I mentioned earlier in this essay that our Lineage might have been in very close contacts with other major lineages and this from the most remote times.

The Pequigny lineage originated from the same area as the Counts of Boulogne, as the early Counts of Flanders and as the early Balliol.

Being from the same region and distant from each other by max 110km (Boulogne-Balliol 110km) and (Balliol-Bruges 100km), they must have known either the emperor Charlemagne himself (* 2/4/748 in Ingelheim [Germany] + 28/1/814 in Aachen [Germany]), either members of his family or members of his Imperial court since the cities of Saint-Omer, Boulogne and Thérouanne were known to be very active under the emperor’s reign. See map.

The emperor had in the city of Boulogne (Flanders) an imperial castle where he stayed a few days a year. Were the Counts of Boulogne not from Boulogne?

The Lineage of Charlemagne and of the Boulogne must have been in contact and this since, at least, the last part of the VIIIth century.

The emperor also stayed a few days a year in the city of Saint-Omer (Flanders), that is only 50km away from his castle in Boulogne. Remember the Balliol were Lords of Saint-Omer. In Saint-Omer, we meet another instrumental lineage the Pinciniae (Pequigny). This lineage, linked to ours, is known to be descendant from the emperor. This was revealed in anno 1096 when Balduinus II Balliol, Lord of Balliol (Belle) is reported being married to Euphémie of Saint-Omer. Euphémie was the daughter of Willem and of Mélissande, herself daughter of Arnolf of Pinciniae, who is “issued from Charlemagne Kings Blood”.

The reason why the early Counts of Flanders have the same Arms as the Counts of Boulogne is at the present state of our research, unknown.

Nevertheless, the “intern correlation” between the melting of these two old blazons (the Boulogne and the Pinciniae) is very significant. Are we not ending up with Arms that may very well have inspired the drawers of the Belle (de-van) - Bels Arms?

d in a XVth century book on “Le Roi Arthur et la Reine Isolde” that is connected to the Arthurian legend, really not more than pure coincidence of heraldic elements? Or is there something more hidden behind these apparent coincidences?

By a strange irony of fate, I happened to live in Zweibrücken (Germany). This city and the city of Boulogne are twin towns!

Remember that under Charlemagne the Counts of the biggest cities and the Marquis of certain provinces began to create local Dynasties, which were, in principle, subject of the emperor and later of the King, but much too powerful to obey them. The Count of Flanders, the Counts of Boulogne and the Pequigny were some of them.

The far remote links between these important lineages of Flanders had its origin in the emperor Charlemagne (Karolus Magnus) lineage, reign, and court. He was the real motor behind this bringing together that lasted after his death until they became Seigneurial, some decades of years later. This new partition of medieval society accentuated the need of these local Dynasties for powerful but also, and above all, for very reliable and trustworthy relationships.

Prof Jan D´Hondt from Gentbruges (Flanders) wrote:

“… Research work done by G. Duby, E. Werners, Boussards and P. Feucheres demonstrated clearly that in Flanders, in the Mâconnais, in the areas between the Seine and the Loire Rivers and the middle course region of the Loire River, nearly all big lineages of the Xth and the XIth century drifted from those of the IXth century… ".

These were the key elements that would glue these lineages for centuries to come.

One more interesting historical fact: Historians found out that important relations between Flanders and Scotland already existed during the reign of Charlemagne. They pretend that there was even an Alliance Treaty signed, some five centuries prior to the “Auld Alliance”, between King Eochaid IV of Dalriada and the Emperor Charlemagne who was at that time Emperor of the Franks.

It was in memoriam of this Alliance Treaty that Alexander II (1214-1249) introduced the 'double tressure flory counter-flory gules' that encloses the red lion on the Arms (blazon) of Scotland. These original Arms were exactly the same as the Arms of Flanders with the colour of the lion painted red instead of black! It was William Ist who, accessed the throne of Scotland in 1165, replaced the wild boar of Scotland with the 'red (gules) lion rampant'.

The reason for this change is that William Ist wanted, via this new heraldic device, to commemorate the great Trade Treaty that made of Scotland a member of a unique European wide trade monopoly whose centre was the city of Bruges. King David Ist of the Scots (1124-1153) and his wife Maud of Senlis, had achieved the trade treaty with the Counts of Flanders.

So even, before the battle of Hastings (1066) that opened wide open the doors of England for Flanders and Norman conquerors, Flanders and Scotland had already narrow contacts for centuries.

