Henry III, Count of Louvain

Summary

Henry III of Louvain (German: Heinrich, Dutch: Hendrik, French: Henri; died 1095), was Count of Louvain (Leuven) and Landgrave of Brabant, son of Henry II (c. 1020–1078), Count of Louvain and Brussels, and Adela of Orthen (or Betuwe),[1] a daughter of Count Everard of Orthen.

Henry III
Landgrave of Brabant
Count of Louvain
Count of Brussels
Died1095
Tournai
Noble familyHouse of Reginar
Spouse(s)Gertrude of Flanders
IssueAdelaide of Louvain
Gertrude
and others
FatherHenry II, Count of Louvain
MotherAdela of Orthen

Life edit

At his father Henry's death 1078 he became Count of Louvain.

He was allied by family marriages to most of the nearby lords: he was brother-in-law of Baldwin II of Hainaut, and son-in-law of Robert I of Flanders. The bishop of Liège, Henri I of Verdun, was peace-loving. Henry was able to concentrate on the internal affairs of his lands, without external threats. He supported religious foundations in the western parts, and legislated to reduce lawlessness.

After the death on 20 September 1085 of Hermann II, count palatine of Lotharingia, he became landgrave of Brabant, which was an imperial fief between the Dender and the Zenne.

In July 1095, he took part in a tournament in Tournai.[2] Fighting in a joust against Gosuin de Forest, he was mortally wounded.[2]

Family edit

About 1090 he married Gertrude of Flanders (1080–1117),[1] daughter of Robert I of Flanders and Gertrude of Saxony.

A genealogy of the time attributes to him four daughters (not named). Since he was succeeded by his brother Godfrey I of Leuven, it is inferred that he did not leave a son as heir. It has been suggested that the daughters included:

Gertrude of Flanders, widowed, married in 1096 duke Theodoric II of Lorraine (died 1115) and was mother of Thierry of Alsace ("Theodoric").

Ancestry edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Ruffini-Ronzani 2020, p. 136.
  2. ^ a b Oksanen 2012, p. 118.
  3. ^ Parisse (1981), "Généalogie de la Maison d'Ardenne", La maison d'Ardenne Xe-XIe siècles. Actes des Journées Lotharingiennes, 24 - 26 oct. 1980, Centre Univ., Luxembourg: 9–41; Kupper, "Annexe 2", Liège et l’Église impériale

Sources edit

  • Oksanen, Eljas (2012). Flanders and the Anglo-Norman World, 1066-1216. Cambridge University Press.
  • Ruffini-Ronzani, Nicolas (2020). Church, Stephen D. (ed.). "The Counts of Louvain and the Anglo-Norman World, c.1100-c.1215". Anglo-Norman Studies XLII: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2019. The Boydell Press.
Regnal titles
Preceded by Landgrave of Brabant
1085–1095
Succeeded by
Preceded by Count of Louvain
1078–1095