GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives

Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 2004-09 > 1096077931


From: Stewart Baldwin < >
Subject: Counts of Boulogne between Adalolf and Eustace I
Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 02:05:31 GMT


I have been examining Heather Tanner's recent book "Families, Friends
and Allies - Boulogne and Politics in Northern France and England, c.
879-1160" (Leiden and Boston, 2004), in order to see what kind of
documentation appears for her genealogical table of the counts of
Boulogne between count Adalolf (d. 933, son of Baldwin II of Flanders)
and count Eustace I (d. 1047), from whose time the genealogy of the
counts of Boulogne is well documented. The earliest version of the
genealogy of the counts of Boulogne, written in the late eleventh
century, does not state the parentage of Eustace I, but instead traces
the Carolingian ancestry of Eustace's wife Matilda of Louvain [see MGH
SS 9: 299-301]. As I stated earlier, finding documentation in
Tanner's book for this difficult period is not easy, but I have found
a few citations which supply at least some of the raw data on which
her genealogy is partly based. Below is an outline of some of this
raw data, starting with evidence for the children of Adalolf, which is
less problematic then the rest of the chart, but still much less clear
than would be liked.

The following is the genealogy between Adalolf and Eustace I as it is
given by Tanner, but redone a bit to avoid the confusion of what
Tanner's "dotted lines" mean, and with the warning that I see no good
evidence to justify the relationships given by her for Arnulf I,
Baldwin I, Arnulf II, and Eustace I:

Adalulf, count of Boulogne (918-33)
| |
(by unknown wife)| |(illegitimate)
_____________|_______ |
| | |
Arnulf I (962-c. 988) brother (d. 961/2) Baldwin Balzo (d. 973)
|____________________________
| |
Baldwin I of Boulogne Arnulf II of Ternois
(c. 988-1024) (c. 988-1019)
m. Adelvie (of Gent?)
|
Eustace I (1024-47)


Count Adalofus of Boulogne and Ternois, also abbot of St. Bertin, died
on 13 November 933, according to Folcwine's history of the abbots of
St. Bertin [MGH SS 13:627; Guérard 141].

It is worth noting that Folcwine, reporting the arrival of king Louis
from England after the death of king Eudes (in 936, although Folkwine
does not state the year), states that the new king was met at Boulogne
by a number of individuals, including "Adalolfus markisus" [MGH SS
13:626; Guérard 138]. There is some mistake here (since Adalolf had
died three years earlier), and it is usually assumed that Arnulf (to
whom the title of marquis would be appropriate) was meant [see e.g.,
Tanner, 34, note 65], but is it possible that this is a mention (with
a careless title) of the son of Adalolf who was later killed by his
uncle Arnulf of Flanders (see below)? The usual explanation is
probably right, but I thought that the alternate possibility was at
least worth mentioning.

Baldwin/Balzo, illegitimate son of Adalolf.

Baldwin, nicknamed Balzo, was guardian of the young count Arnulf II of
Flanders, was called a "consaguineus" of both the king and Arnulf in a
charter of king Lothair of France in 967 [see RHF 9:630], and, as
already noted earlier by Peter Stewart in the "Tanner on the counts of
Boulogne" thread, was called a son of Adalolf in "De Arnulfo Comite"
[MGH SS 9:304]. The contradictory evidence would be the obituary of
Balzo son of count Rodulf (evidently intending Baldwin II's brother
Rodulf) reported in the year 973 [Ann. Bland.], but the general
consensus is that Balzo was an illegitimate son of Adalolf.

Arnulf and NN, [probable] sons of Adalolf.

