Balderic and his wife Adela of Hamaland were heavily involved in feuds among the nobility in the region where the rivers Rhine and Maas converge, near the present day border of the Netherlands and Germany.
The oldest Xanten necrologia mentioned the death of a Gerburg who was mother of Count Balderic ("mater Baldrici comitis").
[11] In 1006 Emperor Henry II granted Ansfried, his long-time loyal sword-bearer, who he had assigned to be Bishop of Utrecht, hunting rights in Drenthe in the county of a Count Balderic.
[12] In 1008 the same emperor made a grant to both Bishop Balderic II of Liège, a newly assigned imperial bishop, and Count Balderic, of hunting rights in the forest of Waverwald, in the area of the Nete and Dyle rivers, between Antwerp and Leuven, in what was described as the county of Count Gotizo known as "Antwerf".
Antwerp was one of several imperial Margraviates (frontier counties) established along the Schelde river, confronting the Flemish margraves in the kingdom of France.
Historian Jan Dhondt noted that both bishops were in effect receiving hunting rights near their new residences, and suggested the two transactions are part of an exchange, possibly involuntarily, and probably also connected to the establishment of the Margraviate of Antwerp using possessions which previously belonged to Ansfried.
Count Balderic, on the other hand, had previously held the Drenthe hunting rights, and was being compensated by lands far to the south.
[15] Before becoming bishop in 995, according to Alpertus of Metz Ansfried had been involved in struggles against Count Lambert whose lordship of Leuven was just to the south of Waverwald.
Alpertus praised Count Ansfried, who became bishop of Utrecht in 995, saying he had often defeated Lambert's bandits in Brabant, who often hid in forests.
As the situation escalated Alpertus wrote that Gerhard and Lambert "said that they would endure travails and dangers" because "these two men were always prepared to stir up any kind of commotion or rebellion".
[21] After this, Bishop Adalbold was attacked by Godizo the son of Richizo, now an ally of Wichmann, while he was travelling to see the emperor, and horses were stolen.
[24] In 1015 Godizo the son of Richizo died and Count Gerhard, who was his relative, was given control of the forts of Heimbach and Aspel (now both in Germany) to protect the interests of the widow and daughters.
[25] According to Dietmar of Merseburg, Balderic was present and on the losing side, when his ally Gerhard was defeated by Duke Godfrey the childless, 27 August 1017.
When the emperor himself was approaching with more forces, Balderic negotiated his defeat with Adalbold and Duke Berhard of Saxony, allowing Adela to leave with her property, but they destroyed the fort.
In 1017, an out-of-favour servant of Balderic managed to capture Wichmann's old fort of Monterberg [de; es; fr] (near Cleves), then under the guardianship of Bernhard II, Duke of Saxony.
Dietmar names the servant as his own first cousin Berthold, a younger son of Liuthar, Margrave of the Saxon North March.
This capture gave hope to Balderic but the emperor ordered the fort to be destroyed, and Gerhard was one of the people asked to ensure that this took place.