John II (1247 – 22 August 1304) was

Count of Hainaut 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 ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former Provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

, and

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

Life

John II, born 1247, was the eldest son of John I of Hainaut and

Adelaide of Holland Adelaide of Holland ( nl, Aleide (Aleidis) ; – buried 9 April 1284), Countess of Hainaut, was a Dutch regent. She was a daughter of Floris IV, Count of Holland and Matilda of Brabant. She was also a sister of William II, Count of Holland and ...

.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 22 He became

on the death of his grandmother, Countess Margaret I of Hainaut. John continued the war between the

House of Dampierre The House of Dampierre played an important role during the Middle Ages. Named after Dampierre, in the Champagne region, where members first became prominent, members of the family were later Count of Flanders, Count of Nevers, Counts and Dukes o ...

and the

Avesnes family The Avesnes family played an important role during the Middle Ages. The family has its roots in the small village Avesnes-sur-Helpe, in the north of France. One branch produced a number of Counts of Holland during the 13th century. The family d ...

against Count

Guy of Flanders Guy of Dampierre (french: Gui de Dampierre; nl, Gwijde van Dampierre) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and List of rulers of Namur, Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when ...

for Imperial Flanders. John II became

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 ...

in 1299 upon the death of his cousin

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I ...

.Johan C H Blom, ''History of the Low Countries'' (New York: Berghahn Books, 2006), p. 58 The

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...

he established between Hainaut and Holland–Zeeland lasted for another half-century. John I's father,

Floris V Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modern ...

, had been fighting against Flanders for

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

.Johan C H Blom, ''History of the Low Countries'' (New York: Berghahn Books, 2006), pp. 57–8 He sought help of France against Flanders. The French defeated the Flemish in 1300 and 1301. The rebels in

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

were defeated as well. John's brother, Guy of Avesnes, became

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 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

. Thus, all his main enemies were gone. The tide changed dramatically after a Flemish uprising and the defeat of the French army at the

Battle of the Golden Spurs The Battle of the Golden Spurs ( nl, Guldensporenslag; french: Bataille des éperons d'or) was a military confrontation between the royal army of France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the Franco-Flemis ...

in 1302, where John's eldest son was killed fighting for the French. The Flemish attacked Hainaut and Zeeland supported by the dissatisfied population there.

Guy of Namur Guy of Dampierre, Count of Zeeland, also called Guy of Namur ( nl, region=BE, Gwijde van Namen, label=Flemish) (ca. 1272 – 13 October 1311 in Pavia), was a Flemish noble who was the Lord of Ronse and later the self-proclaimed Count of Zeeland ...

defeated John's son,

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, in a battle on the island of

Duiveland Duiveland is the name of a former island and a former municipality in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The island of Duiveland was joined to Schouwen in 1610, forming the island of Schouwen-Duiveland. It is the eastern part of the current island. ...

. Bishop Guy of Utrecht was taken prisoner.

and Duke John II of

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

conquered most of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

, Holland, and Zeeland.

was finally defeated in 1304 by the fleet of Holland and France at the naval

Battle of Zierikzee The battle of Zierikzee was a naval battle between a Flemish fleet and an allied Franco- Hollandic fleet which took place on 10 and 11 August 1304. The battle, fought near the town of Zierikzee, ended in a Franco-Dutch victory. The battle is part ...

. John II regained most of his authority when he died in the same year.

Family

In 1270, John married

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or " horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of '' Philippa of Guelder ...

, daughter of Count

Henry V of Luxembourg Henry V the Blondell (1216 – 24 December 1281), called the Great, was the Count of Arlon from 1226 to his death, lord of Ligny from 1240 to his death, Count of Luxembourg and Laroche from 1247 to his death, and the Marquis of Namur between ...

and Margaret of Bar. Their children were: # John, Lord of Beaumont, Count of Ostervant. Killed in

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...

(11 July 1302). # Henry, a canon in

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), 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 ...

, (died 1303). #

William I, Count of Hainaut William the Good ( nl, Willem, french: Guillaume; – 7 June 1337) was count of Hainaut (as William I), Avesnes, Holland (as William III), and Zeeland (as William II) from 1304 to his death. Career William, born , was the son of John II, Coun ...

( – 7 June 1337) He succeeded his father in 1304. Married Joan of Valois, daughter of

Charles, Count of Valois Charles of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon, was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, whose rule over France would start in 1328 ...

. #

John of Beaumont John of Beaumont (1288 – 11 March 1356) was a younger brother of count William III of Holland. He was the lord of Beaumont and count of Soissons by virtue of his marriage. Life He was born in 1288 as John of Hainault, 4th son of John II, ...

(1288 – 11 March 1356). He was married to Margaret, Countess de Soissons. # Margaret (died 18 October 1342), married

Robert II of Artois Robert II (September 1250 – 11 July 1302) was the Count of Artois, the posthumous son and heir of Robert I and Matilda of Brabant. He was a nephew of Louis IX of France. He died at the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Life An experienced soldier, ...

, who was killed at the

, 11 July 1302. # Alice or Alix (d. 26 October 1317), who married 1290

Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk Roger Bigod (c. 1245 – bf. 6 December 1306) was 5th Earl of Norfolk. Origins He was the son of Hugh Bigod (1211–1266), Justiciar, and succeeded his father's elder brother Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk (1209–1270) as 5th Earl o ...

, by whom she had no issue. # Isabelle (died 1305), married Raoul de Clermont Lord of Nesle, who was killed in battle at the

, 11 July 1302. # Joan, a nun at

Fontenelles Fontenelle Abbey (french: Abbaye de Fontenelle) was a Cistercian nunnery in Maing, Nord, France, extant from 1212 to 1793. History The abbey was founded in 1212 to the south of Valenciennes on the banks of the Scheldt as a small oratory by tw ...

. #

Mary of Avesnes Marie of Hainaut (1280 – 1354) was the daughter of John II, Count of Holland and Philippa of Luxembourg, and her brother was William I, Count of Hainaut. Family Her nieces by her brother William were Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut who marrie ...

(1280–1354), married

Louis I, Duke of Bourbon Louis I, called the Lame (1279 – 22 January 1341) was a French '' prince du sang'', Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche and the first Duke of Bourbon, as well as briefly the titular King of Thessalonica from 1320 to 1321. Life L ...

. # Matilda, Abbess of

Nivelles Nivelles (; nl, Nijvel, ; wa, Nivele; vls, Neyvel) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monst ...

. John's illegitimate children were: # Willem de Cuser # Aleid van Zandenburg, who was married firstly to Wolfert II of Borselen, lord of Veere, and secondly to Otto III of Buren.Orlanda Lie and Joris Reynaert eds., ''Artes in context. Opstellen over het handschriftelijk milieu van Middelnederlandse artesteksten'' (Hilversum 2004), 67.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:John II, Count of Hainaut Avesnes family Counts of Holland Counts of Hainaut 1247 births 1304 deaths 13th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire 14th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire

Life

Family

See also

References