Louis I of Flanders

Louis I (c. 1304–1346), Louis of Nevers, was Count of Flanders and Nevers from 1322. Raised in France, he married Margaret, daughter of King Philip V, in 1320 and tied his county to the French crown. His refusal of an English alliance clashed with the interests of Flanders' cloth industry.

Town revolts marked his rule: after Philip VI crushed the rebels at Cassel in 1328, Louis repressed the towns harshly and restricted their liberties. In 1338 Jacob van Artevelde's Ghent uprising drove him into exile. He was killed fighting for Philip VI at Crécy on 26 August 1346 and succeeded by his son Louis II.