Richilde of Hainaut - Fighting countess Richilde (c.1018-1074) was countess of Hainaut (a

Richilde of Hainaut - Fighting countess Richilde (c.1018-1074) was countess of Hainaut (a territory straddling the border between present-day French and Belgium) during her first marriage between 1040 and 1051. She later married count Baldwin VI of Flanders and thus became countess of Flanders. She entrusted the children born of her first marriage to the clergy: her daughter became a nun and her son, who was probably physically disabled, became a bishop.Richilde gave birth to two sons from her second marriage and was determined to protect their inheritance. When Baldwin VI died in 1070, his brother Robert the Frisian, wanting the county for himself, marched on Flanders with his army.The resourceful Richilde recruited men from Hainault and asked for king Philipp I of France’s help, convincing him to bring her an army of men from northeastern France. Richilde was present and captured during the ensuing battle of Cassel in 1071. Though her exact role is unclear, the chroniclers saw her as the leader of the troops and reported her participation matter-of-factly, without finding it appalling. However, it was during the 13th century that a chronicler felt the need to explain her presence on the field by accusing her of sorcery and having tried to throw “magic powder” at the opposing army.Richilde was unable to secure Flanders and withdrew to Hainaut where she ruled as a regent. She acted as a protector of the church and built a monastery. Her son took power in 1083 and Richilde retired  to a nunnery where she died the following year.Other countesses of Flanders led troops to defend their lands. Clemence of Burgundy, wife of Robert II (1065-1111) did the same. Having ruled the county and struck coins in her own name while her husband was away on crusade, she wielded considerable power. Her dower included several towns. She remained active after her husband’s death, but her son Baldwin VII named his cousin Charles of Danemark as his heir. After Baldwin’s death, Charles tried to seize a part of Clemence’s dower. She raised an army against him, but was forced to negotiate after Charles captured four of her towns. This marked the end of her rule and she withdrew to her remaining holdings in Southern Flanders for the rest of her life. Another notable case was Sybil of Anjou (d.1165), wife of count Thierry (fl.1128-1168). Sybil ruled the lands while her husband was crusading. A pious woman, she was instrumental in strengthening the relationship between the count and the church. While Thierry was away, count Baldwin IV of Hainaut invaded Flanders and started pillaging. Even though she was pregnant, Sybil raised an army and attacked Baldwin with a “virile heart”, burned villages and towns and pillaged the countryside. Baldwin fled and “acquired no honor in this campaign”. Sybil managed to secure a truce. Her son Philip later remembered the time “when my mother Sybil, countess of Flanders, strongly governed the principality of Flanders”. The documents indeed show Sybil as a vigorous and decisive leader. Bibliography:Cassagnes-Brouquet Sophie, Chevaleresses, une chevalerie au fémininMcLaughlin Megan, The woman warrior: Gender, warfare and society in medieval EuropeNicholas Karen S., “Countesses as rulers in Flanders” -- source link

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