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Birth:          1 May 1218 Houffalize, Luxembourg
Death:          24 Dec 1257 Valenciennes, Nord, France
Burial:         Valenciennes, Nord, France

Notes
Seneschal of Frederick II
Seigneur of Etroen
as the child of a cleric, declared a bastard by Pope in 1236 and 1244, legitimized by 
Emperor Frederick V in 1244
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_I,_Count_of_Hainaut
John of Avesnes (1 May 1218 – 24 December 1257) was the count of Hainaut from 
1246 to his death.
Life[edit]

Born in Houffalize, he was the eldest son of Margaret II of Flanders by her first 
husband, Bouchard IV of Avesnes. As the marriage of Margaret and Bouchard was 
papally dissolved, he was considered illegitimate.

His mother was remarried to William II of Dampierre and bore more children who could 
claim her inheritance. Thus, John and his brother Baldwin undertook to receive 
imperial recognition of their legitimacy and did so from the Emperor Frederick II in 
March 1243. On 5 December 1244, Margaret inherited Flanders and Hainaut and 
designated her eldest son by her second husband, William III of Dampierre, as her 
heir. Immediately a war, called the War of the Succession of Flanders and Hainault, 
was set off over the rights of inheritance, pitting John against William.

After two years of fighting, in 1246, Louis IX of France intervened to settle the 
conflict. He granted Hainaut to John and Flanders to William. However, Margaret 
refused to hand Hainaut over to John. On 6 June 1251, William of Flanders was 
assassinated and it was shown that the Avesnes family had financed the crime. On 4 
July 1253, John defeated the armies of Margaret and her second Dampierre son, Guy, 
at the Battle of West-Capelle. Guy was imprisoned and Margaret agreed to sell her 
rights to Hainaut to Charles of Anjou if he would reconquer it from John. John's 
brother-in-law William II, Count of Holland, who had been elected German King (or 
"King of the Romans"), was convinced to grant Hainaut (an imperial fief) and those 
Flemish lands within the Empire to John. Charles was defeated and King Louis, 
returning from the Seventh Crusade, ordered his brother to abide by his arbitration of 
1246. On 22 November 1257, Guy finally relinquished Hainaut, but John died on 
Christmas Eve in Valenciennes.

Family and children[edit]

He married Adelaide of Holland[1] in 1246 and had the following issue:
John II, Count of Hainaut and Holland (1247–1304)[1]
Joanna, Abbess of Flines (died 1304)
Bouchard, Bishop of Metz (1251–1296)
Guy, Bishop of Utrecht (1253–1317)
William, Bishop of Cambrai (1254–1296)
Floris, stadholder of Zeeland and Prince of Achaea

Parents
D'AVESNES Bouchard (ABT 1182 - 1244)
____ Margaret (Marguerite) (2 Jun 1202 - 10 Feb 1280)

Siblings
D'AVESNES Jean I (John I) (1 May 1218 - 24 Dec 1257)

Marriage To OF HOLLAND Adelaide (Aleida) (Alhildis) (Aleide) (ABT 1226 - 1284)
    m. 9 Oct 1246 

Notes

Parents
____ Florenz (Floris) IV (24 Jun 1210 - 19 Jul 1234)
OF BRABANT Matilda (Mathilde) (ABT 1200 - 22 Dec 1267)

Children by OF HOLLAND Adelaide (Aleida) (Alhildis) (Aleide) ABT 1226 - 1284
D'AVESNES Jean II (John II) (ABT 1247 - 22 Aug 1304)

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