The wife of King David Ist is reported to be a cousin of the Count of Flanders. That means that she was either a child issued from a Count of Flander´s wife, daughter, or sister.

The problem is that, at the time of King David Ist (1124-1153), there were three Counts of Flanders hanging around in that area:

• Charles (Karel) le Bon (the Good). House of Flanders 1119-1127. Murdered in Bruges.
• William  (Willem) le Normand (Cliton). House of Flanders    1127-1128.
• Thierry  (Diederik) d´Alsace (of Alsace). House of Alsace    1128-1168.

Searching the marriage links of the Counts of Flander´s offsprings in search for a marriage with a Lord of Senlis, did not helped me further.

Assuming that David Ist married at an age of 20 and that his wife was about the same age, we end up with a birth year around 1100. That means that his wife could hardly have been a daughter from Counts of Flanders William le Normand or from Thierry d´Alsace wifes or sisters.

The Count of Flanders, Charles le Bon (1119-1127) is also excluded due to the imposed time fork but also although he married Marguerite, fa. of Rénauld II, Count of Clermont en Beauvoisie, he died childless. He was murdered in the church of Saint Donat in Bruges (Flanders).

Remained:

The Count of Flanders Balduinus VII (à la Hache/Hapkin 1111-1119) is excluded due to the imposed time fork but also since he married Agnes (Havoise) fa. of Alain Fergent, Duke of Normandy and died Childless.

The Count of Flanders Robert II (of Jerusalem 1093-1111) fits the imposed time fork. He married Clémence, fa. of William the Great, Count of Burgundy but had only three sons:

1. Balduinus, VII his successor.
2. William.
3. Philippe.

The Count of Flanders Robert Ist (le Frison 1071-1093) may also fit the imposed time fork. He had with his first wife, Gertrude of Saxony (widow of Florent, Count of Holland) Robert II, his successor and Philippe, Viscount of Ypres (Flanders) who was killed in 1104 by falling out of a window! He had also three daughters:

1. Alix (Adèle) 1x Canute IV. King of Denmark and 2x Roger, Duke of Apulia.
2. Gertrude 1x Henry III, Count of Louvain (Belgium) and 2x Thierry II, Duke of Lorraine.
3. Ogive, Abbess of Messines, near Ypres (Flanders).

The Count of Flanders Arnould III (le Malheureux 1070-1071) does not fit any longer the imposed time fork.

As we see, there is nowhere a mention of a daughter or a sister of a Count of Flanders who may have married a Lord of Senlis. In addition, no Count of Flanders ever married the daughter of such a Lord as far as the records tell us everything about their offspring!

We therefore still do not know to what Count of Flanders, the Queen of Scotland, Maud of Senlis, was related to. Our research to answer that question are going on. However, the only fact of her mention as a cousin of a Count of Flanders is enough to firmly establish the link between Flanders and Scotland.

The ship of Senlis was in Flanders, at equidistance (some 50km) between Boulogne and Balliol and at only 25km from Saint-Omer, where the Balliol had another of their ship. This Lineage of the Senlis, linked to the Counts of Flanders (in Bruges), was therefore also in “very close contact” with the Balliol and the Boulogne lineages due to the extreme proximity of their ships.

We will find this “proximity working tool” further in relation with the Merovingians Dynasty established Capital in Tournai and the Bels-Belle lineages.

But… there is another surprise in the air that is making things more complicated. There were two places called “Senlis”. One was located, as we have seen, in Flanders. The other was located some 200km South of the first one and some 50km North of Paris (Oise, France).

Senlis (Flanders) may have had something to do with the emperor Charlemagne because it is situated not far away from Boulogne where Charlemagne had a castle.

Then I discovered that Charlemagne, due to the monitoring of big constructions such as the strong bridge over the Rhine River in Mainz (who took 10 years to be completed) and the digging of a Channel connecting the Rhine River to the Danube River (what failed because of landslides owed to the too marshy soil, to the autumnal rains and to the inundations provoked by the sudden melting of big masses of snow at the end of the winters), displaced his stays toward the cities of Herstal (Belgium), Aachen, Düren and Worms (Germany). It is by this process that he will choose his final residence.

Important for us is the mention that: “He left the big farms-castles of Quierzy, of Compiègne and of Verbrerie near Senlis, where he had passed his childhood.” He will of course come back to his estates but will no longer be able to spend there more than a week. The charges of his immense empire do not permit it anymore.

