Considerable reorganization is undertaken in Britain, including the creation of a new province named Valentia, probably to better address the state of the far north.

Count Theodosius strengthens the defenses of the towns with external towers designed to mount artillery.

Claudian suggests that naval activity took place in northern Britain.

It is possible that Theodosius mounted punitive expeditions against the barbarians and extracted terms from them.

Certainly, the Notitia Dignitatum later records four units of Attacotti serving Rome on the continent.

The Areani were removed from duty and the frontiers refortified with cooperation from border tribes such as the Votadini, marking the career of men such as Padarn Beisrudd (which literally translates as Paternus of the Scarlet Robe), who will serve from 389-39 as a native British governor.

One traditional interpretation identifies Padarn as a Roman (or Romano-British) official of reasonably high rank who had been placed in command of Votadini troops stationed in Clackmannanshire in the 380s or earlier by the Emperor Magnus Maximus.

Alternatively, he may have been a frontier chieftain in the same region who was granted Roman military rank, a practice attested elsewhere along the empire's borders at the time.

The Flemish Counteroffensive After the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302–1303)

Following the Battle of the Golden Spurs (July 11, 1302), where the Flemish militias dealt a crushing defeat to the French knights, Philip IV of France briefly released Count Guy of Dampierre in an attempt to negotiate a settlement. However, his subjects refused to compromise, emboldened by their unexpected military success.

Guy of Namur’s Zeeland Campaign

• Guy of Namur, son of Count Guy of Dampierre, emerged as a popular military leader after the victory at Kortrijk.
• Claiming the title "Count of Zeeland," he led an invasion of Zeeland, where discontented local populations welcomed his forces.
• His Flemish troops, supported by Zeelanders, engaged the forces of William, son of Duke John II of Brabant, in battle on the island of Duiveland.

Victory and the Capture of the Bishop of Utrecht

• Guy of Namur’s army defeated William’s forces, securing a strategic victory in the region.
• In the aftermath, Guy of Avesnes, Bishop of Utrecht, a key ally of John II of Brabant and Philip IV of France, was taken prisoner.

Consequences of the Flemish Expansion

• The victory extended Flemish influence into Zeeland, intensifying the conflict between Flanders, France, and the Avesnes-controlled territories.
• Philip IV, unwilling to tolerate further Flemish advances, prepared for a renewed campaign to crush the rebellion.
• The struggle between Flanders and France would continue, culminating in further battles and political maneuvering in the coming years.

Legacy

Guy of Namur’s invasion of Zeeland and subsequent victory demonstrated that the Flemish resistance against French rule was far from over. His success further challenged French and Brabantine control in the region, ensuring that the conflict between Flanders and its enemies would continue.

Brabant’s Economic Boom and the Charter of Kortenberg (1312)

In the early 14th century, the Duchy of Brabant experienced a significant economic boom, largely fueled by its flourishing cloth industry, which depended on English wool. This period also saw Brabant’s continued opposition to French expansion under Duke John II (r. 1294–1312) and an important constitutional development that granted political rights to the estates of the duchy.

Brabant’s Economic and Political Position

• Brabant’s towns, such as Brussels, Leuven, and Antwerp, thrived due to the textile trade, which relied on English wool imports.
• The duchy remained firmly within the anti-French coalition, resisting Capetian encroachments into the Low Countries.
• John II of Brabant attempted to expand his territory by conquering South Holland, a region under the control of the pro-French Count John II of Holland, but without success.

The Charter of Kortenberg (September 27, 1312)

• Suffering from kidney stones and wanting to ensure a smooth succession for his son, John III, John II issued the Charter of Kortenberg on September 27, 1312.

• This document granted participation in government to the estates of Brabant:

  • The clergy
  • The nobility
  • The municipalities (burghers of major towns)

• The Charter of Kortenberg is considered:

  • The first constitutional document of the Low Countries.
  • Possibly the first European charter granting an early form of representative governance.

Significance and Legacy

• The charter established the Estates of Brabant as a governing body, giving representatives from towns and the landed classes a voice in ducal decisions.
• It set a precedent for later constitutional developments in the Low Countries and Western Europe, influencing later political structures, including urban autonomy and early parliamentary systems.
• Brabant’s economic prosperity and political stability continued into the 14th and 15th centuries, strengthening its position within the Holy Roman Empire.

The Charter of Kortenberg (1312) marked a pioneering step toward representative government in medieval Europe, ensuring that Brabant’s towns and nobles had a say in governance—a development that foreshadowed the emerging political structures of the Renaissance and beyond.

The Death of John II of Brabant and the Regency Under the Charter of Kortenberg (1312)

On October 27, 1312, John II, Duke of Brabant, died in Tervuren and was buried in St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. His death marked the end of his reign, during which he had fostered economic prosperity, opposed French expansion, and introduced political reforms in Brabant.

Succession and Regency Under the Charter of Kortenberg

• John II’s twelve-year-old son, John III, succeeded him as Duke of Brabant.
• Because of the duke’s young age, a regency was required to govern the duchy.
• Under the terms of the Charter of Kortenberg, which John II had granted earlier in 1312, Brabant’s major towns were given the authority to appoint councilors to oversee the regency.

Impact of the Charter of Kortenberg on the Regency

• This arrangement marked an early form of representative governance, giving urban representatives and nobility a structured role in administration.
• The councilors appointed under the charter helped maintain stability during John III’s minority, ensuring that Brabant’s economic and political interests were protected.
• This governance model was progressive for medieval Europe, prefiguring the development of more participatory political systems in the Low Countries.

Legacy

• The Charter of Kortenberg ensured continuity in Brabant’s administration, preventing political turmoilafter John II’s death.
• John III would later build on his father’s policies of economic expansion and territorial consolidation, further strengthening Brabant’s position in the Low Countries.
• The involvement of towns in the regency helped reinforce Brabant’s tradition of political consultation, which would influence the broader development of constitutional governance in Europe.

The death of John II in 1312 marked the beginning of a new era in Brabant, where urban influence in governance expanded, shaping the duchy’s political evolution for the centuries to come.