William II of Holland

For the stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, see William II, Prince of Orange. For the King of the Netherlands, see William II of the Netherlands.

William II
Count of Holland
Count Willem II of Holland Granting Privileges by Caesar van Everdingen and Pieter Post, 1654
Born	February 1227
Died	28 January 1256(1256-01-28) (aged 28)
Noble family	House of Holland
Spouse(s)	Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Issue	Floris V, Count of Holland
Father	Floris IV, Count of Holland
Mother	Matilda of Brabant

William II of Holland (February 1227 – 28 January 1256) was a Count of Holland and Zeeland (1234–56). He was elected as German anti-king in 1247 and remained king until his death.

Life

Coat of Arms of William II. in a medieval manuscript.

He was the son of Floris IV and Matilda of Brabant. When his father was killed at a tournament at Corbie, William was only seven years old. His uncles, William and Otto (Bishop of Utrecht), were his guardians until 1239.

William II of Holland as "Willem van Henegouwen" in stained-glass window from 1588 by Willem Thibaut, located in the Museum De Lakenhal

With the help of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and the archbishop of Cologne, he was elected in octobre 1247, at age 20, as king of Germany after Emperor Frederick II was excommunicated. After a siege of five months, he took Aachen in 1248 from Frederick's followers. Only then could he be crowned as king. He gained a certain amount of theoretical support from some of the German princes after his marriage to Elizabeth, daughter of Otto the Child, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, in 1252; but, although "William lacked neither courage nor chivalrous qualities... his power never extended beyond the Rhineland."

In his home county, William fought with Flanders for control of Zeeland. He made himself (being king of Germany) count of Zeeland. In July 1253, he defeated the Flemish army at Westkapelle (in modern-day Belgium) and a year later a cease-fire followed. His anti-Flemish policy worsened his relationship with France.

From 1254, he fought a number of wars against the West Frisians. He built some strong castles in Heemskerk and Haarlem and created roads for the war against the Frisians.

William gave city rights to Haarlem, Delft, 's-Gravenzande and Alkmaar. A castle he had built in 1248 was the beginning of the city of The Hague.

Death

In battle near Hoogwoud on 28 January 1256, William tried to traverse a frozen lake by himself, because he was lost, but his horse fell through the ice. In this vulnerable position, William was killed by the Frisians, who secretly buried him under the floor of a house. His body was recovered 26 years later by his son Floris V, who took terrible vengeance on the West-Frisians. William was then buried in Middelburg. Contemporary sources, including the chronicle of Melis Stoke, portray William as an Arthurian hero.

Ancestors

Family of William II of Holland

16. Dirk VI, Count of Holland 8. Floris III, Count of Holland 17. Sophia of Rheineck 4. William I, Count of Holland 18. Henry of Scotland 9. Ada of Huntingdon 19. Ada de Warenne 2. Floris IV, Count of Holland 20. Hendrik of Guelders 10. Otto I, Count of Guelders 21. Agnes of Arnstein 5. Adelaide of Guelders 22. Otto I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria 11. Richardis of Bavaria 23. Agnes of Loon 1. William II, Count of Holland 24. Godfrey II, Count of Louvain 12. Godfrey III, Count of Louvain 25. Luitgarde of Sulzbach 6. Henry I, Duke of Brabant 26. Henry II, Duke of Limburg 13. Marguerite of Limbourg 27. Lauretta of Flanders 3. Matilda of Brabant 28. Thierry, Count of Flanders 14. Matthew, Count of Boulogne 29. Sibylla of Anjou 7. Matilda of Flanders, Duchess of Brabant 30. Stephen of England 15. Marie I, Countess of Boulogne 31. Matilda of Boulogne

See also

• Counts of Holland family tree