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112-483: The area of the former County of Holland roughly coincides with the two current Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland into which it was divided, and which together include the Netherlands' three largest cities: the capital city ( Amsterdam ), the home of Europe's largest port ( Rotterdam ), and the seat of government ( The Hague ). Holland has a population of 6,583,534 as of November 2019, and

224-520: A Latin text. Holland is derived from the Old Dutch term holtlant ('wood-land'). This spelling variation remained in use until around the 14th century, at which time the name stabilised as Holland (alternative spellings at the time were Hollant and Hollandt ). A popular but erroneous folk etymology holds that Holland is derived from hol land ('hollow land' in Dutch), purportedly inspired by

336-495: A lagoon . Only drastic administrative intervention saved the county from utter destruction. The counts and large monasteries took the lead in these efforts, building the first heavy emergency dikes to bolster critical points. Later special autonomous administrative bodies were formed, the waterschappen ("water control boards"), which had the legal power to enforce their regulations and decisions on water management . They eventually constructed an extensive dike system that covered

448-579: A shire or county in England) was the gau ( Frankish ) or pagus (Latin). A comes ( count ) ruled one or more gaue . Because of the low volume of trade, the negative trade balance with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim states and the disappearance of currency, the economy was more or less reduced to barter . The king's vassals could be rewarded only with land ( beneficium or, from

560-465: A sociolect . Some people, especially in the area north of Amsterdam, still speak the original dialect of the county, Hollandic. This dialect is present in the north: Volendam and Marken and the area around there, West Friesland and the Zaanstreek ; and in a southeastern fringe bordering the provinces of North Brabant and Utrecht . In the south on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee , Zeelandic

672-455: A "Hollandification" of the other provinces and a more uniform culture for the whole of the Republic. In the early decades of the uprising, a great number of refugees from Flanders and Brabant settled in the big cities of Holland. They had a Frankish influence on the new dialect of urban Holland (that earlier had more Frisian influences) that in later centuries became the standard language of

784-546: A castle at Silva Meriwido , the future Vlaardingen. From this castle, he forced merchants that travelled per ship from Tiel to England to pay toll. The Bishop of Utrecht, Adalbold and the merchants of Tiel complained against this piracy at the Reichstag of Nijmegen in 1018, the merchants of Tiel effectively pointing out that the emperor was losing tax revenue when he allowed the Tiel merchants to being plundered by Dirk III. It

896-530: A confederation between the seven liberated provinces. From then on, the executive and legislative power would again rest with the States of Holland and West Friesland , which were led by a political figure who held the office of Grand Pensionary . The county, now a sovereign state within this larger confederation, became the cultural, political and economic centre of the Dutch Republic , in the 17th century,

1008-403: A considerable amount of independence from Holy Roman Empire leadership in the 10th and 11th centuries. Until at least the second half of the 10th century, Holland's leadership valued secular principles, a contrast to the nearby Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht . The count of Holland was in this period more of a military commander who had to resist Viking raids, and be subject to the authority of

1120-692: A forest and field between the mouth of the Old Rhine (and presumably Bennebroek ), Suithardeshaga, the border between the former Frankish counties of Rijnland and Kennemerland. A line of Gerulf's descendants became the Counts of Holland. King Charles the Simple gave the church in Egmond and its possessions to Count Dirk I of Holland in 922 in gratitude for Dirk's support in the Battle of Soissons to suppress

1232-521: A literal no-man's land . However, during the reclamation the counts of Holland managed to expand their influence at the cost of Utrecht. Frisians The Frisians are an ethnic group indigenous to the coastal regions of the Netherlands, north-western Germany and southern Denmark, and during the Early Middle Ages in the north-western coastal zone of Flanders , Belgium. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in

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1344-727: A more uniform culture for the whole of the Republic. The dialect of urban Holland became the standard language . The formation of the Batavian Republic , inspired by the French Revolution , led to a more centralised government. Holland became a province of a unitary state . Its independence was further reduced by an administrative reform in 1798, in which its territory was divided into several departments called Amstel , Delf , Texel , and part of Schelde en Maas . From 1806 to 1810, Napoleon styled his vassal state, governed by his brother Louis Napoleon and shortly by

1456-416: A part of the Netherlands ever since. The eastern periphery of Frisia would become part of various German states (later Germany) and Denmark. An old tradition existed in the region of exploitation of peatlands. Though it is impossible to know exact numbers and migration patterns, research has indicated that many Frisians were part of the wave of ethnic groups to colonise areas of present-day England alongside

1568-401: A population density of 1203/km. The name Holland has frequently been used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. This casual usage is commonly accepted in other countries, and is even employed by many Dutch themselves. However, some in the Netherlands (particularly those from regions outside Holland or the west) find it undesirable or misrepresentative to use

1680-570: A rebellion of his West Frankish vassals. The West Frankish king was able to do this because the lands and churches he granted to Dirk were outside his jurisdiction; Egmond was just north of possessions which Dirk had received from Gerulf and was a good match. He then founded Egmond Abbey , Holland's oldest monastery. When Charles the Simple was deposed in 923, King Henry the Fowler of East Francia allied with Count Gilbert of Hainaut (son of Duke Reginar of Lorraine ) and re-conquered Lotharingia. By 925,

