Louis I, Count of Loon
| Louis I, Count of Loon | |
|---|---|
 The castle of the Counts of Loon in Brustem | |
| Spouse(s) | Agnes of Metz |
| Noble family | House of Loon |
| Father | Arnold II, Count of Loon |
| Mother | Agnes |
| Born | after 1107 |
| Died |
11 August 1171 Chapel of the infirmary in Borgloon |
Louis I, Count of Loon (Looz) (after 1107 – 11 August 1171) was the fifth Count of Loon. He ruled from 1139 until his death.
Life
He was the son of Arnold II, Count of Looz, and his wife Adeide. Frequently, Louis' mother is identified as Agnes, which causes some confusion as both his wife and daughter were of that name.
He was vogt of Averbode Abbey. In 1154, he donated Laethof Manor (also known as the Bolderberg winning) to the abbey. The manor is now park in Heusden-Zolder, named domein Bovy, after Joseph Bovy, a governor of Limburg province who lived at the manor for a while.
He constructed a castle in Brustem (now part of Sint-Truiden). In 1155, he inherited the County of Rieneck from his brother Gerhard.
Louis married Agnes of Metz (c. 1114 – c. 1175/1180), the daughter of Folmar V, Count of Metz, and Matilda of Dagsburg, the heiress of Longwy. Agnes commissioned Hendrik van Veldeke to write his "Life of Saint Servatius". Louis I served as burgrave of Metz from 1159 to 1162. Via his wife, he also had a claim on the Duchy of Luxembourg, however, he could not realize this claim.
In 1171, Louis attempted to conquer the County of Duras. However, Gilles, Count of Duras, called in the help of the citizens of Sint-Truiden and together they defeated Louis' army. Louis died during this battle, on 11 August 1171. He was buried in the chapel of the infirmary in Borgloon. His grave can still be found there.
Issue
Louis and Agnes had the following children:
- Agnes, married Otto I of Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
- Arnold, died young
- Gérard II, Count of Looz
- Hugo, married and had issue
- Bonne, married Walter Berthout, Lord of Mechelen and Grimbergen
- Imagina married Godfrey III, Count of Louvain
- Lauretta (d. before 1193), married Gilles of Duras (divorced 1174), later married to Theobald I of Bar.
Louis was succeeded as Count of Loon by his son Gerard II.
| Louis I, Count of Loon House of Loon Born: after 1107 Died: 11 August 1171 | ||
| Preceded by Arnold II |
Count of Loon 1139–1171 |
Succeeded by Gerhard |
|
Sources
Baerten, J. (1965), "Les origines des comtes de Looz et la formation territoriale du comté", Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire 43 (2), 1965
Medieval Lands Project, Comtes de Looz