Clementia of Burgundy

Clementia of Burgundy (c. 1078 – c. 1133) was a Countess of Flanders by marriage. She acted as regent of Flanders while her husband was on crusade, and ruled through both her husband and son for twenty-six years.

She was the daughter of William I, Count of Burgundy and a noblewoman named Stephanie. Her family was heavily attached to the Catholic Church, with two of her brothers becoming archbishops and another brother becoming Pope Callixtus II.

In 1097, she married Robert II, Count of Flanders and became Countess of Flanders. With her marriage she brought an impressive dower, which included, "one-third of Flanders, including twelve towns located in the maritime and southwestern regions of Flanders, and stretching from Lille to Douai to Bapaume." Because her dower contained so much land and so many towns, it created the opportunity for Clementia to build relationships with the people, which further allowed her to become the "patron of various monasteries, [to] develop bonds of friendship with important families, and help spread comital influence throughout the area. By doing so, [she] developed the power to participate in the rule of Flanders."

Clementia and her husband Count Robert II had three sons together, and it was their son Baldwin that would come into rule after the death of Robert II in 1111.

When her husband, Count Robert II, left to go on the First Crusade, she became regent of Flanders. As the ruling force she influenced the production of money, such as imprinting her own name on minted coins. She was also asked to help deal with violent matters like protecting pilgrims from assault in Bapaume. When Robert II returned from crusading though, surprisingly her power and influence did not end. They ruled together, with her name appearing on many of the charters instigated by her husband. Much of her influence after her husband's return becomes focused on her involvement with the church and specifically her patronage of multiple monasteries, abbes, and the donating of land for church use.

In 1111 Count Robert II died in a battle at Meaux. After his death their son Baldwin VII came into power. Because of his young age Clementia ruled with him throughout his reign. Clementia was extremely powerful, in particular, during his first year of reign, with all the charters of the time containing her name. They ruled together with relative peace, until Baldwin VII began to form a stronger bond with his cousin Charles of Denmark. In 1119, Baldwin VII was killed in battle and Charles succeeded him as count. Clementia did not like Charles and used her influence to raise an army against him. She lost the battle to Charles when he captured four of her dower towns, which led to the cutting off of resources for her army. This caused Clementia to lose her power to rule Flanders. Regardless "Clematia continued to issue charters concerning her dower lands and towns until her death in 1133."

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