Floris III (c. 1141 – August 1, 1190) was the
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 ...
from 1157 to 1190. He was a son of
Dirk VI and
Sophia of Rheineck, heiress of
Bentheim.
Career
Floris III was a loyal
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
to Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
. He accompanied the emperor on two expeditions to
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in 1158 and 1176–1178. Frederick thanked him by making Floris part of the imperial nobility. The emperor gave Floris the
toll
Toll may refer to:
Transportation
* Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway
** Toll road, a type of road which for which payment is required for passage
** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use
** Road to ...
right of
Geervliet, the most important toll station in Holland at that time. This was actually the legalisation of an existing situation, because the counts of Holland had charged tolls illegally since the start of the 11th century.
Many farmers came to Holland to turn the swamps into agricultural lands. Dikes and dams were built and the border between Holland and the bishopric of Utrecht had to be determined. There was a dispute between Floris and the bishop of Utrecht about a new dam in the Rhine at
Zwammerdam
Zwammerdam is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland along Oude Rijn river. It is a part of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, and lies about 6 km southeast of Alphen aan de Rijn. The name derives from a dam built in the Rh ...
in 1165, which had to be settled by emperor Frederick. The brother of Floris, Baldwin, became bishop of Utrecht in 1178.
War broke out between
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-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 culture, la ...
and Holland. Count
Philip I of Flanders
Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularized the n ...
wanted to have
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 ...
back. Floris was captured in
Bruges
Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country.
The area of the whole city amoun ...
and had to accept Flemish overlordship in Zeeland as ransom in 1167. During his reign Floris III had troubles with
West Friesland and a war with Philip concerning their respective rights in West
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 ...
, in which he was beaten. In 1170 a great flood caused immense devastation in the north and helped to form the
Zuider Zee.
In 1189 Floris accompanied Frederick Barbarossa upon the
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...
, of which he was a distinguished leader. He died in 1190 at
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
of pestilence and was buried there. He was succeeded by his son
Dirk VII.
Family and children
In 1162, Floris married
Ada, sister of King
William the Lion
William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...
of Scotland. The county of Holland adopted from him the rampant lion in the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
and the name of William. Their children were:
#
Ada (died after 1205), married 1176 Margrave
Otto I of Brandenburg and later his son
Otto II of Brandenburg
# Margaret (died after 1203), married 1182 Count
Dietrich IV of Cleves
#
Dirk VII of Holland
#
William I of Holland
#
Floris (died 1210),
bishop of Glasgow
The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Catholic Church, the title was restored by Pope ...
# Baldwin (died 1204)
# Robert
# Beatrix
# Elisabeth
# Hedwig
# Agnes (died 1228), abbess at
Rijnsburg Abbey
{{Authority control
1140s births
1190 deaths
Counts of Holland
House of Dunkeld
Christians of the Third Crusade
12th-century nobility from the Holy Roman Empire
12th-century counts in Europe