Louis de Male

Timeline

1. 1330–1346Male · FlandersLouis was the son of Louis I (of Nevers) and Margaret, and from childhood was drawn into the factional struggles of the Flemish nobility against the backdrop of the Hundred Years' War, preparing for his eventual inheritance of the lands.
2. 1346–1361Bruges · FlandersIn 1346, after his father fell in battle, he inherited Flanders and other territories, openly siding with France, suppressing pro-English urban factions, and restoring the count's authority over the cities of Ghent, Ypres, and others.
3. 1361–1370Lille · FlandersDuring this period Louis consolidated fiscal and judicial control over the textile cities, participated in French royal diplomacy, and guarded against English influence on Flemish commercial interests through strongholds such as Calais.
4. 1370–1384Lille · FlandersIn his later years he betrothed his daughter Margaret III to Philip II, Duke of Burgundy; after his death in 1384, Flanders and the other lands passed by marriage into the Duchy of Burgundy, altering the political landscape of the Low Countries.