Margaret II, Countess of Flanders

Margrethe II of Constantinople called Opel or Black (* 1202, † 1280 ) was from 1244 to 1278 Countess of Flanders and 1244-1246 Countess of Hainaut.

Life

Margaret was the younger daughter of Emperor Baldwin I of Constantinople Opel and his wife Marie de Champagne. Before Margaret's birth was Emperor Baldwin I, the same as Baldwin IX. Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI. Count of Hainaut, was left for the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and had established the Latin Empire. Margaret and her older sister Johanna were with her ​​mother's death in 1204 and the death of his father in 1205 orphans and grew up under the guardianship of her uncle Philip of Namur on.

Margarete married in 1212 Burkhard of Avesnes, a nobleman from Hainaut. This marriage has been asked and fought after the ( so far agreed ) Wedding by the elder sister Johanna in question. Pope Innocent III. criticized the marriage, but did not cancel it, as desired by Johanna. Burchard, the Margarete two sons, John of Avesnes and Baldwin, had been taken in this regard from 1219 to 1221 in prison and released only on the condition of separation from Margaret. Under the influence of her older sister, she married William II of Dampierre. From this marriage she had two sons, William II Count of Flanders and Guido I of Flanders.

Flemish War of Succession

This second marriage without the implementation of separation of the first excited as bigamy great stir, as key successions depended on the legitimacy of their children. When she started her son William in 1246 as co-regent of Flanders and designated sole heir of Hainault and Flanders escalated the dispute with her son Johann from his first marriage. King Louis IX. certain of France in 1246 as a referee that the children Avesnes the county of Hainaut and the descendants from the relationship with William of Dampierre should get the County of Flanders. As Margaret Johann but not how William in Flanders, involved in the government in Hainaut escalated the dispute in 1251 again. Johann won the support of his brother, Count William of Holland. From that Guido was in the Battle of West Chapel finally defeated, after which Margaret was forced to leave her son Johann the County of Hainaut. Margaret's attempts to sell the County of Hainaut instead to Charles of Anjou, ended without result. In John's death in 1257 his son, Margarethe's grandson Johann was still a minor. This enabled Margaret to put themselves back into the possession of the County of Hainaut, which she left that Johann until after her death.

Margaret was buried after her death in the Abbey Flines.

Progeny

Your children from the first marriage with Burkhard Avesnes were:

  • John of Avesnes (* 1218, † 1257 ), Count of Hainaut in 1246
  • Baldwin of Avesnes (* 1219, † 1295), Lord of Beaumont

Your children from the second marriage with William II of Dampierre were:

  • Joan of Dampierre (* 1224, † 1246 ) ∞ with Count Hugo III. of Rethel
  • ∞ with Count Theobald II of Bar
Joan, Countess of Flanders Bouchard IV of Avesnes John I, Count of Hainaut Guy, Count of Flanders John II, Count of Holland Theobald II, Count of Bar William II, Count of Flanders Saint-Dizier Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Integrated Authority File
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