1792-648: A revolt that by severe mismanagement by Philip II and his governor the Duke of Alva turned into the Eighty Years' War . As a consequence, Holland and the other six allied provinces became an independent nation called the Republic of the Seven United Provinces . Over William of Orange Blum says, "His patience, tolerance, determination, concern for his people, and belief in government by consent held

1904-703: A series of wars , which (with a series of lengthy interruptions) ended in 1422 with the Hollandic conquest of Western Frisia and with the establishment of a more powerful noble class in Central and Eastern Frisia. In 1524, Frisia became part of the Seventeen Provinces and in 1568 joined the Dutch revolt against Philip II , king of Spain, heir of the Burgundian territories; Central Frisia has remained

2016-479: A series of wars and battles in Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count, but some have argued that the underlying reason was because of the power struggle of the bourgeois in the cities against the ruling nobility. The Cod faction generally consisted of the more progressive cities of Holland . The Hook faction consisted of a large part of the conservative noblemen. Some of

2128-756: A unit. The Hook and Cod wars started around this time and ended when the countess of Holland, Jacoba or Jacqueline was forced to cede Holland to the Burgundian Philip III, known as Philip the Good , in 1432. In 1432, Holland became part of the Burgundian Netherlands and since 1477 of the Habsburg Seventeen Provinces . In the 16th century the county became the most densely urbanised region in Europe, with

2240-443: A war broke out, in which it is not clear whether it was against Brabant , Utrecht or Liège. During this war, Floris was ambushed while relaxing too much and in too small a company when he was raiding in the former Teisterbant county, now Utrechtian territory. He was killed by either Utrechtian or Gueldrian troops. His son Dirk V was still a minor, so his mother Gertrude of Saxony became regent. Gertrude remarried in 1063 with Robert

2352-613: Is Dutch . Hollanders sometimes call the Dutch language " Hollands, " instead of the standard term Nederlands . Inhabitants of Belgium and other provinces of the Netherlands use "Hollands" to mean a Hollandic dialect or strong accent. Standard Dutch was historically largely based on the dialect of the County of Holland , incorporating many traits derived from the dialects of the previously more powerful Duchy of Brabant and County of Flanders . Strong dialectal variation still exists throughout

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2464-545: Is Zealand . The region is bordered on the east by the IJsselmeer and four Dutch provinces. Holland is protected from the sea by a long line of coastal dunes . The highest point in Holland, about 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level, is in the Schoorlse Duinen  [ nl ] (Schoorl Dunes). Most of the land area behind the dunes consists of polder landscape lying well below sea level . At present

2576-489: Is constantly under development on the edges of the built-up areas. Nevertheless, much of the province still has a rural character. The remaining agricultural land and natural areas are highly valued and protected. Most of the arable land is used for intensive agriculture , including horticulture and greenhouse agri-businesses. The land that is now Holland has not been geographically "stable" since prehistoric times. The western coastline shifted up to 30 kilometres (19 miles) to

2688-542: Is described as assimilated and most people of Frisian descent do not consider themselves Frisian. In regards of the Frisian language, very few may speak it as first language but it was traditionally spoken in several polder hamlets near the border with Germany. One estimate puts the Frisian population in Denmark somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000. This number, however, might be grossly exaggerated. Frisian identity in Denmark

2800-459: Is mentioned as Florentius comes de Hollant (Floris, Count of Holland). Another early usage of the word is a deed dated 1083 in which Dirk V used the term "Count of Holland" for himself. Holland is probably from the Old Dutch holt lant , literally "wood land". The counts of Holland generally kept to this single title until 1291, when Floris V, Count of Holland decided to call himself Count of Holland and Zeeland, lord of Friesland . This title

2912-702: Is officially recognised in the Netherlands (in Friesland ), and North Frisian and Saterland Frisian are recognised as regional languages in Germany. Prior to the appearance of the modern Frisians, their namesake, the ancient Frisii , enter recorded history in the Roman account of Drusus 's 12 BC war against the Rhine Germans and the Chauci . They occasionally appear in the accounts of Roman wars against

3024-477: Is spoken by around 350,000 native speakers in Friesland, and as many as 470,000 when including speakers in neighbouring Groningen province. West Frisian is not listed as threatened, although research published by Radboud University in 2016 has challenged that assumption. Today, there exists a tripartite division of North , East and West Frisians ; this was caused by Frisia 's continual loss of territory in

3136-462: Is spoken. The province of Holland gave its name to a number of colonial settlements and regions that were called Nieuw Holland or New Holland . The largest was the island continent presently known as Australia : New Holland was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer Dirk Hartog as a Latin Nova Hollandia , and remained in international use for 190 years. New Zealand

3248-420: Is the seat of government of the Netherlands. These cities, combined with Utrecht and other smaller municipalities, effectively form a single metroplex —a conurbation called Randstad . The Randstad area is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe, but still relatively free of urban sprawl . There are strict zoning laws . Population pressures are enormous, property values are high, and new housing

