15 Jun 2026
Bavarian Counts in the Netherlands, and the Story of Jacoba of Bavaria-Holland
Oops, it has happened again. I could not find a lot more information about the Keukenhof Park beyond what I posted in the introductory post about my tour to the Netherlands, but I fell into a research hole about the Bavarian Counts of Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut. Instead of a post with lots of photos and little text, this will be a post with a fair amount of history and some photos. Well, you can always just look at the tulips. ;) Though the park looked nothing like today when Count Willem IV or Jacoba of Bavaria-Holland hunted there.
Keukenhof Park, tulips, tourists, and trees
Keukenhof means 'kitchen garden' and was part of a hunting ground that belonged to the owners of Castle Teylingen. The castle had been built to protect a major south-north going route in the province Holland, and was in possession of the counts of Holland. The first documented owner was Count Willem IV (1307-1345). But it would be one of his successors who is most famously connected with the castle and the park at Keukenhof: Jacoba (English: Jacqueline, German: Jakobäa; 1401-1436) of the Bavarian House Wittelsbach, Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut. She was an interesting character; obviously a woman with a mind of her own, though in the end she could not survive politically in a male-dominated world. She remains quite popular in the Netherlands, not the least due to her four marriages.
Kekuenhof Park, the English Garden
Let's have some geneaological fun: Jacoba's great-grandfather was Ludwig IV of Bavaria, of House Wittelsbach (1282-1347, Holy Roman Emperor since 1372) who was married to Margaret II Countess of Holland and Hainaut, of the Avesnes family (1), since 1324. Margaret's sister Philippa was married to Edward III of England in 1328.
Margaret also had a brother, Willem IV of Holland and Hainaut (2) who was quite the warrior, fighting in Spain against the Saracens, and partaking in the winter campaign 1344/45 against Lithuania at the side of the Teutonic Knights. The campaign had to be broken off due to an early thaw that made the mashes impassable for heavy cavalry, but we got his household accounts and the expenses listed for that war (3). Willem also fought against the Frisians who he – like several other counts of Holland-Zeeland – would have liked to submit and turn into vassals. He financed those adventures by granting towns like Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Delft, or Middelburg trade and tax privileges which increased their wealth.
Spring sunshine
We are now at the beginning of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). King Philip of France had seized the Angevin fiefs of Aquitaine and Ponthieu which angered King Edward III of England, who in turn claimed the French throne himself and marched into northern France with an army in 1338. His brothers-in-law Willem of Holland and Emperor Ludwig were slow to commit, though. Willem was connected to both the king of France by his grandmother, and King Edward by his sister, and thus careful about taking sides. Also, wars cost money, and Edward didn't have any, but Willem and Ludwig wanted so see some compensation upfront. So that first campaign petered out; in October the following year, Edward returned to England.
Willem died in another battle against the Frisians in September 1345. Together with his uncle John of Beaumont, he had set sail from Enkhuizen across the Zuidersee to Stavoren. The army could not bring horses along on the ships, and they made the mistake to divide forces for a pincer attack. The Frisians attacked Willem's unit, the knights' armour proved a disadvantage against the more mobile Frisian troops after they got stuck in a swamp. Willem was killed. When John of Beaumont heard about the desaster, he ordered retreat to the ships.
A canal in the forest part of the park
Margaret succeeded her brother. Kind Edward III also arrogated the lands by right of his wife, but Ludwig acted faster and proclaimed Margaret his vassal for the lands in question – Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut (German: Hennegau) had been imperial fiefs since the 10th century. Another – unsuccessful – claimant was Willem's uncle John of Beaumont (4).
Ludwig IV died in October 1347 and was succeeded by his second wife Margaret and the sons of two marriages who divided the Bavarian, Brandenburgian, and Dutch possessions among them. Margaret retained Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut, but only succeeded to Hainaut without problems. She installed her son Wilhelm als lieutenant of Holland-Zeeland, while she tried to enforce her claim with the Estates of Holland (representatives of clergy, nobility and cities).
The formal part of the park
Wilhelm got involved in the simmering internal conflicts between the old nobility and the cities that benefitted from a rising economy, and now claimed greater independence of the ruling counts. Two parties were founded in 1350: the Hooks – the nobility – and the Cods – the cities (5). Wilhelm sided with the Cods who argued against a female ruler and would rather see him as Count of Holland-Zeeland.
The Hooks recalled Margaret form Bavaria. She summoned Wilhelm to Le Quesnoy, the main seat of the Counts of Hainaut, and forced him to submit, but the act did not prevent several cities from rebelling in the name of Wilhelm. Civil war broke out, with mother and son on opposite sides.
At first, Edward III of England supported his sister-in-law, but after a defeat at Vlaardingen, he changed his alliance to Wilhelm who married his niece, Maud of Lancaster. More Hook castles fell to the Cod armies, and in 1354, Margaret negotiated with her son: She ceded Bavaria-Straubing and Holland to William (in lieu of a generous pension), but remained Count of Hainaut. She died in 1356.
