Count of Holland
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The Counts of Holland ruled over the county of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.
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House of Holland
The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was probably the son of Count Gerulf II of Frisia. He received land around Egmond from Charles the Fat at a place called Bladella (modern: Bladel) in 922. This is seen as the beginning of the county of Holland. However, until about 1100, the usual name of the county was West-Friesland.
Note that the chronology of the first counts is uncertain. The existence of a count between Dirk I and Dirk II was only discovered in recent research.
- Gerulf of West Frisia
- Dirk I of West Frisia (r. 916 939)
- Dirk of West Frisia (r. 928? 939?)
- Dirk II of West Frisia (r. 939 988)
- Arnulf of West Frisia (r. 988 993)
- Dirk III of Holland (r. 993 1039)
- Dirk IV of Holland (r. 1039 1049)
- Floris I of Holland (r. 1049 1061)
- Gertrude of Saxony (regent)
- Robert de Frisian (regent)
- Godfrey of Lorraine (regent)
- Dirk V of Holland (r. 1061 1091)
- Floris II of Holland (r. 1091 1121)
- Dirk VI of Holland (r. 1121 1157)
- Floris III of Holland (r. 1157 1190)
- Dirk VII of Holland (r. 1190 1203)
- William I of Holland (r. 1203 1222)
- Floris IV of Holland (r. 1222 1234)
- William II of Holland (r. 1234 1256) King of Germany
- Floris V of Holland (r. 1256 1296)
- John I of Holland (r. 1296 1299)
House of Hainaut
When John I died childless, the county was inherited by John II of Avesnes, count of Hainaut from 1298. John of Avesnes was a son of Adelaide of Holland, sister of William II of Holland.
- John II (1299 - 1304)
- William III (1304 - 1337)
- William IV (1337 - 1345)
- Margaret I (1346 - 1351), daughter of William III
House of Bavaria
During the rule of Margaretha, her son William V had the real power in the county. He became ruler in his own right as a result of the Hook and Cod wars. He was also Duke William I of Bavaria-Straubing.
- William V (1346-1358)
- Albert I (1358-1404), brother of William V
- William VI (1404-1417)
- John III (1418-1425), brother of William VI rival of Jacqueline
- Jacqueline (1417-1432), daughter of William VI
There was a war of succession between John and Jacqueline. This war was won by Philip of Burgundy, who had inherited John's claims on the duchy. Philip was a nephew of William VI, who had married a daughter of Philip the Bold of Burgundy. In 1432 he forced Jacqueline to abdicate from Hainaut and Holland on his behalf.
Burgundy and Habsburg
- Philip the Good (1433-1467)
- Charles the Bold (1467-1477)
- Mary of Burgundy (1477-1482)
- Maximilian (1482-1494, regent)
- Philip II the Fair (1494-1506)
- Charles II (1515-1555)
- Philip III (1555-1581)
During the 'foreign rule' by Burgundy and Habsburg, the county was governed by a stadtholder in name of the count. In 1581, the Estates General of the United Provinces declared themselves independent from the Spanish rule of Philip II (who was Philip III of Holland). Until the Treaty of Mόnster in 1648, the kings of Spain used the title Count of Holland, but they had lost the actual power over the county to the States of Holland.