County of Hainaut

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The county of Hainaut, located in the west of the German Empire, near to the borders with the Kingdom of France, emerged from the refeudalisation of three counties in 1071: the county of Mons, the southern county of the (medieval) province of Brabant and the Ottonian margraviate of Valenciennes.

The unification of the county of Hainaut as imperial fief was accomplished in 1071, when countess Richilde of Hainaut tried to sell her fiefs to Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor after she was defeated in the Battle of Kassel. Henry IV ordered the bishop of Liège to buy the fiefs and to give them back as a unified county in feud to the countess Richilde, by feudal intermediance however of the Duke of Lower Lotharingia.

The counts of Hainaut had several historical connections with the counts of Flanders and Holland, to whom they had strong family ties. Throughout its history, the county of Hainaut formed a personal union with other states:

With the murder of Jacqueline of Hainaut and Holland in 1436, her estates were acquired by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.

Contents

[edit] House of Reginar

Then divided between Mons and Valenciennes.

[edit] Counts of Mons

[edit] Counts or Margraves of Valenciennes

Valenciennes then to Mons, Hainaut reunited.

[edit] House of Flanders

Coats of Arms of the Counts of Hainaut.
Enlarge
Coats of Arms of the Counts of Hainaut.

[edit] House of Avesnes

Coats of Arms of the Counts of Hainaut and Holland.
Enlarge
Coats of Arms of the Counts of Hainaut and Holland.

[edit] House of Bavaria

There was a war of succession between John and Jacqueline. This war was won by Philip the Good of Burgundy, who had inherited John's claims on the duchy. Philip was a nephew of William VI, who had married a daughter of Philip the Bold of Burgundy. In 1432 he forced Jacqueline to abdicate from Hainaut and Holland on his behalf.

[edit] See also

In other languages