Margaret, Countess of Hainaut
Encyclopedia
Margaret II of Avesnes (1311 – 23 June 1356) was Countess of Hainaut and Countess of Holland
(as Margaret I) from 1345 to 1356. Margaret was the daughter of William I, Count of Hainaut
, and his wife, Joan of Valois.
On 26 February 1324 in Cologne
she married Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian
.
) following his death in battle with later Louis IV the Bavarian
designating that
Hainaut
, Holland, Zeeland
and Friesland
were his wife's possessions. and later these passed to their son William V
. Margaret's sisters, including Philippa of Hainaut who was Queen consort of Edward III of England
disavowed their hereditary claims. Due to the dangerous hostility of the House of Luxemburg Louis increased his power base ruthlessly. Margaret then returned to Holland in 1346 to secure her position of power but did not manage to prevent the coronation of the Luxemburg Charles IV
as anti-king in Aix-la-Chapelle by force.
When Louis IV died on 11 October 1347, he was succeeded by his six sons. In 1349 the brothers decided to partition their possessions; Louis V, Duke of Bavaria
kept Brandenburg
and Tyrol, he and his younger brothers Louis VI the Roman
and Otto V the Bavarian received Upper Bavaria
. Stephen II
, William
and Albert
received Lower Bavaria
, Holland and Hainaut. Louis V and Stephen were not sons of Margaret and her youngest sons Albert and Otto were still minors. Louis VI released Holland and Hainaut for his brothers William and Albert in 1349 since he expected the Polish crown by his marriage with Cunigunde of Poland. In 1353 also Stephen released Holland and Hainault to his brother William.
Despite Margaret resigning her sovereignty in favour of her son William.. In 1350, the nobles of Holland asked Margaret to return to Holland again. Her son William who refused to pay her alimony so she then battled for the power
in Holland and Hainaut for some years with her son. The Cod league was formed in 23 May 1350 by a number of supporters of William. On 5 September of the same year, the Hook league was formed. Soon afterward these factions clashed and a civil war began.
Edward III of England
, Margaret's brother-in-law through her sister Philippa of Hainault
, came to her aid, winning a naval engagement off Veere
in 1351; a few weeks later the Hooks and their English allies were defeated by William and the Cods at Vlaardingen
, a defeat which ruined Margaret's cause. Edward III shortly afterwards changed sides and the empress saw herself compelled (1354) to come to an understanding with her son: he being recognized as count of Holland and Zeeland, she of Hainaut in her lifetime .
. Margaret died two years later, leaving William, in possession of the entire Holland-Hainaut inheritance (July 1356). William was married to Matilda ("Maud" in English) of Lancaster and Countess of Leicester
, sister to Blanche of Lancaster
.
In 1324 she married Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
.
Their children were:
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...
(as Margaret I) from 1345 to 1356. Margaret was the daughter of William I, Count of Hainaut
William I, Count of Hainaut
William I, Count of Hainaut was Count William III of Avesnes, Count William III of Holland and Count William II of Zeeland from 1304 to his death...
, and his wife, Joan of Valois.
On 26 February 1324 in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
she married Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
.
Biography
She succeeded in 1345 her brother William II of Hainault (William IVWilliam II, Count of Hainaut
William II, Count of Hainaut was William IV of Avesnes, William IV of Holland and William III of Zeeland from 1337 to his death, succeeding his father, William I. He married Joanna, Duchess of Brabant and Limburg in 1334, but had no issue.- Military career and death :William fought in France as...
) following his death in battle with later Louis IV the Bavarian
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
designating that
Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
, Holland, Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
and Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
were his wife's possessions. and later these passed to their son William V
William I, Duke of Bavaria
William I, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing , was the second son of the emperor Louis IV the Bavarian from his second wife Margaret of Holland and Hainaut...
. Margaret's sisters, including Philippa of Hainaut who was Queen consort of Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
disavowed their hereditary claims. Due to the dangerous hostility of the House of Luxemburg Louis increased his power base ruthlessly. Margaret then returned to Holland in 1346 to secure her position of power but did not manage to prevent the coronation of the Luxemburg Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
as anti-king in Aix-la-Chapelle by force.
When Louis IV died on 11 October 1347, he was succeeded by his six sons. In 1349 the brothers decided to partition their possessions; Louis V, Duke of Bavaria
Louis V, Duke of Bavaria
Louis V, Duke of Bavaria, called the Brandenburger was Duke of Bavaria and as Louis I also Margrave of Brandenburg and Count of Tyrol. Louis V was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV and his first wife Beatrix of Świdnica...
kept Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
and Tyrol, he and his younger brothers Louis VI the Roman
Louis VI the Roman
Louis the Roman was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian by his second wife, Margaret II, Countess of Hainault, and a member of the House of Wittelsbach. Louis was Duke of Bavaria as Louis VI and Margrave of Brandenburg as Louis II...
and Otto V the Bavarian received Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
. Stephen II
Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Stephen II of Bavaria , after 1347 Duke of Bavaria. He was the second son of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian by his first wife Beatrix of Świdnica and a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty.-Biography:During the reign of Emperor Louis IV his son Stephen served as vogt of Swabia and Alsace...
, William
William I, Duke of Bavaria
William I, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing , was the second son of the emperor Louis IV the Bavarian from his second wife Margaret of Holland and Hainaut...
and Albert
Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Albert I or Albrecht KG was a feudal ruler of the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Low Countries...
received Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
, Holland and Hainaut. Louis V and Stephen were not sons of Margaret and her youngest sons Albert and Otto were still minors. Louis VI released Holland and Hainaut for his brothers William and Albert in 1349 since he expected the Polish crown by his marriage with Cunigunde of Poland. In 1353 also Stephen released Holland and Hainault to his brother William.
