Baldwin I of Constantinople
| Baldwin I | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Latin Emperor of Constantinople | |
| Reign | 1204–1205 |
| Coronation | 16 May 1204 (Hagia Sophia) |
| Successor | Henry of Flanders |
| Count of Flanders | |
| Reign | 1194–1205 |
| Predecessor | Margaret I and Baldwin VIII |
| Successor | Joan |
| Count of Hainaut | |
| Reign | 1195–1205 |
| Predecessor | Baldwin V |
| Successor | Joan |
| Born | July 1172 Valenciennes |
| Died |
c. 1205 Veliko Tarnovo |
| Spouse | Marie of Champagne |
| Issue |
Joan, Countess of Flanders Margaret II, Countess of Flanders |
| House | House of Flanders |
| Father | Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut |
| Mother | Margaret I, Countess of Flanders |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Baldwin I (Flemish: Boudewijn I, French: Baudouin I; July 1172 – c. 1205), the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI Count of Hainaut, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the sack of Constantinople and the conquest of large parts of the Byzantine Empire, and the foundation of the Latin Empire. He lost his final battle to Kaloyan, the emperor of Bulgaria, and spent his last days as his prisoner.
Baldwin was the son of Baldwin V of Hainaut and Margaret I, Countess of Flanders. When the childless Philip of Alsace left on the last of his personal crusades in 1177, he designated his brother-in-law Baldwin V his heir. When Philip returned in 1179 after an unsuccessful siege of Harim during a joint campaign on behalf of the Principality of Antioch, he was designated as the chief adviser of prince Philip II Augustus by his sickly father Louis VII of France. One year later, Philip of Alsace had his protégé married to his niece, Isabelle of Hainaut, offering the County of Artois and other Flemish territories as dowry, much to the dismay of Baldwin V. In 1180, war broke out between Philip II and his mentor, resulting in the devastation of Picardy and Île-de-France; King Philip refused to give open battle and gained the upper hand, and Baldwin V, at first allied with his brother-in-law (Philip of Alsace), intervened on behalf of his son-in-law in 1184, in support of his daughter's interests.
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