county · France and the Low Countries

County of Boulogne

896 CE – 1477 CE (approx.) · capital Boulogne-sur-Mer

A Channel-coast county whose counts fought at Hastings, ruled Crusader Jerusalem and married into the English throne.

Origins

Boulogne took shape in the late 9th and early 10th centuries under counts linked to the house of Flanders; Adalulf, a son of Baldwin II of Flanders, held it in the 910s. The port's position on the shortest crossing to England shaped its history from the start.

Rule and society

The counts drew wealth from the port, cross-Channel trade and lands in England. Eustace II fought for William the Conqueror at Hastings in 1066, and his sons Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin I led the First Crusade and ruled Jerusalem. Countess Matilda married Stephen of England. Count Renaud de Dammartin fought against Philip II at Bouvines in 1214 and lost his lands.

Decline and legacy

The county passed through the houses of Auvergne and La Tour before the Burgundian State took it in 1435. After Charles the Bold's death, Louis XI seized it in 1477 and placed it under the Virgin of Boulogne, holding it directly for the Kingdom of France.

Lineage

County of BoulogneKingdom of France 987 CE – 1792 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Boulogne. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-boulogne
MLA
“County of Boulogne.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-boulogne. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “County of Boulogne.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-boulogne.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Boulogne’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-boulogne (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