3360-531: Is the name linguists give to the dialect spoken in Holland, and is occasionally also used by historians and when referring to pre-Napoleonic Holland. Initially, Holland was a remote corner of the Holy Roman Empire . Gradually, its regional importance increased until it began to have a decisive, and ultimately dominant, influence on the History of the Netherlands . Until the start of the 12th century,

3472-595: The Anglo-Frisian family. Old Frisian is the most closely related language to Old English and the modern Frisian dialects are in turn the closest related languages to contemporary English that do not themselves derive from Old English (although the modern Frisian and English are not mutually intelligible). The Frisian language group is divided into three mutually unintelligible languages: Of these three languages both Saterland Frisian (2,000 speakers) and North Frisian (10,000 speakers) are endangered. West Frisian

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3584-520: The Bishopric of Utrecht . In 985, King Otto III , at the request of his mother Theophanu , granted the ownership ( proprium ) of a number of lands to count Dirk II. These lands had already been given in loan ( beneficium ). This was the area between the rivers Loira or Lier and Hisla (a gouw called Masaland ), villa Sunnimeri (on the Zeelandish island of Schouwen), the area between

3696-489: The Dutch Golden Age , the wealthiest nation in the world. The largest cities in the republic were situated in the province of Holland, such as Amsterdam , Rotterdam , Leiden , Alkmaar , Delft , Dordrecht , Haarlem , and the nation's capital, The Hague . From the great ports of Holland, Hollandic merchants sailed to and from destinations all over Europe , and merchants from all over Europe gathered to trade in

3808-410: The Dutch Republic were in the province of Holland, such as Amsterdam , Rotterdam , Leiden , Alkmaar , The Hague , Delft , Dordrecht and Haarlem . From the great ports of Holland, Hollandic merchants sailed to and from destinations all over Europe , and merchants from all over Europe gathered to trade in the warehouses of Amsterdam and other trading cities of Holland. Many Europeans thought of

3920-790: The Low Countries . Today, Holland proper is the region where the original dialects are least spoken, in many areas having been completely replaced by standard Dutch, and the Randstad has the largest influence on the developments of the standard language—with the exception of the Dutch spoken in Belgium. Despite this correspondence between standard Dutch and the Dutch spoken in the Randstad, there are local variations within Holland itself that differ from standard Dutch. The main cities each have their own modern urban dialect, that can be considered

4032-723: The Saxony , the Bavaria and the Swabia . Lotharingia had considerable self-determination ; this became clear when Louis the Child , East Francia's last Carolingian , died in 911. Although the stem duchies flocked to Duke Conrad I of Franconia , Lotharingia chose the Carolingian king of West Francia , Charles the Simple . In Frisia, the situation was complex. Power was in the hands of Rorik's successor, Godfrid , who became embroiled in

4144-623: The United Kingdom of the Netherlands . Holland was divided into the present provinces North Holland and South Holland in 1840, after the Belgian Revolution of 1830. This reflected a historical division of Holland along the IJ into a Southern Quarter ( Zuiderkwartier ) and a Northern Quarter ( Noorderkwartier ), but the present division is different from the old division. From 1850, a strong process of nation formation took place,

4256-593: The low-lying geography of the land. "Holland" is informally used in English and other languages, including sometimes the Dutch language itself, to mean the whole of the modern country of the Netherlands . This example of pars pro toto or synecdoche is similar to the tendency to refer to the United Kingdom as "England", and developed due to Holland's becoming the dominant province and thus having

4368-470: The ' Frisian freedom ', a period in which feudalism and serfdom (as well as central or judicial administration ) did not exist, and in which the Frisian lands only owed their allegiance to the Holy Roman Emperor . During the 13th century, however, the counts of Holland became increasingly powerful and, starting in 1272, sought to reassert themselves as rightful lords of the Frisian lands in

4480-564: The 11th century the 'Great Reclamation' started, under the control of the counts of Holland and the bishops of Utrecht. Until the 13th century, large amounts of land were reclaimed between the IJ bay in the north, the dunes in the west, the Lek and Waal rivers in the south and the Old Rhine in the east. Before the Great Reclamation, the borders between the county of Holland and the bishopric of Utrecht were unclear, and there existed

4592-583: The 1560s, the Protestant community had become a significant influence in the county, although it clearly formed a minority then. In a society dependent on trade, freedom and tolerance were considered essential. Nevertheless, the Catholic rulers Charles V and his successor Philip II felt it was their duty to defeat Protestantism, which was considered a heresy by the Catholic Church and a threat to

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4704-774: The Angles, Saxons and Jutes , starting from around the fifth century when Frisians arrived along the coastline of Kent. Frisians principally settled in modern-day Kent, East Anglia , the East Midlands , North East England , and Yorkshire . Across these areas, evidence of their settlement includes place names of Frisian origin, such as Frizinghall in Bradford and Frieston in Lincolnshire. Similarities in dialect between Great Yarmouth and Friesland have been noted, originating from trade between these areas during

4816-634: The Bishopric of Utrecht. After the death of Henry II in 1024, Dirk III supported the candidature of Conrad II in an attempt to reconcile with the imperial authorities, so as to keep the lands he had acquired or expand them even further. Emperor Conrad II died during a stay in Utrecht in 1039 during the rule of bishop Bernold , after which his organs were interred in the Cathedral of Utrecht . His son and successor, Henry III , granted numerous favors to

