Crèvecœur Castle

#dinant #belgium

In 1136, Henry the Blind (c. 1113 – 14 August 1196) sometimes called Henry IV of Luxembourg, Count of #namur from 1136 until his death, and heir of his mother's family as Count of Luxembourg from 1139 until 1189 was awarded the lands of Luxembourg by the HRE Lothair II after the death of Conrad II, a relative of his mother. He therefore held the advocacies of the abbeys of Saint-Maximin at Trier and Saint-Willibrord at Echternach- much to the dissatisfaction of the Bishop of Liege.

After the death of his father in 1139, Henry inherited the County of Namur and cotined to accumulate land a title. In 1151 he inherited the lordship of Durbuy from his cousin Henry II of Durbuy and in 1153 he had inherited the lordship of La Roche-en-Ardenne from another cousin on his father's side, Henry II of La Roche which came with the advocacy of the abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy—another blow to the Bishop of Liege.

In 1141, Henry made nice with Adalbero II, Bishop of Liège, but in 1142, Henry and the Duke of Brabant supported Otto II, Count of Duras, in his dispute with the bishop and the citizens of Sint-Truiden.

With no sons to speak of, Henry named Count Baldwin IV of Hainault (his sister’s husband) as his heir and when Baldwin IV died, he named Baldwin V (IV’s son) as the heir.

Baldwin V and Henry swiftly carried out two wars (1170 and 1172) against the Duke Henry III of Limburg

This is where Dragons were, we believe, first used for warfare. Prior to this, we assumed that the dragons were used primarily for protection as the Bishop of Liège kept trying to forcefully take the abbey’s which were under Henry’s advocacy.

Gifted perhaps by King Lothair II in 1136- we’re in search of clues that Dragons were either raised and kept here OR if they were used in attacks and defense of this castle.

In 1186, 74-year-old count reunited with his estranged wife, Agnes of Guelders, and fathered a daughter, Ermesinde, who displaced Baldwin as heir presumptive.

Sensing the succession was in question Baldwin laid siege to the castle and city in 1188. Archaeologically identified fire marks are associated with a siege confirm that and Knights from the County of Champagne are said to have helped Namur with the defense. The following year, the betrothal of Ermsinde to Count Henry II of Champagne was cancelled.

Upon Henry's death in 1196, a war of succession took place. Count Theobald I of Bar, who had married, Ermesinda, refused to relinquish Namur and attacked Philip, besieging him at this castle. The war lasted 3 years.

Baldwin V and his two sons, Baldwin VI and Philip I, rode upon the dragons Xolzrud, Longtail ; Togad, the Firestarter; and Toned, the Youngling fought against Ermesinde upon Armole, the hungry (reportedly her father’s dragon) and her son Renaud riding on Vyre, the clever (who is said to have died during this battle).

• Baldwin VI would later go on, it is said, to use his Dragons during the Fourth Crusade in the sack of Constantinople.
• Philip I died childless, but his lands were given to his nephew, Philip II, Margquis of Namur

At its end, it was decided that Henry's fiefs would be split -- Baldwin V would have Namur (and this castle), Ermesinde would have Durbuy and La Roche, and Luxembourg would revert to their common liege, Stauffer Emperor Henry VI, who then gave it to his brother Otto.

There is no word of what happened to the Dragons. We believe Ermesinde, having remarried the Count of Limburg, used her dragons to rule Luxembourg. In 1214, Waleran III, Duke of Limburg and his wife besieged the castle—but the castellan was able to hold them off. In 1223 Ermesinde and Waleran pressed their claim again- against Philip II but failed – and it’s believed she no longer had a dragon as the battle concluded with peace in March 1223.