Editing Charles IV of France (section)

===Revolt in Flanders===

Charles faced fresh problems in [[County of Flanders|Flanders]]. Louis, the Count of Flanders, ruled an "immensely wealthy state"<ref name="Holmes" /> that had traditionally led an autonomous existence on the edge of the French state. The French king was generally regarded as having [[suzerainty]] over Flanders, but under former monarchs the relationship had become strained.<ref name="Holmes" /> Philip V had avoided a military solution to the Flanders problem, instead enabling the succession of [[Louis I, Count of Flanders|Louis]] as count – Louis was, to a great extent, already under French influence, having been brought up at the French court.<ref>TeBrake, p.47.</ref> Over time, however, Louis' clear French loyalties and lack of political links within Flanders itself began to erode his position within the county itself.<ref name="TeBrake">TeBrake, p.50.</ref> In 1323 a peasant revolt led by [[Nicolaas Zannekin]] broke out, threatening the position of Louis and finally imprisoning him in [[Bruges]].<ref name="TeBrake" />

Charles was relatively unconcerned at first, since in many ways the revolt could help the French crown by weakening the position of the Count of Flanders over the long term.<ref>TeBrake, p.93.</ref> By 1325, however, the situation was becoming worse and Charles's stance shifted. Not only did the uprising mean that Louis could not pay Charles some of the monies due to him under previous treaties, the scale of the rebellion represented a wider threat to the feudal order in France itself, and to some it might appear that Charles was actually unable, rather than unwilling, to intervene to protect his vassal.<ref>TeBrake, p.94.</ref> Accordingly, France intervened.

In November 1325 Charles declared the rebels guilty of high treason and ordered them [[excommunicated]], mobilising an army at the same time.<ref>TeBrake, p.95.</ref> Louis pardoned the rebels and was then released, but once safely back in Paris he shifted his position and promised Charles not to agree to any separate peace treaty.<ref>TeBrake, p.97.</ref> Despite having amassed forces along the border, Charles's military attentions were distracted by the problems in Gascony, and he eventually chose to settle the rebellion peacefully through the [[Peace of Arques]] in 1326, in which Louis was only indirectly involved.<ref>TeBrake, p.98.</ref>