Baldwin I, byname BALDWIN IRON-ARM, French BAUDOUIN BRAS-DE-FER, DutchBOUDEWIJN DE IJZERE ARM (d. 879), the first ruler of Flanders. A daringwarrior under Charles II the Bald of France, he fell in love with theKing's daughter Judith, the youthful widow of two English kings, marriedher (862), and fled with his bride to Lorraine. Charles, though at firstangry, was at last conciliated, and made his son-in-law margrave (MarchioFlandriae) of Flanders (864), which he held as a hereditary fief. TheNorsemen were at this time continually devastating the coastlands, andBaldwin was entrusted with this outlying borderland in order to defendit. He was the first of a line of strong rulers, who early in the 10thcentury exchanged the title of margrave for that of count.
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