Wilhelm II of Dampierre

Wilhelm von Dampierre (French: Guillaume de Dampierre ; † September 3, 1231 ) was a lord of Dampierre-sur-l'Aube and Saint-Dizier and the founder of the Flemish branch of the Dampierre house . He was a younger son of Sire Guido II of Dampierre and Mathilde of Bourbon .

In 1221 William obtained the establishment of his father's inheritance, Dampierre and Saint-Dizier, and the transfer of the office of Connetablé of Champagne from his older brother Archambault . His plan to marry Alice of Cyprus and thus secure a claim to the county of Champagne failed in 1223 because of the objection of the Pope, who refused the necessary dispensation because of too close relatives. But in the same year Wilhelm married the eventual heiress of Flanders and Hainaut , Margarete , although she was also closely related to him. In this case, too, the Pope initially refused a dispensation, which means that this relationship, like Margaret's first marriage to Burkhard von Avesnes , was not legitimate under canon law. Only after the birth of their first four children did the couple receive the dispensation in 1230, which legitimized their marriage and their children.

Wilhelm died before his wife could take over the counties of Flanders and Hainaut in 1244. Her children were considered legitimate heirs, but Margarete's sons from her first marriage also made claims to the inheritance, sparking the Flemish War of Succession . Wilhelm was buried in the Cistercian Abbey of Orchies ( Arrondissement Douai ), but was transferred to Flines Abbey in 1257 .

Wilhelm's children from his marriage to Margarete von Flandern were:

• Johanna von Dampierre (* 1224; † 1246)
  • ∞ with Count Hugo III. by Rethel
  • ∞ with Count Theobald II of Bar
• William III. von Dampierre (* 1225; † 1251), Lord of Dampierre and Saint-Dizier, as William II. Count of Flanders and Hainaut
• Guido von Dampierre (* 1226; † 1304), Count of Flanders and Margrave of Namur
• John I of Dampierre (* 1228, † 1257), Lord of Dampierre and Saint-Dizier
• Marie von Dampierre (* 1230; † 1302), Abbess of Flines

Web link

• medieval-genealogie.de: Wilhelm II of Dampierre. Archived from the original on August 22, 2004 ; Retrieved June 1, 2012 .