4928-525: The Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia (which was a part of Denmark until 1864). There are several theories about the origin of the name of the Frisians, which is derived from Frisii or Fresones , names used by the Romans to describe a Germanic tribe that inhabited the same region but disappeared during the 5th century before the appearance of

5040-521: The Dutch together and kept alive their spirit of revolt." The main breakthrough came when Holland, along with Zeeland, was conquered in 1572 and following years by the Watergeuzen , a somehow effective maritime force of mainly Calvinists who turned pirate and pirates who turned Calvinist. The States General of the Netherlands signed the Act of Abjuration , deposing Philip as Count of Holland and forming

5152-611: The Frisian , a younger brother of the count of Flanders , Baldwin VI and a grandson of a former French king, Robert II , who also acted as regent for Dirk V. In 1064, Emperor Henry IV donated lands belonging to the county of Holland, 'west of the Vlie and around the banks of the Rhine' (the gouw of Westflinge), to William, Bishop of Utrecht , on whose support the Emperor could count. Dirk V

5264-422: The Frisian managed however against some odds to become count of Flanders in 1076 when in the battle of Cassel he managed to beat a grand coalition of Hainaut, French and Normandian forces. Being now the count of Flanders he was able to assist his stepson to reclaim the county of Holland. The pair started by taking out their most dangerous adversary. Godfrey IV was killed at night while defecating. Shortly afterwards

5376-470: The Frisian populace to Christianity , in which Saint Willibrord largely succeeded. Some time after the death of Charlemagne , the Frisian territories were in theory under the control of the Count of Holland , but in practice the Hollandic counts, starting with Count Arnulf in 993, were unable to assert themselves as the sovereign lords of Frisia. The resulting stalemate resulted in a period of time called

5488-712: The Frisians. Most probably the name is derived from the verb fresare in Vulgar Latin, meaning 'milling, cutting, grooving, crushing, removing shells'; this name may have been given to the Frisii because they 'cut the land': digging ditches and dykes to irrigate the wet marshlands where they lived. Compare fresar el paisaje in the Romance language Spanish . Another theory is the name derives from frisselje (to braid, thus referring to braided hair). The Frisian languages are spoken by more than 500,000 people; West Frisian

5600-812: The Germanic tribes of the region, up to and including the Revolt of the Batavi around 70 AD. Frisian mercenaries were hired as cavalry to assist the Roman invasion of Britain . They are not mentioned again until c. 296, when they were deported into Roman territory as laeti (i.e., Roman-era serfs ; see Binchester Roman Fort and Cuneus Frisionum ). The discovery of a type of earthenware unique to fourth century Frisia , called terp Tritzum , shows that an unknown number of them were resettled in Flanders and Kent , probably as laeti under Roman coercion. From

5712-548: The Hollanders, to whom certain qualities are ascribed within a mental geography , a conceptual mapping of spaces and their inhabitants. On the other hand, some Hollanders take Holland's cultural dominance for granted and treat the concepts of "Holland" and "the Netherlands" as coinciding. Consequently, they see themselves not primarily as Hollanders, but simply as Dutch ( Nederlanders ). This phenomenon has been called "hollandocentrism". The predominant language spoken in Holland

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5824-523: The Later Middle Ages Frisians farmers settled around Tøndermarsken west of Tønder . The evidence for this are the dwelling mounds or terps ( værfter ) in the area that are built after the same method as the ones alongside the Wadden Sea further south. Colonists from the south also settled down in Misthusum in the Ballum marshes near Skærbæk during the 12th of 13th century. According to documents around 1400 at least some of them were considered as "Hollanders". In modern times, Frisian culture in Denmark

5936-511: The Lotharingian nobles accepted his rule and Lotharingia (with the Frisian lands) became a fifth German stem duchy. Henry's power was limited by his vassal, Gilbert (Duke of Lotharingia), whose power was limited to his own counties. The rising status of the House of Holland was shown when in 938 Count Dirk II , probably the grandson of Count Dirk I, married at the age of 8 with Hildegard of Flanders, daughter of Count Arnulf I of Flanders . The County of Holland and other nearby territories had

6048-457: The Middle Ages. Frisians are also known to have founded the Freston area of Ipswich . In Scotland, historians have noted that colonies of Angles and Frisians settled as far north as the River Forth . This corresponds to those areas of Scotland which historically constituted part of Northumbria . The earliest traces of Frisians in modern-day Denmark date back from the 8th century, when Frisian traders and craftsmen settled down in Ribe . In

6160-483: The Netherlands . Holland was divided into the present provinces North Holland and South Holland in 1840. The county covered an area roughly corresponding to the current Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland , as well as the northwestern part of the current province of North Brabant (roughly between the towns of Willemstad , Geertruidenberg and Werkendam ), and the islands of Terschelling , Vlieland , Urk and Schokland , though it did not include

6272-506: The Netherlands a high peat plateau had grown, forming a natural protection against the sea. Much of the area was marsh and bog . By the tenth century the inhabitants set about cultivating this land by draining it. However, the drainage resulted in extreme soil shrinkage, lowering the surface of the land by up to 15 metres (49 feet). To the south of Holland, in Zeeland , and to the north, in Frisia , this development led to catastrophic storm floods literally washing away entire regions, as

