Adelaide of Holland(Dutch:Aleide (Aleidis);c. 1230– buried 9 April 1284), was a Countess of Hainaut by marriage toJohn I, Count of Hainaut.She acted as the regent of the County of Holland during the minority of her nephewCount Floris Vbetween 1256 and 1263.
Adelaide of Holland | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Aleida of Holland | |
| Born | c. 1230 |
| Died | 1284 (aged 53–54) |
| Buried | Valenciennes |
| Noble family | Holland |
| Spouse(s) | John I, Count of Hainaut |
| Issue |
|
| Father | Floris IV, Count of Holland |
| Mother | Matilda of Brabant |
She was a daughter ofFloris IV, Count of HollandandMatilda of Brabant,[1]and a sister ofWilliam II,Count of HollandandKing of Germany.
Life
editOn 9 October 1246, Adelaide marriedJohn I of Avesnes,Count of Hainaut.[1]Like her mother, she was a patron of religious houses. Her religious interest is reflected in that three of her sons became bishops,[2]and her one daughter became an abbess. She also insisted on a bilingual education for them.
Between 1258 and 1263, Adelaide wasregentof Holland in the name of her nephewFloris V.She called herself Guardian of Holland and Zeeland (Tutrix de Hollandie et Zeelandie). After he came of age, she continued to advise him. She died in 1284 atValenciennes,but in 1299, with the death of Floris' sonJohn I,it was her own son John II who inherited Holland through her.
She gaveTown privilegestoSchiedam,which afterward had the right to be called a city. In it, she foundedTe Riviere Castle,which was then the second-largest castle inHolland.
She ordered the construction of theSchielands Hoge Zeedijk,which today continues to protect 3 million inhabitants in a wide area around Rotterdam.
Jacob van Maerlantdedicated his first poem,Geesten,to Adelaide.
Issue
editWith John I, she had the following issue:
- John II, Count of HainautandHolland(1247–1304)[1]
- Baldwin (born after 1247, lived in 1299)
- Joanna, abbess of Flines (died 1304)
- Bouchard,Bishop of Metz(1251–1296)
- Guy,Bishop of Utrecht(1253–1317)
- William,Bishop of Cambrai(1254–1296)
- Floris,stadholderof Zeeland andPrince of Achaea(1255–1297)
See also
editReferences
editSources
edit- Pollock, M.A. (2015).Scotland, England and France after the loss of Normandy, 1204-1296.The Boydell Press.
External links
edit- Aleid van Hollandat the Institute of Netherlands History (Dutch)
- Adelaide/Aleid of HollandLetters from and to Aleid collected and translated by Professor Joan Ferrante of Columbia University