Arnulf, also known as Arnoud or Arnold, succeeded his father in 988 as Count of
Frisia
Frisia is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the Frisians, a West Ger ...
, which by around AD 1100 would come to be referred to as the county of Holland. He was born in 951 in
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
and because of this he is also known as Arnulf of Ghent. Arnulf was the son of
Dirk II, Count of Holland
Dirk II or Theoderic II (920/930 – 6 May 988) was a count in West Frisia, and a predecessor of the counts of Holland. He was the son of Dirk I, count in West Frisia, and Geva (or Gerberge).
Career
In 983 Emperor Otto III confirmed Dirk's right ...
and Hildegard of Flanders (daughter of count
Arnulf I). He was named after his maternal grandfather.
Career
Arnulf is first mentioned (together with his parents) in 970. Like his father, his name appears in numerous Flemish documents at the time. In 983 Arnulf accompanied
Emperor Otto II
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...
and
future Emperor Otto III on their journey to Verona and Rome. As count he managed to expand his territories southwards. Arnulf donated several properties to
Egmond Abbey
Egmond Abbey or St. Adalbert's Abbey ( nl, Abdij van Egmond, ''Sint-Adelbertabdij'') is a Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation between Egmond aan den Hoef and Bakkum in Egmond-Binnen in the municipality of Bergen in the ...
, amongst others
Hillegersberg
Hillegersberg is a neighbourhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands. Primarily a green residential area with lakes, canals and parks, it was incorporated into the city of Rotterdam in 1941.
History
Hillegersberg was named after Hildegard van Vlaandere ...
(which was previously called ''Bergan'', but renamed after Arnulf's mother) and
Overschie
Overschie is a neighborhood of Rotterdam, Netherlands, formerly a separate village with its own municipality.
The village of Overschie was located on the intersection of four rivers called "Schie": the Delftsche Schie, Schiedamsche Schie, Delfs ...
, which may have been rewards for the land-clearing activities of the monks of Egmond.
Arnulf was the first count to come into conflict with the
West Frisians
The West Frisians or, more precisely, the Westlauwers Frisians ( nl, Friezen or Westerlauwerse Friezen, fy, Friezen or Westerlauwerske Friezen), are those Frisian peoples in that part of Frisia administered by the Netherlands: the Province of ...
and in 993 he invaded deep into their territory, but on 18 September of that year he was defeated and killed in a battle near
Winkel in
West-Friesland
West Frisia ( la, Frisia Occidentalis) is a term that, when used in an international context, refers to the traditionally Frisian areas that are located west of the Dollart (i.e. in the present-day Netherlands). Along with East Frisia and North ...
. His son Dirk was still a boy at this time, but Arnulf's widow Luitgard managed to retain the county for her son with support from first
Emperor Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was crowned as King of G ...
and later her brother-in-law,
Emperor Henry II
Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler o ...
.
Family
In May 980 Arnulf married
Lutgard of Luxemburg, a daughter of
Siegfried, Count of Luxemburg. The couple had (at least) two sons; the future
Count Dirk III and Siegfried (also known as ''Sicco''). Arnulf, his wife and his sons were all buried at Egmond.
He also had a daughter,
Adelina of Holland
Adelina of Holland ( – ) was possibly a daughter of Arnulf, Count of Holland, and Lutgardis of Luxemburg. She married firstly Baldwin II, Count of Boulogne (with whom she had Eustace I of Boulogne
Eustace I, Count of Boulogne, was a ...
, who was married to
Baldwin II, Count of Boulogne
Baldwin is a Germanic name, composed of the elements ''bald'' "bold" and ''win'' "friend".
People
* Baldwin (name)
Places Canada
* Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario
* Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District
* Baldwin's Mills ...
and
Enguerrand I, Count of Ponthieu
Enguerrand I was the son of Hugh I of Ponthieu and Gisela, daughter of Hugh Capet.
Marriages and children
With his first wife Adelaide, daughter of Arnulf, Count of Holland, they had:
* Hugh II
His second wife has been identified as the wife of ...
.
On 20 September 993 Liutgard donated her properties at Rugge to Saint Peter's abbey of Ghent for the soul of her husband. In June 1005 she made peace with the West-Frisians through mediation by Emperor Henry.
References/Bibliography
* Frisia Coast Trail
The Abbey of Egmond and the Rise of the Gerulfings*Cordfunke, ''Graven en Gravinnen van het Hollandse Huis'' (1986).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnulf, Count Of Holland
Counts of Holland
Counts of Frisia
10th-century rulers in Europe
993 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Burials at Egmond Abbey