Sir Richard Forester was a son of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. The Baldwin family ruled Flanders beginning in the year 862. Flanders was a county on the northern border of France. Today it is part of Belgium. Although it has lost its national identity in modern times, during the medieval period it was a leading power in Europe. At times the Count of Flanders was more powerful than either the king of France or the king of Germany. Often he would use his county's strategic position to play the two larger countries against each other, and his own smaller country would come out the winner. Forester was an epithet for the Baldwin family, not really a surname. As stated earlier, the first person to use it as a surname was Sir Richard Forester, brother-in-law to William the Conquorer. The earliest Forester on record was Anarcher (died 837), the father of Baldwin I. Anarcher was called the Great Forester of Flanders. The significance of this is that it shows the origin of our surname. Many are of the mistaken idea that our ancestors were named Forester because they lived in the forests of 12th century England. That is not true. The name's origins go back much further than that. Our ancestors were called Foresters because they lived in the forests of 9th century Flanders.

The earliest patriarchs of this line descended from a certain Salvert, Prince of Dijon (dates unknown). Salvert's wife Eringarde was a daughter of Girard, Lord of Rousillon. Salvert's son was Lyderic, Count of Harlebec (died 836). Lyderic was the father of Anarcher.

However, when we get to Baldwin, the son of Anarcher, we begin dealing with well documented history. This story is a story of love, intrigue, and war. Baldwin, the son of Anarcher fell in love with a young girl. Her name was Judith. Her father was none other than Charles I, King of France (823 - 877). Charles was known as Charles the Bald. Charles reigned as king of France from 840 to 877 and later reigned as Emperor Charles II of the Holy Roman Empire from 875 to 877. In the year 860, this 16 year old girl rebelled against her parents and refused to allow them to any more use her for political purposes. We can feel nothing but sympathy for her. She was already twice a widow. Her father had married her to a Saxon prince named Aelthewulf. After Aelthewulf was killed, Judith was forced to marry again, this time to Aelthewulf's brother Aelthelbald. Then Aelthelbald was also killed and poor Judith was a sixteen year old double widow. One can only imagine her hurt and her pain. Along came Baldwin in shining armor. Baldwin is called Bras de Fer, which means "Iron Man." We have also seen him referenced as "Iron Arm." Some have speculated that he got his nickname from wearing his armor all the time. Others have said it was probably because he was a strong, muscular man. Nevertheless, he swept young Judith off her feet, and the two of them eloped, and ran off to Rome to live together.

Daddy wanted his daughter back. It took King Charles three years of negotiation, but he finally convinced Baldwin and Judith to return. The terms of the settlement were: (1) The two young lovers could stay together, but (2) Baldwin must make an honest woman out of her. (3) After the marriage they must return to France, (4) Charles would establish Flanders as a county and Baldwin must accept the appointment as the Count, (5) Baldwin must rid the land of the invading Vikings, and (6) Charles would pay for the military expense.

Baldwin and Judith were married in Rome in 863. After returning to France Baldwin accepted the post as Count of Flanders and took his place among the European nobility. He immediately began his campaign to drive the Vikings from the French shores. He was somewhat successful in this endeavor. He did not succeed in driving the Vikings out, but did limit their expansion and confined them to a much smaller area than what they had hoped for. Today the area that the Vikings settled is called Normandy, after the Norsemen.

As a side note, since we Fosters descended from the union of Baldwin and Judith, we would do well to consider the genealogy of Judith, daughter of Charles the Bald. Charles was the son of Louis I of the Holy Roman Empire (778 - 840, reigned 814 -840). Louis was the son of Charlemagne (742 - 814, crowned Emperor December 25, 800). Charlemagne's father was Pepin the Short (714 - 768, became king of the Franks 751), first king of the Carolingian Dynasty. Pepin's father was none other than Charles Martel, called "the Hammer" (688 - 741). Martel was the Mayor of Austrasia under the rule of the old Merovingian Dynasty. It was he who drove the Moors back into Spain after they crossed the Pyrenees. Martel was the son of Pepin of Herstal (d. 714), ruler of Austrasia. The parents of Pepin of Herstal were Ansegisal (d. 638) and Begga. Begga was the daughter of Pepin the Elder (d. 639) and Itta. Pepin the Elder was also the Mayor of Austrasia. Ansegisal was Mayor of Austrasia from 632 to 638. The parents of Ansegisal were Arnulf (580 - 640) and Dodo. Arnulf was the Bishop of Metz. He is recognized today as a non-canonized saint, patron of Metz and patron of brewers and millers.

This is as far back as we can legitimately claim to be able to trace our ancestry. However, there is a genealogy which carries the ancestry of Charlemagne back to Mark Antony. This genealogy is not recognized by most experts as authentic, but it bears consideration. I will save that for the next page.

It is significant to note that this Baldwin family was so powerful in Medieval Europe, that the family contributed two emporers to the Eastern Empire (Baldwin I and Baldwin II of Constantinople) and five kings of the Holy Land (Baldwin I, II, III, IV and V of Jerusalem).

Baldwin I of Flanders was the father of Baldwin II (d. 918), who succeeded as Count of Flanders in 880. Baldwin II married Aethelfryth, daughter of Alfred the Great, King of England. I find this extremely interesting, because it shows that we Fosters can not only include Charlemagne in our ancestor charts, but Alfred the Great as well.

The next Count of Flanders was the son of Baldwin II, Arnulf I (d. 965). Arnulf was called at various times Arnulf the Forester, Arnulf the Great and Arnulf Magnus. He became Count in 918 and ruled as Count of Flanders and Artois. He married Adela, daughter of Herbert II, Count of Vermandois.

Baldwin III (d. 962) was the son of Arnulf and Count of Flanders and Artois. He was married to Matilda, the daughter of Herman Billing, Duke of Saxony (961 - 973).

Arnulf II (d. 988), son of Baldwin III, succeeded his grandfather in Flanders and Artois in 964. He was married to Susanna, daughter of Berenger II, King of Italy.

The son of Arnulf II was Baldwin IV (d.1035), who was married to Ogive, daughter of Frederick of Luxembourg. Baldwin IV was called "With the Long Beard."

The son of Baldwin IV was Baldwin V (d. 1067), who married Adela, daughter of Robert II, King of France. This Baldwin was the military genius who masterminded the Norman Invasion. When William, Duke of Normandy, claimed the English throne and was granted assistance from the Pope to invade England, the king of France commissioned Baldwin V to head the French forces. Baldwin V was actually William's father-in-law, because William had earlier married Baldwin's daughter, Matilda (d. 1083). Lady Matilda is also called Maud in some references. William and Matilda were the parents of Duke Robert of Normandy, King William II of England, and King Henry I of England.

It is also significant to note that Baldwin V had other children who achieved prominence. One was Baldwin VI, "Of Mons" (d. 1070), who became Count of Flanders on the death of his father. Another was Robert I, "The Frisian" (d. 1093). Robert became Count of Flanders in 1071, succeeding Arnulf III, son of Baldwin VI. Robert was the father of Robert II, who became Count of Flanders in 1093. A great grandson of Robert I was Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders (Baldwin I, of Constantinople), who became the Emperor of the Eastern Empire during the Crusades.

But the son of Baldwin V we are most interested in was Sir Richard Forester. Richard is mentioned in King William's "Domesday Book." He was knighted by William after the Battle of Hastings and given a great amount of land in County Northumberland in England and County Berwick in Southern Scotland. He is regarded by many as the ancestor of all Fosters, Forsters, Forrsters, Foresters, Forresters, Forests, and Forrests both in the British Isles and in the Americas.