General Notes

ohme p 113 "The first family tree to come down to us from any of thegre
at noble families is that of the counts of Flanders, compiled about 95
0.  It does not much stress their male ancestry; rather the whole emphas
is is placed upon the (actual) marriage of an ancestor to the daught
er of Charles the Bald.  Such marriages were the landmarks of a family's a
rrival, but they were also a recognition of the status and power whi
ch it had already gained, of close ties and loyal service to a king's pred
ecessors.  To remember them and celebrate them in a family tree was discre
etly to remind kings that their own greatness had come from the valour, lo
yalty, and skill of those who served them, and so not to grudge what had b
een given for their service.
FIMA p 23 "Blood ties also dictated the destiny of Flanders, the second 'm
arch' carved out against Norse pirates:  one of the daughters of CHARLES t
he Bald was abducted by the MARQUIS OF FLANDERS.  This union was eventual
ly recognized and thus a dynasty of Carolingian stock was founded.  By t
he year 1000 his descendants ruled uncontested on both sides of the lingui
stic boundary, over a people with very singular customs.  The count of Fla
nders was the only one in this area and had no other title."
ema p 167-8 "Flanders was an important region during the Middle Ages, fr
om both a trade and strategic standpoint.  Located between the Shelde Riv
er and the North Sea, it was a province of the state of Burgundy, coveri
ng the area that is now Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, as we
ll as parts of Germany and France.  The name "Flanders" is believed to me
an "low land" and the countries that make up Flanders are referred to as t
he Low Countries.  . . . Flanders came under the rule of CHARLES the Ba
ld in 843.  He put his son-in-law, BALDWIN I Iron-Arm, in charge of the re
gion.  Over the next 150 years, Baldwin and his successors gradually expan
ded the regions to the south and east.  . . . Because of its geography, Fl
anders developed into two distinct regions, each with its own language.  T
he southern region was influenced by neighbouring France, and its inhabita
nts, the Walloons, spoke a French dialiect.  The north came under German i
nfluence, and the language spoken evolved into modern Flemish and Dutc
h.  . . ."