Margaret I, Countess of Artois

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Marguerite de France (1310 - 9 May 1382) was a medieval ruler, reigning countess of Artois and the Palatine Burgundy (Franche-Comté) as well as countess-consort of Flanders, Nevers and Rethel. Her father was king of France 1316-24.

She was born as the second daughter of Jeanne de Chalon, Countess of Burgundy and her husband Philippe, count of Poitiers. Her mother was Countess Palatine of Burgundy (daughter and heiress of Otto IV, Count of Burgundy) and her father was the second son of king Philip IV of France and Queen regnant Joan I of Navarre.

In 1316 her father became king Philip V of France, after the death of her infant first cousin John I of France. Margaret was married to Louis I, Count of Flanders (1304-1346) who reigned Flanders, Nevers and Rethel from 1322. Her husband was dependent on her father in suppressing the rebellion of Nikolaas Zannekin. Her father died in 1324, leaving France to her uncle Charles IV.

Marguerite's mother, Dowager Queen Joanna, succeeded the grandmother Mahaut, Countess of Artois as ruler of Artois in 1329. Her elder sister Jeanne, duchess of Burgundy (1308-49) inherited their mother in 1330, becoming Countess of Artois and Palatine Countess of Burgundy.

Her husband Louis was killed in the Battle of Crécy (26 August 1346). He and Marguerite had one son, Louis II, Count of Flanders (1330-84) who in 1346 succeeded in Flanders, Nevers and Rethel. In 1355, the younger Louis claimed the duchy of Brabant in right of his wife, but Joanna, Duchess of Brabant managed to keep her possessions.

In 1357, her granddaughter Margaret (1345-1405), then all seven years old, was married (betrothed) to her great-nephew Philip I, Duke of Burgundy (1346-1361), who thus was the young bride's second cousin. The girl thus became duchess-consort of Burgundy, as well as countess of Artois, Boulogne, Auvergne and County Palatine of Burgundy (=Franche-Comté).

Coastal Low Countries was a restless region in the latter half of 14th century, due to civil strife. Margaret succeeded in 1361 her great-nephew Philip I, Duke of Burgundy as ruler of Artois and Franche-Comté (County Palatine of Burgundy), since her elder sister Jeanne's issue went extinct by his death. This was the event why Margaret, already Dowager Countess of Flanders, received fiefs to her own possession in her own right (and not in joint right of marriage).

Her granddaughter lost her first husband at that. The duchy of Burgundy, having hitherto been united to elder Margaret's new counties of Palatine Burgundy and Artois 1347-1361, went to a relative, king John II of France.

In 1369 her only granddaughter, the Margaret aforementioned, now 19 years old, was again married, to Philip the Bold (1342-1404), king John's youngest son, who had been since 1363 Duke of Burgundy (thus her granddaughter became again the duchess of Burgundy). Philip had already held the duchy of Touraine in 1359-63 but given it in exchange for the bigger Burgundy.

The unrest in coastal Low Countries escalated to open rebellions in Margaret's last years. A revolt in Ghent was put down by joint operation of Margaret's son Louis II of Flanders and grandson-in-law Philip II of Burgundy. However, after the Battle of Beverhoutsveld Margaret's son was expelled from Flanders by the Flemings under Philip van Artevelde. A French army (and Duke Philip) came to help them to regain Flanders, and the revolting Flemings were decisively defeated at the Battle of Roosebeke the same year when Margaret died. However, the citizens of Ghent continued to resist (with English aid) and it was left to her granddaughter and her consort to subdue the town.

Countess Margaret died at quite an advanced age, in 1382. Her counties of Artois and Burgundy were inherited by her only son Louis, Count of Flanders etc; who survived her just for two years. In 1384, all her possessions, together with Louis' inheritance (Flanders etc), went to her only surviving grandchild, Margaret, the then duchess-consort of Burgundy, who thus became possessor of Palatine County of Burgundy and county of Artois, countess in her own right, where she had been countess-consort almost thirty years earlier, as they then were held by her first husband.

Preceded by: Philip III	Countess of Artois 1361–1382	Succeeded by: Louis III
Preceded by: Philip III	Palatine Countess of Burgundy 1361–1382	Succeeded by: Louis I