Siegfried Dane

Siegfried the Dane ( fr. Siegfried le Danois ; earlier 928–965 or early 966) is the first Earl of Gin since 965.

From the middle of the 9th century, the lands of the future county of Gin belonged to the Saint-Omer abbey Saint-Sit and were part of Flanders .

There are two versions of the circumstances under which Siegfried received Senor Gin.

According to one of them, in the first half of 965, Count Pontieux Guillaume I conquered from the young Arnulf II of Flanders Boulonnay, Gin and Saint-Paul. The guardians of Arnulf called on the Danes for help. The Danish detachment under the command of Knut Gormsson (brother of King Harald I ) and his relative Siegfried landed on the coast and defeated the army of Count Pontieux. In gratitude, the guardians of Arnulf II on his behalf granted Siegfried Senorius Gin and married him to the aunt of Count Elsfrud, who at that time was about thirty years old.

Siegfried died that same year. His son Ardolf was born after the death of his father.

According to the second version, in 928 Siegfried, at the head of the Danish Viking detachment, captured part of the territory of the Flanders coast, where he built the Gin castle. After some time, the Count of Flanders Arnul I recognized him as the legal lord Gin.

According to the Chronica Monasterii Sancti Bertini , Siegfried and Elsfruda were not married, and their son Ardolf was illegitimate.