When the text says “Verbrerie near Senlis” it refers evidently to Senlis (Oise) and not Senlis (Flanders). Indeed Senlis (Oise) is only 20km away from Verbrerie when Senlis (Flanders) is some 210km more up North. The map also shows these farm-castles of the region of Senlis (Oise) such as the one of Compiègne, Quierzy, Verbrerie, etc.

Charlemagne privileged this region because it was the homeland of his mother Lady Bertrade de Laon (France) fa. of Caribert, Count of Laon. This city is some 90km away from Verbrerie and 10km of Samoussy! Charlemagne’s father, Pépin le Bref, was from Jupille (Belgium). Herstal (Heristal) and Jupille were facing each other only separated by the river Meuse. The Merovingian Palace of Austrasia was in Herstal. Bertrade was also called Berthe “au Grand Pied” or “Broadfoot” because she had a foot bigger than the other one!

It is Pépin III le Bref who deposed Childeric III, the last Merovingian King (who had Théodoric III, without issue). In fact, it was Theodore III (x Bilichilde) big political mistake that fastened the end of the Merovingian History. Being king of Neustria and Burgundy, he made Pepin III the mayor of his Palace. So became Pepin III, Mayor of the palace of the three Kingdoms (Neustria, Austrasia, and Burgundy). A fatal mistake to give too much power to one man! The deposed King spent the rest of his life… in de Abbey of St. Omer, in Flanders!

Pépin le Bref (abt. 585 +639) is the father of the Carolingian Dynasty. He is the heir of Pepin le Vieux (The eldest) also called Pepin de Landen. The city of Landen (Belgium) is situated less than 45km west of Herstal (that today merged with the city of Liège), the place where Charlemagne was born in 742. So were the Merovingians and the Carolingians neighbours, for centuries!

We know that in 768, Charlemagne was King of Neustria, Austrasia and of Occidental Aquitaine. Charlemagne’s brother Carloman died in December 771, in his estates of Samoussy, near Laon, and so became Charlemagne also King of Bourgone, Provence, Septimanie and Oriental Acquitaine. We know that in anno 772, at the installation of the new Pope Adrien Ist in the Eternal City (Rome), Charlemagne reigned over all the territories that once belonged to his father Pépin le Bref.

The youth of Charlemagne must have been very short (sic). He was born on 2 April 742 and was already King in 768. All went thus very fast.

Nevertheless, having passed his youth in the region of Senlis he and his parents and/or family members might have been in contact with the ancestors of the lineage of the Counts of Senlis. I know there is the problem of the generation’s gap.

Information on family links can be given without problems for 6 generations. Example: From myself down to my son and grandson and over my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. I have known them all, possess historical data over them and can transmit it.

I first taught that the gap that was to be filled went from anno 877 when King Louis II le Bègue became King in Compiègne, to the Count of Senlis (*ca. anno 1100), father of Maud, what was equivalent to some 223 years or 7 generations.

After more research, I found out that King Louis IV (d´Outre-Mer) was consecrated and crowned in Laon, in anno 936. The Lineage area was thus still active in that area and at that time. The year 936 reduces the generation gap to 164 years or 5 generations.

And finally, I read about King Louis V (le Fainéant) consecrated and crowned in Compiègne, in anno 979 and who died in 986 in Senlis. The King having no male heirs, nobility gathered that year at Senlis to turn down King Louis V´s Uncle Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, upon intervention of Adalbéron, Archbishop of Reims and Chancellor of the Kingdom.

The nobles elected the Duke of France Hughes Capet as King of France, in Noyon (France) on the first day of July 986. He was consecrated King in Reims on 3 July 986, by the archbishop Adalbéron. However, modern historians contest this allegation. They have him consecrated in Noyon! Note that Reims is some 90km from Noyon.

We found in this text: Compiègne for the crowning, Senlis for the gathering and Noyon for the election and probably for the consecration. In the meantime, we know where Compiègne and Senlis are located.

The city of Noyon is located 10km away from Quierzy, 22km from Compiègne, 35km from Verbrerie and 60km from Senlis. All these domains having belonged to the lineage of Charlemagne. The generation gap is now reduced to 114 years what represents less than 4 or 5 generations.

The answer is therefore definitively: Yes, the Lineage of the Counts of Senlis was in close contact with the lineage of Charlemagne and of the first Capetians.

The lineage relations between the Balliol, the Counts of Flanders, the Counts of Boulogne together with all crowned heads and nobility of the time were therefore effectively based upon very old and strong connections.

In my opinion, these facts will help us better understand the “intern correlation” we permanently encountered in this essay. These families definitively did not act by pure chance when distributing titles, charges, or functions. They knew exactly what they were doing!