6384-406: The Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium. Nominally, the County of Holland formally came to an end in 1795, when the Batavian Revolution ended the republic and reformed it as the Batavian Republic . The territory of the former county was divided between the departments of the Amstel , Delf , Texel , and Schelde en Maas . After 1813, Holland was restored as a province of the United Kingdom of

6496-404: The Netherlands being culturally unified and economically integrated by a modernisation process, with the cities of Holland as its centre. Holland is located in the west of the Netherlands. A maritime region, Holland lies on the North Sea at the mouths of the Rhine and the Meuse (Maas). It contains numerous rivers and lakes, and has an extensive inland canal and waterway system. To the south

6608-406: The United Provinces first as Holland rather than as the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands . A strong impression of Holland was planted in the minds of other Europeans, which then was projected back onto the Republic as a whole. Within the provinces themselves, a gradual slow process of cultural expansion took place, leading to a "Hollandification" of the other provinces and

6720-407: The ancient Frisii. It is these 'new Frisians' who are largely the ancestors of the medieval and modern Frisians. By the end of the sixth century, Frisian territory had expanded westward to the North Sea coast and, in the seventh century, southward down to Dorestad . This farthest extent of Frisian territory is sometimes referred to as Frisia Magna . Early Frisia was ruled by a High King , with

6832-463: The area living at the east side of North Holland, also confusingly known as "West-Frisians". It was not until 1289 that Count Floris V was able to bring this long war to an end and subjugate these West Frisians, this only after the St. Lucia's flood in 1287 had completely devastated nearly all the lands of the West-Frisians. After this, the county was officially known until 1795 as the county of Holland and West Friesland. The Hook and Cod Wars were

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6944-405: The area of the Netherlands. Looking at land alone, it is 5,488 square kilometres (2,119 square miles) in area. The combined population was 6.5 million in 2018. The main cities in Holland are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam is formally the capital of the Netherlands and its largest city. The Port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest and most important harbour and port. The Hague

7056-422: The bishop of Cologne and the Emperor), which outsmarted Godfrid and the Danes. The chief conspirator in the murder was Everard Saxo , count of Hamaland . One of those who profited most from the power vacuum was the Frisian Gerolf , comes Fresonum (count of Frisia), from Westergo in the present-day province of Friesland . Gerolf, Godfrid's former envoy to the emperor, demanded lands in the Moselle valley from

7168-425: The bishopric of Utrecht. In this way, the Oversticht was assigned to the bishopric in 1040. Though the count of Holland had been reconciled with the emperor, Henry III still decided to punish the count. In 1046 the emperor forced Dirk IV to relinquish the lands he had conquered. However, the emperor was not able to maintain himself in the area and was forced to retreat, after which Dirk IV started to raid and plunder

7280-451: The bishoprics of Utrecht and Liège. Moreover, Dirk signed treaties with Godfrey the Bearded , duke of Lower Lorraine, as well as the counts of Flanders and Hainaut . The Emperor responded with a second punitive expedition in which Vlaardingen and the castle at Rijnsburg were taken from Dirk IV. The castle was completely destroyed. However, the emperor suffered heavy losses during his retreat, upon which Dirk's allies openly revolted against

7392-490: The coastline and the polders, thus protecting the land from further incursions by the sea. However, the Hollanders did not stop there. Starting around the 16th century, they took the offensive and began land reclamation projects, converting lakes, marshy areas and adjoining mudflats into polders . This continued well into the 20th century. As a result, historical maps of medieval and early modern Holland bear little resemblance to present maps. This ongoing struggle to master

7504-416: The count in this southern part of the later county of Holland are known. As a result of a promise he had made during the Frisian rebellion, Dirk III went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When he returned, the northern side of his county had become unsafe, so he travelled south and started granting rights to reclaim lands from nature around present-day Vlaardingen in order to cultivate these lands. He also built

7616-490: The country of the Netherlands, many other languages use it or a variant of it to officially refer to the Netherlands. This is the case in Southeast Asia particularly Indonesia , Malaysia , and Cambodia for example: 52°15′00″N 4°40′01″E  /  52.250°N 4.667°E  / 52.250; 4.667 County of Holland 52°9′47.7″N 4°32′12.4″E  /  52.163250°N 4.536778°E  / 52.163250; 4.536778 The County of Holland

7728-476: The county was inherited by Count John II of Hainaut . By the time of William V ( House of Wittelsbach ; 1354–1388) the count of Holland was also the count of Hainaut and Zealand . After the St. Lucia's flood in 1287 the part of Frisia west of the later Zuiderzee , West Friesland , was conquered. As a result, most provincial institutions, including the States of Holland and West Frisia , would for more than five centuries refer to "Holland and West Frisia" as

7840-424: The cultural, political and economic centre of the United Provinces ( Dutch : Verenigde Provinciën ), in the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age , the wealthiest nation in the world. After the King of Spain was deposed as the count of Holland, the executive and legislative power rested with the States of Holland, which was led by a political figure who held the office of Grand Pensionary . The largest cities in

