- Arnulf I, Count of Flanders
Arnulf I of Flanders (c. 890 –
March 28 ,965 ), called the Great, was the thirdcount of Flanders .Arnulf was the son of count
Baldwin II of Flanders and Ælfthryth, daughter ofAlfred the Great . He was named after his distant ancestor, SaintArnulf of Metz ; this was intended to emphasize his family's descent from theCarolingian dynasty.History
Arnulf greatly expanded Flemish rule to the south, taking all or part of
Artois ,Ponthieu ,Amiens , andOstravent . He exploited the conflicts betweenCharles the Simple andRobert I of France , and later those between Louis IV and hisbaron s.In his southern expansion Arnulf inevitably had conflict with the Normans, who were trying to secure their northern frontier. This led to the 943 murder of the
Duke of Normandy , William Longsword, at the hands of Arnulf's men.The
Viking threat was receding during the later years of Arnulf's life, and he turned his attentions to the reform of the Flemish government.Family
In 934 he married
Adele of Vermandois , daughter ofHerbert II of Vermandois . Their children were:*Luitgard, married Wichmann, Count of Hamaland
*Egbert, died 953
*Baldwin III of Flanders
*Elftrude, married Siegfried, Count of Guînes
*Hildegarde, died 990; married Dietrich II, Count of West FrieslandHe also had a previous daughter, Hildegard.
Arnulf made his eldest son and heir
Baldwin III of Flanders co-ruler in 958, but Baldwin died untimely in 962, so Arnulf was succeeded by Baldwin's infant son,Arnulf II of Flanders .ources
*
Flodoard
*Folcwine
*Lambert of Ardres
* Platts, Beryl. "The Scottish Hazard: Flemish Nobility and their Impact on Scotland", 1985
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