Herman VI van Woerden ( – after 1303) was a lord of
Woerden
Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and the fact that it has rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commu ...
who was involved in a plot to kidnap of
Floris V, Count of Holland
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 ...
.
In 1296, he collaborated with
Gijsbrecht van Amstel and
Gerard van Velsen
Gerard de van Velzen (died 1296) was lord of Beverwijk, Noordwijk, and Velsen.
He was the son of Albrecht van Velsen and Hildegonde. He was married to Machteld van Woerden, a sister of Herman VI van Woerden. In 1275, Van Velzen was named schout ...
to take Floris prisoner at
Muiden Castle.
The incident led to the death of Floris, after which Woerden fled to Brabant.
Biography
He was the son of Herman V van Woerden and Badeloch Clemeta van Amstel, daughter of Gijsbrecht III van Amstel.
It is assumed he became ruler of Woerden after 1252, the last year that his father was mentioned. He pledged his loyalty to the
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
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
...
as his father had done before him, but he nonetheless desired to expand his territory. In the 1280s, the lands between the
County of Holland
The County of Holland was a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire from its inception until 1433. From 1433 onward it was part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading pro ...
and the
Bishopric of Utrecht were sold to
Floris V, Count of Holland
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 ...
. These lands included Woerden, which made Van Woerden a vassal of the Count of Holland. Van Woerden was not happy with this, and several conflicts followed. In 1288, the Count of Holland and Van Woerden reconciled.
Van Woerden took part in the conspiracy to kidnap
Floris V, Count of Holland
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 ...
. Together with
Gerard van Velzen and
Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel
Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel or Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel ( – ) was a powerful lord in the medieval County of Holland and a member of the Van Aemstel family. His territory was Amstelland, and his son was .
Life
His family probably originated from ...
he imprisoned the count in the
Muiderslot
Muiden Castle (Dutch: ''Muiderslot'', ) is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the Vecht (Utrecht), Vecht river, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee. It is one o ...
after capturing him by setting up a fake
Falconry
Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...
hunt. After the local population got wind of their count's imprisonment, they rebelled. When Floris attempted to escape, Van Velzen killed him with a dagger. Van Woerden fled and just like Gijsbrecht managed to reach Amstel, from where he went into
Exile
Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
. He subsequently lost all his titles and lands.
Van Woerden married Elizabeth van Brederode in 1265, a daughter of William, Count of Brederode, and Hildegonda van Voorne. From this marriage he had a daughter named Clementa van Woerden (1265–1316). Van Woerden supposedly married for a second time in 1287, to Elisabeth van Amstel.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woerden, Herman Van 06
13th-century criminals
1240s births
1300s deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death uncertain