7952-434: The current provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Strictly speaking, the term "Hollanders" does not refer to people from the other provinces in the Netherlands, but colloquially "Hollanders" is sometimes used in this wider sense. In Dutch, the word Hollands is the adjectival form for Holland . Hollands is also colloquially used by some Dutch people in the sense of Nederlands (the Dutch language), occasionally with

8064-511: The duke of Lower Lorraine, when Godfrey was on the verge of being killed. So as not to weaken the protection the county of Holland offered against the Viking raids, King Henry II decided to let the matter rest, though he did strengthen the position of the Bishop of Utrecht, the nominal feudal lord of the counts of Holland. Nonetheless, Dirk managed to expand his territory to the east at the cost of

8176-624: The earliest reference to a 'Frisian King' being dated 678. In the early eighth century, the Frisians mostly worshipped Germanic gods such as Thor and Odin outside the vicinity of Utrecht . Slightly later, the Frisian nobles came into increasing conflict with the Franks to their south, resulting in a series of wars in which the Frankish Empire eventually subjugated Frisia in 734. These wars benefited attempts by Anglo-Irish missionaries (which had begun with Saint Boniface ) to convert

8288-509: The east and storm surges regularly broke through the row of coastal dunes. The Frisian Isles , originally joined to the mainland, became detached islands in the north. The main rivers, the Rhine and the Meuse (Maas) , flooded regularly and changed course repeatedly and dramatically. The people of Holland found themselves living in an unstable, watery environment. Behind the dunes on the coast of

8400-777: The emperor to provoke a war. After the elimination of a large portion of the Danish population, Gerulf controlled a large Frisian part of the later county of Holland. This fait accompli was recognised when Gerolf was given lands in full ownership on 4 August 889 by the East Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia , who needed strong warlords in the delta region to keep the Danes and other Vikings out. The lands in question included an area outside Gerulf's county, in Teisterbant, which included Tiel , Aalburg and Asch . It also involved

8512-510: The emperor. In 1049 Dirk IV was lured into a trap and killed by assassins hired by the bishops of Metz , Liège and Utrecht. Dirk died young, unmarried and childless. He was succeeded by his brother Floris I . Floris I managed to expand his territory with a small area within the Rijnland Gouw, an area called Holtland ("Woodland"), or Holland . It is most likely that this name soon became synonymous with Floris' whole territory. In 1061

8624-518: The end of the reign of Emperor Louis the Pious , royal power had weakened by the flood of 838 and by infighting between the king's sons. After Louis died in 840, his son, Emperor Lothair I , who was king of Middle Francia , rewarded the Danish Viking brothers Rorik and Harald with Frisia in an attempt to resist Viking attacks. When Lothair died in 855, the northern part of Middle Francia

8736-586: The formidable bishop William of Utrecht also died. After this Robert I and his stepson Dirk V besieged the new Utrecht/Lotharingian castle at a strategic place at the delta in IJsselmonde , where the Hollandse IJssel (still existing) joined the Merwede (not existing any more in the form of 1000 years ago) . In the battle of IJsselmonde they managed to capture the new bishop Conrad of Swabia , who

8848-513: The inhabitants of the area that became Holland were known as Frisians . The area was initially part of Frisia . At the end of the 9th century, West-Frisia became a separate county in the Holy Roman Empire . The first count known about with certainty was Dirk I , who ruled from 896 to 931. He was succeeded by a long line of counts in the House of Holland (who were in fact known as counts of Frisia until 1101). When John I died childless in 1299,

8960-474: The intention of contrasting with other types of Dutch people or forms of the language—for example Limburgish , the Belgian varieties of the Dutch language (" Flemish "), or even any southern variety of Dutch within the Netherlands itself. In English, Dutch refers to the Netherlands as a whole, but there is no commonly used adjective for "Holland". The word "Hollandish" is no longer in common use. " Hollandic "

9072-407: The island of Goeree-Overflakkee . In the early Middle Ages, large parts of the area covered by the present-day Netherlands were covered by peat bogs . These bogs limited the size of arable land in the Netherlands, but also proved to be a good source of fuel. Around 950, small-scale reclamation was started on the enormous bogs in Holland and Utrecht, probably set in motion by the minor nobility. In

9184-452: The lowest point in Holland is a polder near Rotterdam , which is about 7 metres (23  ft ) below sea level. Continuous drainage is necessary to keep Holland from flooding. In earlier centuries, windmills were used for this task. The landscape was (and in places still is) dotted with windmills, which have become a symbol of Holland. Holland is 7,494 square kilometres (2,893 square miles ), land and water included, making it roughly 13% of

9296-541: The main figures in this multi-generational conflict were William IV , Margaret , William V , William VI, Count of Holland and Hainaut , John and Philip the Good. Perhaps the most well known, however, is Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut . By the end of the Hook and Cod Wars, Philip the Good , Duke of Burgundy , had taken control of Holland. Leading noblemen in Holland had invited the duke to conquer Holland, even though he had no historical claim to it. Some historians say that

9408-527: The majority of political and economic interactions with other countries. Between 1806 and 1810 "Holland" was the official name for the country as a whole, after Napoleon made his brother Louis Bonaparte the monarch of the Kingdom of Holland . The people of Holland are referred to as "Hollanders" in both Dutch and English, though in English this is now unusual. Today this refers specifically to people from

