Dirk III, Count of Holland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dirk III was Count of Holland from 993 to 1039.
The county of Holland had a different name prior to 1101 and was known as West Friesland. The actual title of count Dirk III was count in Friesland. West Friesland was very different from the area (North and South Holland) of today. Most of the territory was swamp, where nearly nobody lived. The main habitation was in the dunes at the coast and in the river valleys.
Dirk III was a member of the Gerulfingian dynasty (house of Holland), an important family within Germany at that time. His mother was regent in West Friesland from 993-1005 and was the sister in law of Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Prior to 1018, Count Dirk III was a powerless vasal of Henry II but his fiefdom was in a strategically important location. Utrecht, situated in the Rhine delta, was the largest trading town of the German kings and traders had to sail through the territories of Dirk III, via the Rhine and Vecht rivers, in order to reach the North Sea. The German kings and emperors were frequently resident in Utrecht and the estate of Nijmegen. Some of them died there.
[edit] Battle of Vlaardingen and its aftermath
Dirk III built his stronghold in Vlaardingen. He was not permitted to hinder trade in any way but eventually he defied imperial rule by levying toll. Merchants from the town of Tiel sent alarmed messages to the kings about acts of violence against them by Dirk III's men. The German emperor decided to end Dirk III's reign and awarded his lands to the bishop of Utrecht. A large imperial army then headed for Vlaardingen. The imperial army failed and the Battle of Vlaardingen was a tremendous victory for Dirk III.
Following his victory, Dirk III was permitted to keep his realm and he continued to levy toll.
After Dirk III's death in 1039, the imperial army returned on a few occasions seeking to reclaim the lands held by the Frisian counts. The powerful Robert I, Count of Flanders helped Dirk V, great-grandson of Dirk III and his own stepson, to restore Frisia to the counts.
It is thought that Dirk III went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
[edit] References
- Thimo de Nijs en Eelco Beukers, 'Geschiedenis van Holland', Part I: 'Tot 1572' (Hilversum 2002)
- Encyclopedia: Grote Winkler Prins
| Preceded by: Arnulf |
Count of Friesland west of the Vlie 993–1039 |
Succeeded by: Dirk IV |
