Floris II, Count of Holland
Encyclopedia
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,...
.
He was the son of his predecessor Dirk V
Dirk V, Count of Holland
Dirk V was Count of Holland from 1061 to 1091.Dirk V succeeded Floris I, under the guardianship of his mother, Gertrude of Saxony. William I, Bishop of Utrecht, took advantage of the young ruler, occupying territory that he had claimed in Holland. William's claim was confirmed by two charters of...
and Othilde. Floris II ended the conflict with the Bishop of Utrecht (which he inherited from his father, and should be seen in light of the power struggle between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor
Separation of church and state (medieval)
The relationship between the Church and the feudal states during the medieval period went through a number of developments, roughly from the end of the Roman Empire through to the beginning of the Reformation...
), most likely by becoming his vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
. In 1101 he was endowed with the title of Count of Holland
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...
by the bishop of Utrecht, after acquiring Rhineland (Leiden and surroundings) ('comes de Hollant', up until that time the counts' dominion had been officially referred to as Frisia
Frisia
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...
).
Around 1108, Floris II married Gertrude, the daughter of Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine. Gertrude changed her name to Petronila (which is derived from Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
), in recognition of her loyalty to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Petronila and Floris II had four children, three boys and one girl: Dirk, Floris, Simon and Hedwig, respectively. Dirk became his successor, Dirk VI
Dirk VI, Count of Holland
Dirk VI of Holland was Count of Holland between 1121 and 1157, at first, during his minority, under the regency of his mother Petronilla. He was the son of Count Floris II. After his death he was succeeded by his eldest son Floris III. He married Sofie of Salm, Countess of Rheineck and Bentheim...
of Holland, while Floris became known as Floris the Black
Floris the Black
Floris the Black was a rebel count of Holland in the 1120s and 1130s, against the claim of his brother Dirk.Floris openly revolted against his brother Dirk and was from 1129 to 1131 recognized as Count of Holland by, amongst others, King Lothair and Andreas of Kuyk, Bishop of Utrecht...
and contested his brother's power.