William I, Count of Holland
Encyclopedia
William I Count
of Holland
from 1203 to 1222. He was the younger son of Floris III
and Ada of Huntingdon
.
. He started a revolt against his brother, Dirk VII
and became count in Friesland
after a reconciliation. Friesland was considered as a part of Holland by the Counts of Holland. His niece, Ada, Countess of Holland
inherited Holland in 1203, but William couldn't accept this. After a civil war (part of the Hook and Cod Wars
), which lasted for several years, William won the war. Louis and Ada were supported by the bishop of Liège and bishop of Utrecht, and the count of Flanders
. William was supported by the duke of Brabant
and by the majority of the Hollanders.
Emperor Otto IV
acknowledged him as count of Holland in 1203, because he was a supporter of the Welfs. He and many others changed allegiance to emperor Frederick II
after the battle of Bouvines
in 1214. He took part in a French expedition against king John of England
. The pope
excommunicated him for this.
Possibly because of this, William then became a fervent crusader. He campaigned in Prussia
and joined in the conquest of Alcazer do Sal. In Europe, he came to be called William the Crazy for his chivalric and reckless behaviour in battle. William conquered the city of Damietta
during the Fifth Crusade
.
. New governmental bodies were created, the so-called waterschappen and hoogheemraadschappen
, which were charged with the task of protecting the polders against ever-present threat of flooding. Count William granted city rights to Geertruidenberg
in 1213, to Dordrecht
in 1217, to Middelburg
in 1220 and perhaps also to Leiden. In this way he gave an impulse to trade.
Count William was married twice. First, he was married in 1197 at Stavoren
to Adelheid of Guelders, daughter of Otto I, Count of Guelders
and Richarde of Bavaria. Adelheid died on 12 February 1218 while William was away on crusade. On his return he married secondly, in July 1220, Marie of Brabant, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Brabant
and Maud of Boulogne and Alsace
. She was the widow of Emperor Otto IV. William and his first wife Adelaide had the following children:
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 1203 to 1222. He was the younger 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...
.
Life
William was raised in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He started a revolt against his brother, Dirk VII
Dirk VII, Count of Holland
Dirk VII of Holland , Count of Holland from 1190 to 1203. He was elder son of Floris III and Ada of Huntingdon....
and became count in Friesland
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...
after a reconciliation. Friesland was considered as a part of Holland by the Counts of Holland. His niece, Ada, Countess of Holland
Ada, Countess of Holland
Ada 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...
inherited Holland in 1203, but William couldn't accept this. After a civil war (part of the Hook and Cod Wars
Hook and Cod wars
The Hook and Cod wars comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the underlying reason was because of the power struggle of the bourgeois in the cities against...
), which lasted for several years, William won the war. Louis and Ada were supported by the bishop of Liège and bishop of Utrecht, and the count of Flanders
Count of Flanders
The Count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the position by the French revolutionaries in 1790....
. William was supported by the duke of Brabant
Duke of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was formally erected in 1183/1184. The title "Duke of Brabant" was created by the German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I, son of Godfrey III of Leuven . The Duchy of Brabant was a feudal elevation of the since 1085/1086 existing title of Landgrave of Brabant...
and by the majority of the Hollanders.
Emperor Otto IV
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto IV of Brunswick was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and emperor from 1209 on. The only king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215.-Early life:Otto was the third son of Henry the...
acknowledged him as count of Holland in 1203, because he was a supporter of the Welfs. He and many others changed allegiance to emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
after the battle of Bouvines
Battle of Bouvines
The Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, was a conclusive medieval battle ending the twelve year old Angevin-Flanders War that was important to the early development of both the French state by confirming the French crown's sovereignty over the Angevin lands of Brittany and Normandy.Philip Augustus of...
in 1214. He took part in a French expedition against king John of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
excommunicated him for this.
Possibly because of this, William then became a fervent crusader. He campaigned in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and joined in the conquest of Alcazer do Sal. In Europe, he came to be called William the Crazy for his chivalric and reckless behaviour in battle. William conquered the city of Damietta
Damietta
Damietta , also known as Damiata, or Domyat, is a port and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the intersection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile, about north of Cairo.-History:...
during the Fifth Crusade
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....
.
Evolution of the county
There were great changes in the landscape of Holland in the end of the 12th and during the 13th century. Many colonists bought land to turn the swamps into polders. Most of the swamps had been sold, and irrigation had started during the reign of William. Huge infrastructural works were done; the island called Grote Waard was enclosed with dikes all around and a dam was built at SpaarndamSpaarndam
Spaarndam is a small village in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands, on the Spaarne and IJ rivers. The oldest part of the village, on the western side of the Spaarne, belongs to the municipality of Haarlem; the newer part on the eastern side is a part of the municipality of...
. New governmental bodies were created, the so-called waterschappen and hoogheemraadschappen
Water board (The Netherlands)
Dutch water boards are regional government bodies charged with managing the water barriers, the waterways, the water levels, water quality and sewage treatment in their respective regions...
, which were charged with the task of protecting the polders against ever-present threat of flooding. Count William granted city rights to 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...
in 1213, to 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...
in 1217, to Middelburg
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
in 1220 and perhaps also to Leiden. In this way he gave an impulse to trade.
Family
Stavoren
Stavoren is a small town on the coast of the IJsselmeer, about 5 km south of Hindeloopen. It lies within the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. Stavoren was granted city rights in 1118, making it the oldest city in Friesland...
to Adelheid of Guelders, daughter of Otto I, Count of Guelders
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...
and Richarde of Bavaria. Adelheid died on 12 February 1218 while William was away on crusade. On his return he married secondly, in July 1220, Marie of Brabant, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Brabant
Henry I, Duke of Brabant
Henry I of Brabant , named "The Courageous" Duke of Brabant and Duke of Lower Lotharingia until his death.-Biography:...
and Maud of Boulogne and Alsace
Mathilde of Flanders
Matilde of Flanders was the youngest daughter of Marie I, Countess of Boulogne and her husband Matthew, Count of Boulogne. Matilde was Duchess of Brabant, by her marriage to Henry I, Duke of Brabant.- Family :...
. She was the widow of Emperor Otto IV. William and his first wife Adelaide had the following children:
- Floris IV, Count of HollandFloris IV, Count of HollandFloris IV , Count of Holland from 1222 to 1234. He was a son of William I of Holland and Adelaide of Geldern....
(24 June 1210 The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
–19 July 1234, CorbieCorbieCorbie is a commune of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The small town is situated up river from Amiens, in the département of Somme and is the main town of the canton of Corbie. It lies in the valley of the River Somme, at the confluence of the River Ancre. The town...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). - OttoOtto III van HollandOtto van Holland was a bishop of Utrecht from 1233 to 1249.Otto was the second son of William I, Count of Holland and his first wife Aleid van Gelre. He was chosen as bishop in 1233, but because of resistance from the canons of Utrecht, his consecration was delayed until 1245. He emerged as a...
(d. 1249), Regent of Holland in 1238–1239, Bishop of UtrechtRoman Catholic Archdiocese of UtrechtThe Archdiocese of Utrecht is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The archdiocese is the metropolitan for 6 suffragans, the dioceses of Breda, Groningen-Leeuwarden, Haarlem-Amsterdam, Roermond, Rotterdam, and 's-Hertogenbosch....
. - Willem (d. 1238), Regent of Holland in 1234–1238.
- Richardis (d. 1262).
- Ada (d. 1258), Abbess at RijnsburgRijnsburgRijnsburg is a community in the eastern part of the city Katwijk, in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The name means Rhines Burg in Dutch.-History:...
1239.