9520-492: The majority of the population living in cities. Within the Burgundian Netherlands, Holland was the dominant province in the north; the political influence of Holland largely determined the extent of Burgundian dominion in that area. The last count of Holland was Philip III, better known as Philip II , king of Spain. He was deposed in 1581 by the Act of Abjuration , although the kings of Spain continued to carry

9632-694: The numerous cities had their own legal rights and local governments, usually controlled by the merchants, On top of this, however, the Burgundians had imposed an overall government, the Estates General of the Netherlands, with its own officials and courts. During the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation rapidly gained ground in northern Europe, especially in its Lutheran and Calvinist forms. Protestants in Holland, after initial repression, were tolerated by local authorities. By

9744-484: The owner in 1506, but in 1515 he left to become king of Spain and later became the Holy Roman Emperor. Charles turned over control to regents (his close relatives), and in practice rule was exercised by mostly French speaking Burgundians he controlled. Holland retained its own governments and court, controlled by the local nobility, and its own traditions and rights ("liberties") dating back centuries. Likewise

9856-469: The peat layer disintegrated or became detached and was carried away by the flood water. From the Frisian side the sea even flooded the area to the east, gradually hollowing Holland out from behind and forming the Zuiderzee (the present IJsselmeer). This inland sea threatened to link up with the "drowned lands" of Zealand in the south, reducing Holland to a series of narrow dune barrier islands in front of

9968-467: The politics of the Frankish empire and was allied with the children of Lothair II. Danish rule ended in 885 with the murder of Godfrid at Herispijk , and all Danes east of the coastal areas of West Frisia were killed or driven out in what must have been a complex, successful conspiracy. Henry of Franconia led a coalition of Babenberg Franks, Hamaland Saxons and Teisterbant Frisians (in cooperation with

10080-481: The primary trading port in Europe for grain from the Baltic region. Amsterdam distributed grain to the major cities of Belgium, Northern France and England. This trade was vital to the people of Holland, because Holland could no longer produce enough grain to feed itself. Land drainage had caused the peat of the former wetlands to reduce to a level that was too low for drainage to be maintained. Charles (1500–58) became

10192-436: The reality of everyday Holland. These stereotypes were deliberately created in the late 19th century by official "Holland Promotion" to attract tourists. The predominance of Holland in the Netherlands has resulted in regionalism on the part of the other provinces, a reaction to the perceived threat that Holland poses to their local culture and identity. The other provinces have a strong, and often negative, image of Holland and

10304-568: The rivers Medemelaka and Chinnelosara gemerchi ( Kinheim ) and the gouw Texla . In 993, count Arnulf of Ghent was killed in a battle against Frisian land reclaimers who did not want to pay their due to the count. It is unknown where this battle took place but it was probably in the Rijnland or in the Maas estuary. Arnulf's son, count Dirk III of Holland was too young to rule, so his mother Lutgardis of Luxemburg acted as regent. In 1005 Dirk

10416-537: The ruling class in Holland wanted Holland to integrate with the Flemish economic system and adopt Flemish legal institutions. Under the Burgundians, Holland's trade developed rapidly, especially in the areas of shipping and transport. The new rulers defended Dutch trading interests. The fleets of Holland defeated the fleets of the Hanseatic League several times. Amsterdam grew and in the 15th century became

10528-541: The son of Louis, Napoleon Louis Bonaparte , as the " Kingdom of Holland ". This kingdom encompassed much of what would become the modern Netherlands. The name reflects how natural at the time it had become to equate Holland with the non-Belgian Netherlands as a whole. During the period when the Low Countries were annexed by the French Empire and actually incorporated into France (from 1810 to 1813), Holland

10640-532: The stability of the whole hierarchical political system. The Catholic Spanish responded with harsh persecution and introduced the Spanish Inquisition . Calvinists rebelled. First, there was the iconoclasm in 1566, which was the systematic destruction of statues of saints and other Catholic devotional depictions in churches. After 1566 William the Silent , more or less by accident became the leader of

10752-597: The tenth century, feodum ) and usufruct , and feudalism developed from that. The vassals, who were generally appointed by the king, strove for a system of inheritance. This informal rule became more widespread and in 877 was legalised in the Capitulary of Quierzy . Upon the death of a king, the Frankish kingdom was frequently divided among his heirs. The system of partible inheritance often caused internal strife, which made centralized government problematic. The Viking raids further undermined centralized government. At

10864-427: The term for the whole country. In January 2020, the Netherlands officially dropped its support of the word Holland for the whole country, which included a logo redesign that changed "Holland" to "NL". The name Holland first appeared in sources for the region around Haarlem , and by 1064 was being used as the name of the entire county. By the early twelfth century, the inhabitants of Holland were called Hollandi in

10976-579: The third through the fifth centuries, Frisia suffered marine transgressions that made most of the land uninhabitable, aggravated by a change to a cooler and wetter climate. Whatever population may have remained dropped dramatically, and the coastal lands remained largely unpopulated for the next two centuries. When conditions improved, Frisia received an influx of new settlers, mostly Angles and Saxons . These people would eventually be referred to as 'Frisians' ( Old Frisian : Frīsa , Old English : Frīsan ), though they were not necessarily descended from

