Growing up, I became fascinated with genealogy and began to search out the family lines. On the side of my mother I came across a soldier of Napoleon, but no nobility.
But surprise, surprise, my father's family was way more interesting. His family name is Moens. The first Moens was found in Brussels around 1500, but as he was a foundling this kid was not really a Moens - it was the name of the pastor who found the child on his doorstep and cared for him. Probably the child was the offspring of some noble woman whose husband was away on one or other war, or the forbidden child of one or other daughter of big merchants. Proof of this is that there was a note in the basket with the baby (and not many people could write in those times) and the baby was dressed in expensive garments. I got help in all this from a friendly priest who did not mind to do some research on my part.
Even more interesting it becomes when I follow the line of my father's mother. She was born and bred in Dendermonde, and her family goes back very far. One of her forefathers was Robert III, Count of Flanders! Of course it was an illegitimate child, the result of a fling between the count and a chambermaid of his castle in Dendermonde. Robert was also Lord of Dendermonde, btw.
I looked up Robert III on Google, and this is what I found:
Robert III of Flanders (1249 – September 17, 1322), also called Robert of Béthune and nicknamed The Lion of Flanders (De Leeuw van Vlaanderen), was Count of Nevers (1273–1322 and Count of Flanders (1305–1322).
Robert was the oldest son of Guy of Dampierre from his first marriage with Matilda of Béthune, Lady of Dendermonde. His father essentially transferred the reign of Flanders to him in November 1299, during his war with Philip IV of France. Both father and son were taken into captivity in May 1300, and Robert was not released until 1305.
The parents of Guy of Dampierre were Guillaume of Dampierre and Margaret of Constantinople, who was a younger daughter of Baldwin of Constantinople, the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He was also the prominent leader of the fourth Crusade.
Margaret was actually the Countess of Flanders, and the Dampierres only acquired it by marriage. The line of the House of Flanders goes back to Baldwin I Iron Arm (860-879).
I can only conclude there must be some blue blood in my veins, and probably I'm lined to most of the noble families in Europe and even with royalty...
Very interesting. My mother is a genealogy wizard. She even teaches classes. She has traced her lineage back to the 1100's. She checks and rechecks all of her facts.
ReplyDeleteI've spent many years on it as well, Christine. I plan to continue once I'm pensioned, as there are more family lines to be explored.
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