Baldwin I of Flanders
Baldwin I of Flanders was the first Latin Emperor of Constantinople, elected by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade after their conquest and sack of Constantinople in April 1204. Baldwin had been Count of Flanders and Hainaut and one of the principal leaders of the Fourth Crusade. After the sack of Constantinople, the crusade leaders established a new Latin Empire and elected Baldwin as its first emperor in May 1204. He received a quarter of the former Byzantine territories under the partition treaty, while Venice received strategic coastal regions and the remaining three-quarters went to other crusade leaders. His reign was immediately troubled by conflicts with Bulgarian Tsar Kaloyan, who allied with the Byzantine Greek population against the Latin invaders. In April 1205, at the Battle of Adrianople, Kaloyan ambushed and annihilated the Latin army. Baldwin was captured during the battle and never seen again; he almost certainly died in Bulgarian captivity, possibly executed by Kaloyan. He reigned for barely a year and never consolidated his empire.
- Lived: 1172 CE – 1205 CE
- Nationality: flemish
- Roles: emperor, crusader, count
