Adelaide of Holland
Encyclopedia
Adelaide of Holland or Aleide (Aleidis) van Holland (ca. 1230 – buried 9 April 1284, Valenciennes
) was a daughter of Floris IV, Count of Holland
and Matilda of Brabant. She was also a sister of William II
, Count of Holland
and King of Germany. She acted as regent for her nephew Floris V
during his minority.
Between 1258 and 1263, Adelaide was regent
of Holland in the name of her nephew Floris V
. She called herself Guardian of Holland and Zeeland (Tutrix de Hollandie et Zeelandie). After he came of age, she continued to advise him. She died in 1284, but in 1299, with the death of Floris' son John I
, it was her own son John II who inherited Holland through her.
She gave Town privileges
to Schiedam
, which afterwards had the right to be called a city. In it she founded Huis te Riviere, which was then the second largest castle in Holland
.
Jacob van Maerlant
dedicated his first poem, Geesten, to Adelaide.
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
) was a daughter of Floris IV, Count of Holland
Floris IV, Count of Holland
Floris IV , Count of Holland from 1222 to 1234. He was a son of William I of Holland and Adelaide of Geldern....
and Matilda of Brabant. She was also a sister of William II
William, King of the Romans
William II of Holland was a Count of Holland and Zeeland . He was elected as German anti-king in 1247 and remained king until his death....
, Count of Holland
Count of Holland
The Counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.-House of Holland:The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia...
and King of Germany. She acted as regent for her nephew Floris V
Floris V, Count of Holland
Count Floris V of Holland and Zeeland , "der Keerlen God" , is one of the most important figures of the first, native dynasty of Holland . His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler...
during his minority.
Life
On 9 October 1246, Adelaide married John I of Avesnes, Count of Hainaut. Like her mother, she was a patron of religious houses. Her religious interest is reflected in that three of her sons became bishops, and her one daughter became an abbess. She also insisted on a bilingual education for them.Between 1258 and 1263, Adelaide was regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Holland in the name of her nephew Floris V
Floris V, Count of Holland
Count Floris V of Holland and Zeeland , "der Keerlen God" , is one of the most important figures of the first, native dynasty of Holland . His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler...
. She called herself Guardian of Holland and Zeeland (Tutrix de Hollandie et Zeelandie). After he came of age, she continued to advise him. She died in 1284, but in 1299, with the death of Floris' son John I
John I, Count of Holland
John I was Count of Holland and son of Count Floris V. John inherited the county in 1296 after the murder of his father....
, it was her own son John II who inherited Holland through her.
She gave Town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
to Schiedam
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
, which afterwards had the right to be called a city. In it she founded Huis te Riviere, which was then the second largest castle in Holland
County of Holland
The County of Holland was a county in the Holy Roman Empire and from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands in what is now the Netherlands. It covered an area roughly corresponding to the current Dutch provinces of North-Holland and South-Holland, as well as the islands of Terschelling, Vlieland,...
.
Jacob van Maerlant
Jacob van Maerlant
Jacob van Maerlant was the greatest Flemish poet of the thirteenth century and one of the most important Middle Dutch authors during the Middle Ages.-Biography:...
dedicated his first poem, Geesten, to Adelaide.
Issue
With John I, she had the following issue:- John II, Count of HainautJohn II, Count of HollandJohn II of Avesnes was the oldest son of John I of Avesnes and Adelaide of Holland.-History:John II was Count of Hainaut from 1280 to his death, succeeding his grandmother, Margaret II...
and HollandCount of HollandThe Counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.-House of Holland:The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia...
(1247–1304) - Baldwin (born after 1247, lived in 1299)
- Joanna, abbess of Flines (died 1304)
- Bouchard, Bishop of Metz (1251–1296)
- Guy, Bishop of Utrecht (1253–1317)
- William, Bishop of Cambrai (1254–1296)
- FlorisFlorent of HainautFlorent of Hainaut was Prince of Achaea from 1289 to his death, in right of his wife, Isabella of Villehardouin. He was the son of John I of Avesnes and Adelaide of Holland...
, stadholder of Zeeland and Prince of AchaeaPrincipality of AchaeaThe Principality of Achaea or of the Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica...
(1255–1297)
Sources
- Aleid van Holland at the Institute of Netherlands History (Dutch)
- Adelaide/Aleid of Holland collected and translated by Professor Joan Ferrante of Columbia University
External links
- Women's Biography: Adelaide/Aleid of Holland, contains several letters to and from Adelaide.