A fountain in the formal garden
Wilhelm showed increasing signs of madness and was taken into custody in 1358, locked away in Le Quesnoy. His younger brother Albert of Bavaria-Straubing became regent and moved his seat from Straubing to The Hague. He defeated the Cod resistance in Delft and Middelburg (1361) and managed to get an agreement with his aunt Philippa of England who ceded her claim to Holland and Hainaut. Albert and his older (half)-brothers also accepted Charles IV of House Luxembourg as Holy Roman Emperor (6) to avoid a war in Germany.
Albert was married to Margarete von Brieg, of the Polish Piast dynasty with whom he had seven children. At the Double Wedding of Cambrai in 1385, his son, another Wilhelm, born 1365, married Marguerite, the daughter of Philip the Bold (Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, 1342-1404); and his daughter Margarete married John the Fearless, Philip's eldest son, thus establishing a strong criss-cross connection with House Valois-Burgundy. The wedding was a major event with 20,000 guests, including King Charles V of France, a brother of Philip the Bold.
One of Albert's daughters, Johanna (1362-1386), married Wenceslaw of House Luxembourg, King of Bohemia (since 1363) and King of Germany (1376-1400). He was nicknamed 'the Lazy' and eventually deposed as king by the German electors. Joahnna was eight years old when she moved to the court at Prague in 1370, her husband was nine; the marriage would be consumated years later and remained childless.
Trees in spring green and more tulips
One of his mistresses would eventually get Albert in trouble. Aleida van Poelgeest tried to increase the influence of the Cods (the party of the cities) at court, while the Hooks sided with Albert's son Wilhelm who at the time was governor of Hainaut. In 1392, Aleida and Albert's master of the household were assassinated, Albert responded with a military campaign and destroyed a number of castles; Wilhelm had to flee to England. But in 1394, father and son were reconciled, and Wilhelm again installed as governor of Hainaut.
When Albert died in December 1404, he had turned Holland-Hainaut into a major player within the European network, stabilised the provinces internally and furthered their economy. His son Wilhelm was his successor in the Netherlands and Bavaria-Straubing, his youngest son Joahnn was Prince Elect of the diocese of Liège; another son, Albert, had died in 1397 without issue.
Windmill in Keukenhof Park
Wilhelm (7) could build on his father's successes, but he got some problems nevertheless. One were the rebellious – from his POV – Frisians who still refused to become part of the county of Zeeland. Several campaigns were unsuccessful in defeating them. The other problem was his involvement in the Hundred Years War via his brother-in-law, John the Fearless of Burgundy. Wilhelm did not participate in person, but could not prevent the Hainaut been damaged by the chevauchees of both the English and French armies in context of the battle at Azincourt (1415).
Wilhelm died in May 1417 as result of an infected dog bite. He left only one legitimate daughter behind: Jacoba (Jacqueline) of Bavaria-Holland, aged sixteen and already widowed; a pawn for both her mother Marguerite of Burgundy and her uncle Johann. At least they thought so.
Daffodils growing along a canal
At the age of four, Jacoba had been betrothed to Jean of Valois, aged seven, a son of the French king Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria, another descendant of Ludwig IV of Bavaria. Before his marriage to Margaret of Holland and Hainaut, Ludwig had been married to Beatrice of Silesia, of the Polish Piast dynasty († 1322), and produced several surviving children. (8). Isabeau of Bavaria (~1370-1435) was his great-granddaughter, just like Jacoba.
Jean of Valois grew up in Le Quesnoy, the seat of the Counts of Hainaut, and spent time in company of Jacoba before they were married in 1415. Usually, it would be the bride to live in the houshold of her future husbandn; this arrangement shows the status of Hainaut-Holland. Four months after their marriage, Jean's older brother Louis died, and Jean became Dauphin of France. Had history turned out differently, Jacoba may one day have become queen. But it was not to be; in April 1417, Jean died, probably from an a middle ear inflammation (there were rumours about poison, but never proven). Jacoba found herself a widow.
Flowers growing in shady places
Jacoba's father had tried to secure her succession as Countess of Holland-Zeeland already when she was still married to Jean, but Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Germany and thus Wilhelm's feudal lord for the provinces in question, was unwilling to accept her claim, and the Cod party proved recalcitrant as well.
Jacoba was accepted as countess in Hainault in June 1417, but in Holland-Zeeland, she had to contest with her ambitous uncle Johann III of Bavaria. He was the youngest son of Albert and had been Prince-Bishop Elect of Liège, though he had never been ordained. He now succeded his brother Wilhelm in Bavaria-Straubing without any dispute, but he had his eyes on Holland as well – and the support of King Sigismund and the Cod party. Sigismund invested Johann with the fief of Holland-Zeeland and offered his niece, Elisabeth of Görlitz-Luxembourg (1390-1453), in marriage.
