
William II of Bavaria (5 April 1365—31 May 1417) was
Duke of Bavaria-Straubing and
count of Holland
The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.
The Frisian origins
While the Frisian kingdom had comprised most of the present day Netherlands, the later province of Friesland ...
(listed as William VI),
Hainaut (listed as William IV) and
Zeeland
Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...
. He ruled from 1404 until 1417, when he died from an infection caused by a dog bite.
Biography
William was a son of
Albert I of Bavaria and
Margaret of Brieg. William, allied with the
Hooks, was in
conflict with his father until 1394. In 1404 he succeeded him as
count of Holland
The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.
The Frisian origins
While the Frisian kingdom had comprised most of the present day Netherlands, the later province of Friesland ...
,
Hainaut and
Zeeland
Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...
and
duke of Bavaria-Straubing.
In 1408 in the
Battle of Othée, William,
John the Fearless
John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...
of Burgundy, and
Louis VII of Bavaria defeated the citizens of
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
who had revolted against William's brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, the
bishop of Liège
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
. As a result, he was no longer, as count of Hainaut, obliged to pay homage to the bishop. William's reign was marked by internal strife within the county of Holland. In particular, Lord
John V of Arkel supported William's enemies in Holland. William conquered Arkel in 1412, at which point John accepted his defeat and Arkel was annexed by Holland.
William claimed
Friesland
Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...
as the count of Holland. Expeditions under previous counts had failed to conquer Friesland. Only
Stavoren
Stavoren (; ; previously Staveren) is a city in the province of Friesland, Netherlands, on the coast of the IJsselmeer, about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Hindeloopen, in the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân.
Stavoren had a population of 950 in ...
was captured in 1398. William II also sent expeditions to the region but Stavoren was regained by the Frisians in 1414. Prior to his death, William ensured his nobles swore allegiance to his only daughter,
Jacqueline.
Jacqueline was the only child by his wife,
Margaret
Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
, a daughter of
Philip the Bold
Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg.
Philip was th ...
whom he married in 1385, at the Burgundian double wedding in
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river.
A sub-pref ...
, at the same time his sister,
Margaret
Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
, married
John the Fearless
John I (; ; 28 May 1371 – 10 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his assassination in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during the early 15th century, part ...
.
However, on William's death in 1417, a war of succession broke out between his brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
, the bishop of Liège, and his daughter, Jacqueline. This would be the last episode of the
Hook and Cod wars and finally place Holland and Hainaut into Burgundian hands. The duchy of Bavaria-Straubing was divided between the dukes of Bavaria, the major portion went to
Bavaria-Munich
Bavaria-Munich () was a duchy that was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1392 to 1505.
History
After the death of Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria, Stephen II in 1375, his sons Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria, Stephen III, Frederick, D ...
in 1429.
Ancestry
See also
*
Counts of Hainaut family tree
The Count of Hainaut (; ; ) was the ruler of the county of Hainaut, a historical region in the Low Countries (including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany). In English-la ...
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:William Ii, Duke Of Bavaria
1365 births
1417 deaths
15th-century dukes of Bavaria
15th-century counts of Hainaut
15th-century nobility from the Holy Roman Empire
William VI of Holland
House of Wittelsbach
Knights of the Garter