Background
Arnulf was the son of margrave Baldwin II of Flanders and Ælfthryth of Wessex, daughter of Alfred the Great. Through his mother he was a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon kings of England, and through his father, a descendant of Charlemagne.
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Arnold Flanders
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Presumably Arnulf was named after Saint Arnulf of Metz, a progenitor of the Carolingian dynasty. Arnulf I greatly expanded Flemish rule to the south, taking all or part of Artois, Ponthieu, Amiens, and Ostrevent. He exploited the conflicts between Charles the Simple and Robert I of France, and later those between Louis IV and his barons.
In his southern expansion Arnulf inevitably had conflict with the Normans, who were trying to secure their northern frontier.
This led to the 942 murder of the Duke of Normandy, William Longsword, at the hands of Arnulf"s mentor The Viking threat was receding during the later years of Arnulf"s life, and he turned his attentions to the reform of the Flemish government.
The name of Arnulf"s first wife is unknown but he had at least one daughter by her:
Name unknown. Married Isaac of Cambrai.
Their son Arnulf succeeded his father as Count of Cambrai.
Their children were:
Liutgard, born in 935, died in 962. Married Wichmann IV, Count of Hamaland. Egbert, died 953. Baldwin III of Flanders (c 940 – 962), married Mathilde of Saxony († 1008), daughter of Hermann Billung.
Elftrude.
Married Siegfried, Count of Guînes.
