Editing Baldwin I, Latin Emperor (section)

==Count of Flanders and Hainaut==
[[File:Vlaanderen maille Boudewijn Ieper.jpg|thumb|left|Silver '[[French sol#The sou in French expressions|maille]]' (half-[[denarius]] or ''petit [[denier (coin)|denier]]'') struck at [[Ypres]] under Baldwin IX]]
Baldwin took possession of a much-reduced [[Flanders (county)|Flanders]], lessened by the large chunk, including [[Artois]], given by Philip of Alsace as dowry to Baldwin's sister [[Isabelle of Hainaut]], and another significant piece to his own wife. Isabelle had died in 1190, but King Philip still retained her dowry, on behalf of Isabelle's son, the future [[Louis VIII of France]]. The eight years of Baldwin's rule in Flanders were dominated by his attempts to recover some of this land.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wolff|1952|p=283}}.</ref> After [[Philip II of France]] took Baldwin's brother, Philippe of Namur, prisoner, Baldwin was forced to agree to a truce to ensure his safety. The Treaty of Péronne was signed in January 1200 on the condition that Baldwin receive the territories he had won during the war.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/romancingpastris0000spie |url-access=registration |quote=Treaty of Péronne 1200. |title=Romancing the Past: The Rise of Vernacular Prose Historiography in Thirteenth-century France |year=1993 |publisher=University of California Press |author=Gabrielle M. Spiegel |isbn=0520077105 |page=[https://archive.org/details/romancingpastris0000spie/page/40 40] |access-date=21 February 2015}}</ref> Baldwin was made the [[vassal]] of Philip II, and the king returned portions of [[Artois]] to Baldwin.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=04S4YdDarD0C&dq=Treaty+of+P%C3%A9ronne+1200&pg=PA32 |title= The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient & Medieval Warfare |year= 1998 |page= 32 |publisher= Taylor & Francis |author= Matthew Bennett |isbn= 1579581161 |access-date= 21 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=f_jLbHTM_zgC&dq=Treaty+of+P%C3%A9ronne+1200&pg=PA49 |title= The Rise of the Medieval World, 500-1300: A Biographical Dictionary |page= 49 |year= 2002 |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |author= Jana K. Schulman |isbn= 0313308179 |access-date= 21 February 2015}}</ref>

In this fight against the French king, Baldwin allied with others who had quarrels with Philip, including kings [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] and [[John of England]], and the [[List of German Kings and Emperors|German King]] [[Otto IV]]. A month after the treaty, on [[Ash Wednesday]] (23 February) 1200 in the town of [[Bruges]], Baldwin 'took the cross', meaning he committed to embark on a [[crusade]], namely the [[Fourth Crusade]].<ref>Kenneth M. Setton, Robert Lee Wolff and Harry W. Hazard eds., ''A history of the Crusades, Volume II: the later Crusades 1189–1311'' (London and Madison, second edition 1969), 159.</ref> He spent the next two years preparing, finally leaving on 14 April 1202.

As part of his effort to leave his domains in good order, Baldwin issued two notable charters for [[County of Hainaut|Hainaut]]. One detailed an extensive criminal code and appears to be based on a now-lost charter of his father. The other laid down specific rules for inheritance. These are an important part of the legal tradition in Belgium.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wolff|1952|pp=283–287}}.</ref>

Baldwin left behind his two-year-old daughter and his pregnant wife, Countess Marie. Marie was regent for Baldwin for the two years she remained in Flanders and Hainaut, but by early 1204, she had left both her children behind to join him in the East. They expected to return in a couple of years, but in the end, neither would see their children or their homeland again. In their absence, Baldwin's younger brother [[Philip I of Namur|Philip of Namur]] was regent in Flanders, with custody of the daughters. Baldwin's uncle William of Thy (an illegitimate son of [[Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut|Baldwin IV of Hainaut]]) was regent for Hainaut.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wolff|1952|p=288}}.</ref>

Meanwhile, desperate for funds to support themselves and pay for their expenses, the leaders of the Fourth Crusade were persuaded by the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]]s (who had built the crusaders' fleet) to divert to [[Constantinople]]. The Venetians had had designs on the Byzantine capital for some time, and also wished to revenge themselves for the [[Massacre of the Latins]] in 1182. The political excuse for this excursion was in large part due to the exiled Byzantine prince Alexios (the future Emperor [[Alexios IV Angelos]]), who promised the crusaders supplies, money, and the island of [[Crete]] in return for their help in ousting his uncle Emperor [[Alexios III Angelos]] and freeing his imprisoned father [[Isaac II Angelus]]. In April 1204, after numerous failed negotiations attempting to obtain the promised funds from the Byzantines, the Crusaders [[Sack of Constantinople|conquered the most powerfully protected city in the world]]. Stunned at their own success and unsure of what to do next, the leaders adopted a similar track as their forefathers had during the First Crusade. They elected one of their own, Count Baldwin of Flanders as emperor (of what modern historians refer to as the [[Latin Empire]]) and divided imperial lands into feudal counties.