Seal of Count Dirk V of Holland (1061-1091)

Dirk V (1052 – June 17, 1091) was

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 (Dijkstra suggests th ...

(called

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 ...

at that time) from 1061 to 1091. Dirk V succeeded his father, Floris I, under the guardianship of his mother, Gertrude of Saxony. William I,

Bishop of Utrecht List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht. Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580 Founders of the Utrecht diocese * * * * * Bishops * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

, took advantage of the young ruler, occupying territory that he had claimed in Holland. William's claim was confirmed by two charters of the emperor Henry IV. (April 30, 1064 and May 2, 1064). Dirk only retained possession of lands west of the Vlie and around the mouths of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

. Gertrude and her son withdrew to the islands of

(Zeeland), leaving William to occupy the disputed lands. In 1063 Gertrude married Robert of Flanders (Robert the Frisian), the second son of

Baldwin V of Flanders Baldwin V ( 1012 – 1 September 1067) was Count of Flanders from 1035 until his death. He secured the personal union between the counties of Flanders and Hainaut and maintained close links to the Anglo-Saxon monarchy, which was overthrown by hi ...

. Baldwin gave Dirk the Imperial

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

as an appanage - including the islands of Frisia west of the Frisian

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

river. Robert then became his stepson's guardian, gaining control of the islands east of the Scheldt. Robert managed to conquer Kennemerland (north of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

), but held it only briefly. Robert therefore, in both his own right and that of Dirk, was now the ruler of all Frisia. The death of his brother Baldwin VI in 1070 led to

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

in Flanders. The claim of Robert to the guardianship of his nephew Arnulf III was disputed by

Richilde, Countess of Mons and Hainaut Richilde, Countess of Mons and Hainaut ( 1018 – 15 March 1086), was a ruling countess of Hainaut from c. 1050 until 1076, in co-regency with her husband Baldwin VI of Flanders (until 1070) and then her son Baldwin II of Hainaut. She was also c ...

, the widow of Baldwin VI. The issue was decided by Robert's victory at Cassel (February 1071), where Arnulf was killed and Richilda taken prisoner. The war in Holland and Frisia became part of a large conflict from 1075 onwards. The pope had excommunicated the emperor. The bishop of Utrecht supported the emperor, while the count of Holland supported Pope Gregory VII and anti-king Rudolphe. While Robert was thus engaged in Flanders, an effort was made to recover the County of Holland and other lands now held by William of Utrecht. The people rose in revolt, but were brought back under Episcopal rule by an army under the command of Godfrey IV (the Hunchback), duke of Lower Lorraine, by order of the emperor (Henry IV). In 1076, at the request of William, Duke Godfrey visited his domains in the Frisian borderland. At

Delft Delft () is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, and The Hague, to the northwest. Together with them, it is part of both the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolita ...

, the duke was murdered by revolutionaries (February 26, 1076). William of Utrecht died on April 17, 1076. Dirk V, now managing his own estate, was quick to take advantage of this favorable juncture. With the help of Robert (his stepfather) he raised an army and besieged Conrad of Utrecht, the successor of William, in the castle of Ysselmonde, taking him prisoner. The bishop purchased his liberty by surrendering all claim to the disputed lands. Dirk V was succeeded by Floris II upon his death in 1091. He was buried in the

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 ...

Sources

External links

The History of the Lowlands
{{Authority control Holland, Dirk V, Count of Holland, Dirk V, Count of Counts of Holland People from Vlaardingen Medieval child rulers Burials at Egmond Abbey 11th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire