DAMPIERRE
. A noble family from Champagne, the Dampierres were counts of Flanders from 1246 to
1384. Guillaume de Dampierre in 1223 became the second husband of Marguerite,
countess of Flanders and Hainaut (1244–1278). His descendants fought the Avesnes
family, descended from her first marriage, until 1323. After Gui de Dampierre became
count in 1278, Flanders was embroiled in continuous difficulties with King Philip IV of
France, who clearly hoped to add it to the royal domain. Although the famous Battle of
Courtrai in 1302 was a Flemish victory, the peace of 1305 gave the monarchy major
territorial concessions and a huge indemnity.
Gui de Dampierre died in 1305 and was succeeded by his son, Robert III de Béthune,
who was caught between French claims and his subjects’ desires for autonomy. Divisions
within the Dampierre family made his position difficult. The quarrel with the Avesnes
family ended in 1323 with their claims on Holland and Hainaut conceded. Robert’s son,
Louis de Nevers (1323–1346), was loyal to his French overlords. Louis de Male (1346–
1384) was the most independent of the Dampierre counts, but also the last; in 1369, he
married his daughter to Philip, duke of Burgundy, and they succeeded him in Flanders in
1384.
David M.Nicholas
[See also: FLANDERS]
Duvivier, Charles. Les influences française et germanique en Belgique au XIIIe siècle: la querelle
des d’Avesnes et des Dampierre jusqu’à la mort de Jean d’Avesnes (1257). Brussels: Falk,
1894.
Luykx, Theo. Het grafelijk geslacht Dampierre en zijn strijd tegen Philips de Schone. Louvain:
Davidsfonds, 1952.
Nowé, Henri. La bataille des éperons d’or. Brussels: La Renaissance du Livre, 1945.
Vandermaesen, M. “Vlaanderen en Henegouwen onder het Huis van Dampierre, 1244–1384.” In
Algemene Geschiedenis der Nederlanden. 2nd ed. Haarlem: Fibula-Van Dishoeck, 1982, Vol. 2,
pp. 399–440.
DANCE
. Throughout the Middle Ages, dance was an important part of both religious worship and
secular recreation. Sacred and secular documents, iconographic depictions, and literary
references bear witness that dance played a central role in the lives of all classes of
people throughout the medieval period.
From as early as the 4th century, there is documentation that dances were a part of the
sacred celebrations on Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, and certain saints’ days. It is not
always clear at what point in the services dancing was involved; the most frequent
references are to dancing in processions. But it could also have been involved more
centrally in the services. A mid-13th-century statement by the troubadour Tezaur of Peire
de Corbian confirms that by then dance was present during parts of the Mass: “Lords,
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