| Notes |
- William I, Count of Holland. Nickname: de Gek, the Crazy.
William I (c. 1167, The Hague - 4 February 1222. Buried in Rijnsburg). Count of Holland from 1203 to 1222.
William was raised in Scotland. He was the second son of Floris III and Ada of Huntingdon (a Scottish noblewoman).
In 1189 he accompanied his father on the Third Crusade. During that journey, his father died (in Antioch) from pestilence.
William was taken prisoner in France. He returned a year later to find out that his brother had succeeded his father as Count of Holland.
Life
He started a revolt against his brother, Dirk VII and became count of Friesland after a reconciliation. Friesland was considered a part of Holland by the Counts of Holland.
After Dirk VII's death in 1203, his daughter Ada was the only heir. She was only 15, but her mother Aleida had her immediately marry LouisII van Loon. William couldn't accept that his niece Ada was now Countess of Holland and had inherited Holland. After a civil war, which lasted for several years, William eventually won the war. Ada and her husband Louis II, Count of Loon, 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. Hecampaigned in Prussia and joined in the conquest of Alcácer do Sal. In Europe, he came to be called William the Crazy for his chivalric andreckless behavior in battle. William conquered the city of Damietta (port in Egypt) during the Fifth Crusade.
Family
Count William married twice. He first married in 1197 at Stavoren to Adelaide of Guelders, daughter of Otto I, Count of Guelders and Richarde of Bavaria. Adelaide died on 12 February 1218 while William was away on a crusade. On his return, in July 1220, he married Marie of Brabant, daughter of Henry I, Duke of Brabant and Maud of Boulogne and Alsace. She was the widow of Emperor Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1175-19 May 1218)
William and his first wife Adelaide had 5 children.
Other:
Before he was married William had relationships with 2 women:
- Vrouwe van Teylingen with son Dirk Drossaard van Brederode
- Jutta van Pumbeke with a daughter Jutta van Holland.
|
1166 - 1222 (56 years)
Jutta of Holland, b. ~1200 d. Yes, date unknown