The annals of Flodoard, under the year 962, state that king Lothair
made peace between "princeps" Arnulf (i.e., Arnulf I of Flanders) and
his nephew of the same name ("... nepotem ipsius omonimum eius ..."),
whose brother the elder Arnulf had killed for disloyalty [MGH SS
3:406]. It has generally been concluded, probably correctly, that the
younger Arnulf and his brother were sons of Adalolf, although the
primary sources do not state this, and it would be nice to see some
clear evidence that this Arnulf ("nepos" of Arnulf I of Flanders) was
different from an Arnulf of Tournai given by Tanner's table of the
counts of Flanders as a maternal nephew of Arnulf I of Flanders, and
that this Arnulf was different from count Arnulf of Valenciennes or
Cambrai, placed by Tanner as a maternal grandson of Arnulf I of
Flanders (without any clear evidence that I can see). Vanderkindere
1:291, citing "Van Lokeren I, no. 45, states that an "Arnulphus" count
of Boulogne signed a charter of Arnulf II of Flanders. If this
charter (to which I do not have access) gives the title of count of
Boulogne to this Arnulf, it would be the only evidence of which I am
aware that Adalolf's son Arnulf ever held the title of count of
Boulogne.

Baldwin I of Boulogne.

Although a count Baldwin of Boulogne is mentioned in late (and
suspicious) genealogies as the father of Eustace I, I have seen no
good contemporary or nearly contemporary sources which would confirm
his existence. The count Baldwin who signed a charter of 988 who has
already been discussed was not identified as a count of Boulogne in
that charter.

Arnulf, count of Ternois.

The Miracles of St. Bertha state that that an Arnulf was count of
Ternois under count Baldwin of Flanders during the time of king Robert
of France (996-1031), son of Hugh "the Great" (i.e., Hugh Capet).
Tanner identifies him with the count Arnulf who, along with Baldwin IV
of Flanders, was excommunicated in the 990's [see PL 137:850-2, which
does not identify Arnulf's territory]. Although Tanner makes him a
son of Arnulf (son of Adalolf), it is not clear what evidence there is
for this, nor is it clear why they must be regarded as a distinct
individuals if count Arnulf of "Ternois" was early in Robert's reign.

Countess Adelvie and Enguerrand of Ponthieu.

Hariulf, in his Chronicle of the abbey of St. Riquier, stated that
Hugh, advocate of St. Riquier, married "Gela", daughter of Hugh Capet,
that his son Enguerrand ("Anglerannus") succeeded with the title of
advocate, and that Enguerrand assumed the title of count [i.e., of
Ponthieu] after he had killed the count of Boulogne in battle and
married his widow Adelvie [RHF 10:195]. Since Enguerrand witnessed a
charter of Robert I as "count" between 1024 and 1027 [see Tanner 79;
RHF 10:611], Tanner dates the death of Enguerrand's foe (whom she
regards as count Baldwin I of Boulogne) prior to 1027, and since
Eustace I of Boulogne is not referred to as count in 1023 [source
possibly the "(Brunel 1930): no. 1" cited in a note by Tanner 79], she
dates the death of Eustace's father after that date, therefore placing
Baldwin's death between 1023 and 1027. It is not clear what evidence
(if any) is being used to prove that the count of Boulogne who was
killed by Enguerrand was the father (or even the immediate
predecessor) of Eustace, nor does there seem to be any clear evidence
providing a name for Adelvie's first husband.

CONCLUSIONS

So far, I have found little more than the above "house of cards" as
"documentation" for this difficult century. However, it seems to me
that two late sources, Lambert of Ardres and the thirteenth century
genealogy of the counts of Boulogne, have a much larger role in
forming the above genealogical table than one would guess from looking
at Tanner's footnotes. I will post more on what these sources say as
time permits.

Stewart Baldwin

Abbreviations:

Ann. Bland. = ed. Bethmann, ed., Annales Blandiniensis, in MGH SS
5:20-34.

Guérard = M. Guérard, Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Bertin
(Collection des Cartulaires de France, III, Paris, 1840).

MGH SS = Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Series Scriptores.

PL = Migne, Patrologiae Latinae.

RHF = Recueil des Historiens de Gaule et France.

Vanderkindere = Léon Vanderkindere, "La Formation Territoriale des
Principautés Belges au Moyen Age" (Brussles, 1902).


This thread: