Baldwin succeeded his father as count when he died on 5 October 1111.[3] He was under the influence of his powerful mother Clementia of Burgundy. He tried to assert independence from her, but she still remained influential behind the scenes.[1] Baldwin was an impetuous and impulsive young man, extremely hostile towards Henry I of England.[3][1] The inexperienced new count solicited the advice of his cousin, Charles the Good, who was several years older. It was Baldwin who arranged the marriage of Charles to the heiress of the County of Amiens, Margaret of Clermont, in 1118. Baldwin invaded Normandy in 1118 and raided many towns.[4]
In 1105, Baldwin married Hawise of Brittany (also called Havide), daughter of Duke Alan IV of Brittany. The groom was twelve and the bride nine. The union, in all probability, was never consummated. They were divorced in 1110. Baldwin did not remarry. Baldwin and Hawise had no known issue. [citation needed]
^ abElisabeth van Houts (25 April 2013). M. C. Van Houts, Elisabeth; van Houts, Elisabeth; Love, Rosalind (eds.). The Warenne (Hyde) Chronicle(Hardcover). OUP Oxford. p. 9. ISBN9780199665204.
Bram Brutsaert: Boudewijn VII Hapkin, een Witte Ridder uit de 12de eeuw, graaf van Vlaanderen (1111–1119). Dissertation 2003–2004 in the University of Louvain, see online: Deel I. Prins Boudewijn (1093–1111)