Despite Margaret resigning her sovereignty in favour of her son William.. In 1350, the nobles of Holland asked Margaret to return to Holland again. Her son William who refused to pay her alimony so she then battled for the power
Hook and Cod wars
The Hook and Cod wars comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the underlying reason was because of the power struggle of the bourgeois in the cities against...
in Holland and Hainaut for some years with her son. The Cod league was formed in 23 May 1350 by a number of supporters of William. On 5 September of the same year, the Hook league was formed. Soon afterward these factions clashed and a civil war began.
Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, Margaret's brother-in-law through her sister Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...
, came to her aid, winning a naval engagement off Veere
Veere
Veere is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands, on Walcheren island in the province of Zeeland.-Population centres :Aagtekerke , Biggekerke , Domburg , Gapinge , Grijpskerke , Koudekerke , Meliskerke , Oostkapelle , Serooskerke , Veere , Vrouwenpolder , Westkapelle...
in 1351; a few weeks later the Hooks and their English allies were defeated by William and the Cods at Vlaardingen
Battle of Vlaardingen (1351)
There was a civil war in Holland and Hainaut in 1350 between the Hooks and the Cods. The Hooks were fighting for the Countess Margaret of Hainault, supported by England, while the Cods were fighting for Margaret's son William, who was ruling Holland in name of Margaret...
, a defeat which ruined Margaret's cause. Edward III shortly afterwards changed sides and the empress saw herself compelled (1354) to come to an understanding with her son: he being recognized as count of Holland and Zeeland, she of Hainaut in her lifetime .
. Margaret died two years later, leaving William, in possession of the entire Holland-Hainaut inheritance (July 1356). William was married to Matilda ("Maud" in English) of Lancaster and Countess of Leicester
Maud, Countess of Leicester
Maud of Lancaster , also known as Matilda, Countess of Hainault, was a 14th century English noblewoman who married into the Bavarian royal family....
, sister to Blanche of Lancaster
Blanche of Lancaster
Blanche of Lancaster, Duchess of Lancaster was an English noblewoman and heiress, daughter of England's wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster...
.
Family and children
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
.
Their children were:
- Margaret (1325–1374), married:
- in 1351 in Ofen Stephen, Duke of SlavoniaStephen, Duke of SlavoniaStephen, Duke of Slavonia was a Hungarian Angevin prince who served as governor of Transylvania, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Croatia during the reign of his brother, King Louis I of Hungary. -Family:...
(d. 1354), son of the King Charles I of HungaryCharles I of HungaryCharles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
, and had issue; - 1357/58 Gerlach von Hohenlohe.
- in 1351 in Ofen Stephen, Duke of Slavonia
- Anna (c. 1326 – 3 June 1361, Fontenelles) married John I of Lower BavariaJohn I, Duke of BavariaJohn I of Bavaria , , he was the Duke of Lower Bavaria since 1339.John I was the son of Henry XIV, Duke of Lower Bavaria, and Margaret of Bohemia...
(d. 1340) - Louis VI the RomanLouis VI the RomanLouis the Roman was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian by his second wife, Margaret II, Countess of Hainault, and a member of the House of Wittelsbach. Louis was Duke of Bavaria as Louis VI and Margrave of Brandenburg as Louis II...
(1328–1365), duke of Upper Bavaria, elector of Brandenburg. No issue. - Elisabeth (1329 – 2 August 1402, StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
), married with:- Cangrande II della Scala, Lord of VeronaCangrande II della ScalaCangrande II della Scala was Lord of Verona from 1351 until his death.In 1351, after the death of his father Mastino II della Scala, he inherited the lordship of Verona and Vicenza, initially under the regency of his uncle Antonio...
(d. 1359) in VeronaVeronaVerona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
on 22 November 1350; - Count Ulrich of WürttembergWürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
(d. 1388) in 1362.
- Cangrande II della Scala, Lord of Verona
- William V of Holland (1330–1389), as William I duke of Lower Bavaria, as Wiliam V count of Hainaut and Holland
- AgnesAgnes of WittelsbachAgnes of Bavaria was a Bavarian nun from Munich and a member of the House of Wittelsbach.The daughter of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, after his death she was brought up by educated nuns. She rejected a marriage with a nobleman chosen by her relatives and instead entered a cloister. Always sickly,...
(MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 1335 – 11 November 1352, Munich) - Albert I of Holland (1336–1404), duke of Lower Bavaria, count of Hainaut and Holland
- Otto V the Bavarian (1340–1379), duke of Upper Bavaria, elector of Brandenburg
- Beatrice of Bavaria (1344 – 25 December 1359), married bef. 25 October 1356 Eric XII of SwedenEric XII of SwedenEric "XII" of Sweden was a rival king of Sweden of his father Magnus IV from 1356 to his death in 1359. He was married to Beatrix of Bavaria, daughter of Louis IV of Bavaria....
- Louis (October 1347 – 1348)
Ancestry
See also
- Counts of Hainaut family treeCounts of Hainaut family treeThis is a family tree of the Counts of Hainaut, sometimes spelled though not pronounced Hainault from 1055 to 1432, when the County of Hainaut and the County of Holland are incorporated in the estates of the Duchy of Burgundy, following the end of the Hook and Cod wars...