Dirk VII, Count of Holland
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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...
of 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,...
from 1190 to 1203. He was elder son of Floris III
Floris III, Count of Holland
Floris III of Holland , Count of Holland from 1157 to 1190. He was a son of Dirk VI and Sophie of Luxemburg, heiress of Bentheim.-Life:...
and Ada of Huntingdon
Ada of Huntingdon
Ada of Huntingdon was a Scottish noblewoman and Countess of Holland by marriage.Ada was born in Scotland, the daughter of Henry of Huntingdon and Ada de Warenne...
.
There was civil war in the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, so the emperor had to give to make friends. Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
supported Dirk by giving him the right to levy toll on Flemish traders in Geervliet. Henry also gave the Grote Waard (Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
and surroundings) to Holland at the cost of the bishopric of Utrecht. He made Holland inheritable for females. Dirk temporarily got the princely authority of the bishopric of Utrecht in 1196. This meant war with count Otto I
Otto I, Count of Guelders
Otto I of Guelders was a Count of Guelders from 1182 until his death in 1207. He was a son of Duke Hendrik of Guelders and Agnes of Arnstein. He married Richardis of Bavaria in 1184...
of Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
. Otto was defeated at the battle of the Grebbeberg
Battle of the Grebbeberg
The Battle of the Grebbeberg was a major engagement during the Battle of the Netherlands, which was a part of the World War II Operation Fall Gelb in 1940.-Background:In the 1930s, the Dutch government pursued a policy of strict neutrality...
. A new bishop was elected in 1197, who took over princely authority again. The Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
Dynasty was losing the civil war, so count Dirk changed allegiance to the Welfs.
The Frisians in Oostergo
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
and Westergo
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
supported his brother William, who invaded Holland. William was supported by some of the West Frisians
West Friesland (historical region)
West Friesland is a historical region in the northern part of the Netherlands. It was located in parts of what now is Noord-Holland and the Waddenzee. The region was bordered by the rivers Vlie and IJ...
as well.
Dirk allied with Otto of Guelders in 1202 and they both attacked Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
. Brabant claimed Holland, Utrecht and Guelders as dukes of Lotharingia
Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
. Den Bosch and Geertruidenberg
Geertruidenberg
Geertruidenberg is a city and municipality in the province North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. The city, named after Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, received city rights in 1213 from the count of Holland. The fortified city prospered until the 15th century.Today, the municipality of...
were sacked during this campaign. Duke Henry I
Henry I, Duke of Brabant
Henry I of Brabant , named "The Courageous" Duke of Brabant and Duke of Lower Lotharingia until his death.-Biography:...
took Dirk prisoner at Heusden
Heusden
Heusden is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. It is located between the cities Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch.- Population centres :...
. Dirk had to pay a high ransom. He had to accept the duke of Brabant as overlord in southern Holland, and the bishop of Utrecht as overlord in northern Holland.
His daughter Ada, inherited Holland in 1203.
Family and children
- Aleidis (d. ca. 1203).
- Ada, Countess of HollandAda, Countess of HollandAda was Countess of Holland between 1203 and 1207.-Biography:She was the only surviving daughter of Dirk VII, Count of Holland and his wife Adelaide of Cleves. She succeeded her father as Countess in her own right. She immediately had to deal with her uncle William, who claimed Holland for his...
(ca. 1188–1227), married 1203 Louis II, Count of LoonLouis II, Count of LoonLouis II was count of Loon between the end of the 12th century to 1218.He waged war against duke Henry I of Brabant for the inheritance of Albert III of Moha and the rights on Maastricht and Sint-Truiden. He had the rights of both cities, because he was regent of Duras.Louis married Ada, Countess...
, Count of Holland in 1203–1206.