Margaret of Flanders (1350–1405)
Margaret of Flanders (1350–1405)
Countess of Flanders, duchess of Burgundy, and countess of Artois and Nevers . Name variations: Margaret de Mâle; Margaret of Male or Mâle; Margaret II, countess of Flanders; (Fr.) Marguerite de Flandre. Reigned as countess of Flanders (r. 1384–1405); countess of Artois and Nevers. Born in 1350; died on March 16, 1405, in Arras; daughter of Margaret of Brabant (1323–1368) and Louis II de Male, count of Flanders and Artois (r. 1346–1384); married Philippe de Rouvre, count of Artois, on March 21, 1356 or 1357; married Philip the Bold (1342–1404), duke of Burgundy (r. 1363–1404), in 1369; children: John the Fearless (1371–1419), duke of Burgundy (r. 1404–1419); Antoine also known as Anthony, duke of Brabant (d.1415); Philip (d. 1415), count of Nevers; Margaret of Burgundy (c. 1376–1441); Catherine of Burgundy (1378–1425); Mary of Burgundy (d. 1428).
Margaret of Flanders was the only child of Louis II, count of Flanders, and Margaret of Brabant . In 1369, she married Philip the Bold who was duke of Burgundy and brother of Charles V, king of France. When Louis II died in 1384, Margaret inherited Flanders and Artois, and the cities of Antwerp and Malines. Through marriages, alliances, and skillful negotiation, Margaret and Philip, and three successive dukes of Burgundy—John the Fearless, Philip the Good, and Charles the Bold—would manage to enlarge the dominion to include most of the Netherlands and much of the outlying area. The Burgundians became powerful rivals to the sovereigns of France.