11088-585: The titular appellation of Count of Holland until the Peace of Münster signed in 1648. In the Dutch Rebellion against the Habsburgs during the Eighty Years' War , the naval forces of the rebels, the Watergeuzen , established their first permanent base in 1572 in the town of Brill . In this way, Holland, now a sovereign state in a larger Dutch confederation, became the centre of the rebellion. It became

11200-516: The warehouses of Amsterdam and other trading cities of Holland. Many Europeans thought of the United Provinces first as "Holland" rather than as the "Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands". A strong impression of "Holland" was planted in the minds of other Europeans, which then was projected back onto the Republic as a whole. Within the provinces themselves, a gradual slow process of cultural expansion took place, leading to

11312-425: The water played an important role in the development of Holland as a maritime and economic power, and has traditionally been seen as developing the presumed collective character of its inhabitants: stubborn, egalitarian and frugal. The stereotypical image of Holland is a contrived amalgam of tulips , windmills , clogs , Edam cheese and the traditional dress ( klederdracht ) of the village of Volendam , far from

11424-609: Was a state of the Holy Roman Empire and from 1433 part of the Burgundian Netherlands , from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading province of the Dutch Republic until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. The territory of the County of Holland corresponds roughly with the current provinces of North Holland and South Holland in the Netherlands . The County of Holland

11536-480: Was also used after Holland was united with Hainault , Bavaria-Straubing , and the Duchy of Burgundy . The titles eventually lost their importance, and the last count, Philip II of Spain , only mentioned them halfway through his long list of titles. Around 800, under Charlemagne , the Frankish Empire covered much of Europe. In much of this empire, an important unit of regional administration (corresponding roughly to

11648-477: Was awarded to his second son, Lothair II , and was called Lotharingia . Rorik was granted the right to rule Kennemerland in 862. The 880 Treaty of Ribemont added the Kingdom of Lotharingia (which included the Low Countries ) to East Francia , which attempted to integrate it. However, there were no strong political connections like those between the four German stem duchies of east Francia: Franconia ,

11760-440: Was decided to act against Dirk III. An army led by Godfrey II Duke of Lower Lorraine , consisting of a fleet with soldiers from the bishops of Utrecht , Cologne , Cambrai and Liège was however surprisingly ambushed in a swamp and nearly annihilated by Dirk III Frisian subjects in what was called the Battle of Vlaardingen , Dirk III himself playing a coordinating role, only to appear from his castle to officially take prisoner

11872-548: Was divided into départements Zuyderzée , and Bouches-de-la-Meuse . From 1811 to 1813, Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance served as governor-general . He was assisted by Antoine de Celles, Goswin de Stassart and François Jean-Baptiste d'Alphonse. In 1813, Dutch dignitaries proclaimed the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands . In 1815, Holland was restored as a province of

11984-480: Was likewise named after the Dutch province of Zealand , after an exploratory voyage lead by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman landed there. In the Netherlands Nieuw Holland would remain the usual name of the continent until the end of the 19th century; it is now no longer in use there, the Dutch name today being Australië . While "Holland" has been replaced in English as the official name for

12096-401: Was now forced to return the lands to Dirk V's control. In 1101, the name "Holland" first appears in a deed. Holland's influence continued to gradually grow over the next two centuries. The counts of Holland were able to conquer most of Zeeland , to diminish the power of bishops of Utrecht and from the start of the 12th until the 13th century fight a 150-year-long war against the inhabitants of

12208-549: Was old enough to rule in his own name, but he still made thankful use of the good connections that his mother had made. According to Thietmar of Merseburg, a reconciliation with the Frisians was arranged with help from his uncle-in-law, king Henry II , who travelled with an army and a fleet from Utrecht to the Maas-estuary (probably Vlaardingen ) to force the inhabitants to recognize their count. This expedition appears to have been successful since after 1005 no revolts against

12320-462: Was only allowed to keep the gouw of Masaland. Through battles in 1071 and 1072, William of Utrecht, with support from the highly competent Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, managed to gain actual central control over nearly the entire later county of Holland for the first time. Robert the Frisian and Dirk V had to flee to Ghent . This could have been the end of the Gerulfingian dynasty. Robert

12432-703: Was promoted by the Eiderstedt farmer and political activist Cornelius Petersen, who built a traditional Frisian farmstead in Møgeltønder in 1914 and founded the rural protest movement Bondens Selvstyre ("Farmers' self-government"). More recently, the retired journalist Benny Siewertsen wrote a partisan pamphlet on Frisian heritage in Denmark. As both the Anglo-Saxons of England and the early Frisians were formed from similar tribal confederacies, their respective languages were very similar, together forming

12544-444: Was the first Holy Roman county in the area to reach the level of economic, cultural, military, and technological development it did, having had time to undergo this development before the area became classed as a county. The oldest sources refer to the not clearly defined county as Frisia , west of the Vlie (also known as West Frisia ). Before 1101, sources talk about Frisian counts, but in this year Floris II, Count of Holland ,

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