Baldwin I, Latin Emperor

Baldwin I
Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans
Latin Emperor of Constantinople
Claimant Roman Emperor
Reign1204–1205
Coronation16 May 1204 (Hagia Sophia)
SuccessorHenry of Flanders
Count of Flanders
Reign1194–1205
PredecessorMargaret I and Baldwin VIII
SuccessorJoan
Count of Hainaut
Reign1195–1205
PredecessorBaldwin V
SuccessorJoan
BornJuly 1172
Valenciennes, Hainaut, Kingdom of France
Diedc. 1205 (aged about 32–33)
Tarnovo, Bulgaria
(now Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria)
SpouseMarie of Champagne
Issue
HouseHouse of Flanders
FatherBaldwin V, Count of Hainaut
MotherMargaret I, Countess of Flanders
ReligionLatin Catholic

Baldwin I (Dutch: Boudewijn; French: Baudouin; July 1172 – c. 1205) was the first Emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople; Count of Flanders (as Baldwin IX) from 1194 to 1205 and Count of Hainaut (as Baldwin VI) from 1195 to 1205. Baldwin was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the sack of Constantinople in 1204, the conquest of large parts of the Byzantine Empire, and the foundation of the Latin Empire. The following year he was defeated at the Battle of Adrianople by Kaloyan, the emperor of Bulgaria, and spent his last days as a prisoner.