William the Good ( nl, Willem, french: Guillaume; – 7 June 1337) was count of Hainaut (as William I), Avesnes,

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 ...

(as William III), and Zeeland (as William II) from 1304 to his death.

Career

William, born , was the son of John II, Count of Hainaut, and

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 Henry V, Count of Luxembourg.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 4 He was the brother of

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, ...

and

Alice of Hainault Alice of Hainault, Countess Marshal (died 26 October 1317), was the daughter of John de Avenes, Count of Hainault, and Philippine, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg. She was the second wife of Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of ...

. William was originally not expected to become count. After the deaths of his elder brothers, John (killed at

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larg ...

in 1302) and Henry (d. 1303), he became

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to his father's counties. Prior to becoming count, he was defeated by

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 ...

at the 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. ...

in 1304. Guy 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 ...

then conquered most of Zeeland and

, but these territories were recovered again when William became the new count in the same year.''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Eleventh Edition, Vol. XIII, Ed. Hugh Chisholm (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1910), p. 608 William continued the war with

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 ...

until the Peace of Paris in 1323, during which the Count of Flanders renounced all claims on Zeeland. William, in turn, gained all of Zeeland but agreed to renounce all claims on Imperial Flanders. William had occupied most of the Bishopric of Utrecht and tried to conquer

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

but was repelled by

Hessel Martena Hessel Martena (appointed approximately 1306 to 1312) was the tenth '' Potestaat'' (magistrate governor) of Frisia. He succeeded Reinier Camminga. Martena was particularly praised for his clever policy, calming the existing dispute between the S ...

. At the death of his uncle, Guy d'Avesnes, Bishop of Utrecht, William took his fief of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and annexed it to Holland. Many of his daughters married with important rulers of Europe; King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

and Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV were married to his daughters, while he was married to the sister of the King Philip VI of France. With these important alliances William gained considerable influence and respect, which he used to advance the interests of his counties.

Family

On 19 May 1305 William married Joan of Valois, sister of the future king Philip VI of France,Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 22 and had the following children: *

William II, Count of Hainaut William II (1307 – 26 September 1345) was Count of Hainaut from 1337 until his death. He was also Count of Holland (as William IV) and Count of Zeeland. He succeeded his father, Count William I of Hainaut. While away fighting in Prussia, the F ...

(1307–1345) *John (died 1316) *

Margaret II, Countess of Hainault Margaret II of Avesnes (1311 – 23 June 1356) was Countess of Hainaut and Countess of Holland (as Margaret I) from 1345 to 1356. She was Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Germany by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian. ...

(1311–1356), married

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV (german: Ludwig; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328. Louis' election as king of Germany ...

* Philippa of Hainault (c.1313–1369), married King

*Agnes (died 1327) *

Joanna of Hainaut Joanna of Hainault (1315–1374) was a Duchess of Jülich by marriage to William V, Duke of Jülich. She was the third daughter of William I, Count of Hainaut, and Joan of Valois. She was a younger sister of Philippa of Hainault, Queen of Englan ...

(1315–1374), married

William V, Duke of Jülich William V, Duke of Jülich ( – 25/26 February 1361) was a German nobleman. Some authors call him William I, because he was the first ''Duke of Jülich''; the earlier Williams had been ''Count of Jülich''. Other authors call the subject of this ...

*Isabelle of Hainaut (1323–1361), married Robert of Namur *Louis (1325–1328) *Jan Aelman (1320–1389) Illegitimate son and Knight

Career

Family

Ancestors

See also

References

Further reading