Wilhelm I (Flanders)

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Wilhelm I. Clito (born October 25, 1102 , † July 28, 1128 fallen near Aalst ) was titular Duke of Normandy . He was also by marriage from 1123 to 1124 Count of Maine and from 1127 Count of Vexin and Count of Flanders . He got his nickname Clito after the Latin Inclitus ( German  The Famous )

Life

Wilhelm was the only son of Duke Robert of Normandy and Sibylle of Conversano († 1103). His grandparents were William the Conqueror and his wife Mathilde of Flanders .

Battle for Normandy

During Wilhelm's childhood his uncle, King Henry I of England occupied the Duchy of Normandy in 1105 and had imprisoned his father Robert since 1106. Wilhelm tried twice 1117-1119 ( Battle of Brémule ) and 1123-1124 unsuccessfully to regain the duchy.

After Henry's only legitimate son, William Ætheling , drowned in 1120 , Wilhelm Clito was traded as a possible heir to the throne - also in England.

Earl of Maine

1123 married Wilhelm Sibylle , the daughter of his ally Fulko V of Anjou , whereby he received the county of Maine as a dowry. In return, however, Heinrich I enforced the church annulment of this dangerous marriage in 1124.

Count of Vexin

In 1127 Wilhelm found support from King Ludwig VI. of France . This brokered him the marriage, Johanna von Montferrat, a daughter of the Margrave Rainer von Montferrat and half-sister of Ludwig's wife Adelheid von Maurienne . As a bridal gift he received the county of Vexin, which borders Normandy .

Count of Flanders

After his second cousin, Count Charles I of Flanders , died in 1127 without an heir, William succeeded in succeeding King Ludwig VI in the county of Flanders , also through the mediation of King Ludwig VI .

Since Wilhelm Clito wanted to use the acquisition of Flanders as a springboard for his claims to Normandy and England, Henry I provided financial aid for Wilhelm's opponents and thus contributed to the unleashing of an uprising - the Flemish cities had problems with an anti-England count for economic reasons. In February 1128, Saint-Omer and Ghent rose against William. His second cousin, Dietrich von Elsass , appeared as an opposing candidate . After initial military success, Wilhelm suffered a wound off Aalst, to which he finally succumbed in July 1128. He had no children, Dietrich von Elsass prevailed as his successor in Flanders.

Web links

Commons : Guillaume Cliton  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ JFA Mason: William (1103-1120). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
  2. ↑ Dieter Berg: The Anjou Plantagenets: The English kings in Europe in the Middle Ages (1100-1500). Kohlhammer, 2003, ISBN 3-17-014488-X , p. 20
predecessor Office successor
Fulko V. of Anjou Earl of Maine
(de iure uxoris )
1123–1124 		Gottfried V. of Anjou
French crown domain Count of Vexin
(de iure uxoris)
1127–1128 		French crown domain
Charles I. Count of Flanders
1127–1128 		Dietrich I.
personal data
SURNAME Wilhelm I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wilhelm I. Clito
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Titular Duke of Normandy and Count of Flanders
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1102
DATE OF DEATH July 28, 1128
Place of death Aalst