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 G ...

, 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 i ...

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 th ...

, amongst others Hillegersberg (which was previously called ''Bergan'', but renamed after Arnulf's mother) and Overschie, 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 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. 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 ...

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), and secondly Enguerrand I of Ponthie ...

, 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, Q ...

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