois, who had taken refuge in Amiens.Beginning of his reign: 1346–1349
By November, the new count was in Flanders, allowing the old comital dynasty to reconnect with the Flemings. However, the Ghent citizens, dominated by the powerful Weaver guild, sought to impose an English marriage on the count, ensuring a wool supply from the British Isles. Held under courteous guard in his capital, he used a falcon hunt as a pretext to flee to France, then to Brabant, where he married Margaret of Brabant, daughter of the French king’s ally. Ghent revolted immediately.But discontent in the small towns and the desire of Bruges, Lille, and Ypres to challenge Ghent's hegemony weakened the revolt, especially as the devastating Black Death epidemic struck Flanders in 1348. Unexpectedly, the count signed a neutrality treaty with the king of England and, supported by the smaller towns, regained control of Flanders. The Ghent weavers were eventually crushed by the fullers and other guilds.
A period of prosperity: 1349–1379
This would be the count’s policy: constant balancing between France and England to ensure the county's neutrality. Louis of Male gained great popularity by refusing homage to the new French king John II in 1350, demanding the return of the Romance Flanders cities to the county, thereby reclaiming direct sovereignty over the lordship of Termonde.Upon the death of Duke John III of Brabant, he demanded arrears from his successors Joan of Brabant and Wenceslas I of Luxembourg for the sale of Mechelen and the payment of his wife's dowry, which they refused. Louis invaded Brabant, captured Brussels, and seized the duchy. The Brabançons revolted, but the count’s defensive strategy paid off: at the Peace of Ath, he retained the title of Duke of Brabant for life and honor, along with his rights to succession, reclaimed Mechelen, and gained Antwerp for the county.
One of the major affairs of his reign was the marriage of his only daughter and heiress Margaret. Intense diplomatic activity surrounded the issue, as her inheritance was coveted by both the English and the French. Margaret was first married to Philip of Rouvres, son of the Queen of France Joan of Boulogne, Duke of Burgundy, Count of Burgundy, and Artois, a union that heralded the return of Artois to the Flemish fold. The young duke’s death in 1361 unexpectedly returned Artois to Louis of Male, as his mother inherited it herself. With the promise of two new provinces, Margaret again became a target for suitors from both sides. Initially favoring an English marriage, Louis of Male, with the decisive support of his mother Margaret of France, ultimately arranged for her to marry the new Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold, younger brother of King Charles V of France, in exchange for the return of Romance Flanders to the county. A long-standing Flemish claim was finally satisfied. Nevertheless, the count continued to pursue an independent policy, hosting allies of Edward III of England or taking a stand against the Avignon Papacy during the Western Schism, despite it being favored by the king of France.
In 1365, following the assassination of Siger II of Enghien, his men invaded Hainaut and defeated the troops of Albert I of Hainaut between Hove and Enghien.
Political achievements
Louis of Male's administrative work was significant and laid the groundwork for future actions by the Burgundian rulers. To balance the power of the cities, he added a fourth entity representing the Franc of Bruges, the countryside surrounding the port, to the three traditional "members" of Flanders. He reorganized the Count’s Council into specialized bodies, with the Council maintaining its role as the political affairs organ, separate from the person of the count. A sovereign bailiff, a general receiver, and a general prosecutor were also created. The count surrounded himself with recently ennobled legal experts. He also embarked on a grand construction policy, including the digging of a canal between Bruges, which he had made his principal residence, and the Lys.Private life
In his private life, Louis of Male acted as a prince of his time. He lived lavishly, maintained a zoo, surrounded himself with a court of acrobats and jugglers, organized tournaments, and spent lavishly. He is known to have fathered thirteen illegitimate children. Often short of money, he increasingly taxed the Flemish cities, which caused discontent, especially in Ypres, Bruges, and Ghent.The troubled end of his reign: 1379–1384
His last years were marked by the bloody return of unrest. The Revolt of the White Hoods broke out in 1379 and continued beyond Louis of Male’s death. The weavers regained power in Ghent, then in the rest of northern Flanders. The count sought refuge in Lille, and after another revolt in Bruges, he managed a victory at Nevele. He fled during the Battle of Beverhoutsveld when Bruges was attacked by the Ghent citizens led by Philip van Artevelde. Eventually, the royal army under Charles VI of France crushed the rebels at Battle of Roosebeke. Louis II died less than two years after the rebellion which had caused great turmoil for his territories, without a legitimate male heir his holdings were passed onto his surviving daughter, Margaret III who became the last of the House of Dampierre to rule Flanders which she ruled jointly with her husband Philip II Duke of Burgundy.Descendants
From his marriage to Margaret of Brabant, daughter of John III of Brabant and Marie of Évreux, he had only one daughter:- Margaret of Male, widow of Philip of Rouvres in 1361, married Philip the Bold in 1369.
Illegitimate children
- Louis, called "of Haze", married a daughter from the Landas house and was killed on in Nicopolis, Bulgaria.
- Louis, called "The Frisian", Lord of Woestyne, married Maria van Gistel and died in the same battle.
- John, called "Landless", married Wilhelmina van Nevele and also perished on the same day.
- Margaret, married a lord of Wavrin and received an annuity from Louis of Male.
- Margaret, became abbess of the Abbey of Petegem, receiving a pension.
- Peter, who died young on, was buried with the Dominicans in Ghent.
- Robert, held lordships in Elverdinge and Vlamertinge. He married Anastasia d'Oultre, making him Viscount of Ypres. The marriage took place on, attended by the Count of Charolais, future Duke Philip the Good, who was unaware at the time that his father, John the Fearless, had been assassinated two days earlier.
- Victor, born to Margaretha Haelshuuts, the only known mother of his illegitimate children by name, became Lord of Ursel and Wissegem. He married Jeanne of Gavre, who later remarried Simon VIII of Lalaing on. He served as an admiral and a captain of Biervliet. In 1400, he was a leader of the fleet under John the Fearless but was temporarily exiled by the "four members" of Flanders. He also fathered two illegitimate children, and their mother provided them with gifts in 1427 and 1441, respectively.
- Margaret, who married Florent van Maldegem, Hector van Vuurhoute, and Zeger van Gent in succession.
- Joan married Théodoric, Lord of Hondschote.
- Beatrice, married Robert of Maarschalk, the chamberlain of the count of Flanders. He was a witness during the signing of Louis of Male's will.
- Catherine, married in 1390, although the identity of her spouse remains unrecorded.
- Catherine, who became a nun at the Thieuloye monastery near Arras.
Louis of Male took great care in arranging the education, marriages, or placements of his illegitimate children, many of whom achieved high ranks among the Flemish nobility. His legitimate daughter and the dukes of Burgundy also supported these illegitimate relatives, who proved to be loyal servants of the ducal family.