Elisabeth had prior been married to Anthony of Burgundy-Brabant who fell at Agincourt. Anthony was a brother of John the Fearless who had married Jacoba's aunt Margarete (double wedding at Cambrai, see above). Elisabeth was Anthony's second wife; his first had been Joan of Luxembourg with whom he had two sons: Jan IV of Brabant (1402-1427) and Philip of St.Pol. Sorry for that geneaological knotwork, but Jan will play a role here.
Another tree and tulips combination
We don't know why Jacoba decided to marry Jan IV of Brabant who was her first cousin and additionally connected to her land-claiming uncle Johann via the marriage of his stepmother. We can't even tell for sure whether it had been her decision or if she was coerced into it by her mother and/or John the Fearless who might have seen advantages in the marriage by connecting Holland-Hainaut to Burgundy. King Sigismund, on the contrary, did not like a strong Burgundian presence in lands that were Imperial fiefs.
The couple needed a papal dispensation for consanguinity. That's where the problem with the schism comes in. There had been two popes, in Rome and Avignon, for several decennies. Some rulers supported one pope over the other (France mostly stood by Avignon, England and Germany by Rome, fe.); those alliances would also shift depending on which pope was willing to grant something to a party. To end this mess, a council was assembled in Constance (1414-1418) under the presidency of King Sigismund. Thus the couple got a dispensation only to have it revoked by the council. They could marry with help of the Estates of Hainaut, though, and Jan swore his oath to the Estates.
Houses at the market square in Brussels
Jacoba lived mostly in Brussels during her marriage to Jan of Brabant
Johann's rule as prince-bishop elect of Liège obviously had been a desaster which gained him the nickname 'the Pitiless'. He managed to alienate both the nobility and the burghers to the point of open revolt (from which his brother-in-law John the Fearless had to save him by sending an army in 1408). No surprise that he would cause trouble again.
The Cods did not like the idea of a connection between Holland and Burgundy-Brabant that might endanger the position of the cities, while the Hooks supported Jacoba, now residing in Brussels.
Johann went for a military solution. At first, Jacoba's Hainault levies and Hook troops gained the upper hand, but in the long run, Johann could call upon more ressources. Moreover, Jacoba's husband Jan of Brabant was more interested in using his rights as Count of Hainault to save his rotten finances than in helping his wife to fight her uncle. Thus Jacoba was forced to accept the Compensation of Workum (1419) which had been mediated by Philip 'the Good' of Burgundy, son and heir of John the Fearless. Jacoba lost several towns and had to accept her uncle as co-ruler in Holland-Zeeland. Johann in turn got a financial compensation to be paid by Jan, and had to acknowledge Jacobas's marriage (which finally received a dispensation after the end of the schism).
Things took a turn for the worse again. One problem was that Jan surrounded himself with advisors from the Cod party, to the dismay of Hook-prefering Jacoba. Moreover, in April 1420 Jacoba's husband pawned out his rights to Holland-Zeeland to none other than her uncle Johann, and installed him as regent and heir, as means to get out of paying that indemnity (Contract of Martinsdijk). Jacoba finally had enough, packed her suitcase, handed Jan the divorce papers, and left Brussels, first for Hainaut, later she fled to England. (9)
Imperial frittilary
Meanwhile, John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy had been assassinated during a parley with the Dauphin Charles VII of France on the bridge at Montereau in September 1419 (10). His son, Philip 'the Good' of Burgundy formed an alliance with Henry V of England. The French, already weakened by the defeat of Agincourt, could not withstand the English army. King Charles VI had to negotiate a peace treaty at Troyes which disinherited the dauphin and installed King Henry V and his heirs as heirs to the French throne. Henry married Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI, to seal the deal.
Henry V and Catherine married in June 1420; little Henry VI was born in December 1421; in August 1422, Henry V died during a campaign in France. Charles VI of France died in October 1422. Theoretically, baby Henry VI was now king of England and of France. It would change everything.
Baby Henry VI was crowned King of England, but he needed regents. John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (1389-1435), the third son of Henry IV, was appointed Lord Protector by the English Parliament. His brother Humphrey of Gloucester (1390-1447) became his deputy in England, while John of Bedford was away in France where he compelled the Parliament to take an oath to King Henry VI. He remained in France to keep the conquest going. During that time, he made an alliance with Philip of Burgundy by marrying Philip's sister Anne in 1423.
An arrangement in shades of purple
Jacoba had been welcomed in England with a grand ceremony by King Henry V in March 1421, received a monthly grant to live according to her status, and stood as godmother to baby Henry VI. A few months after Henry V's death, Jacoba married Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, either in autumn 1422 or spring 1423 (11). The marriage seems to have come as surprise to Humphrey's family and the Royal Council.
For Jacoba, Humphrey was not a bad catch; he was renowned as chivalrous and educated, brave (he had been wounded at Agincourt) and, as member of the ruling House Lancaster, a man with considerable power and wealth. Jacoba in turn surely was a woman of some spirit, and likely had personal charme as well. And she was the rightful ruler of some rich provinces. It is well possible that there was a personal attraction on top of political considerations.
When (ex)pope Benedict XIV in Avignon, who did not accept the results of the Council of Constance (basically: I got my job from God, and I don't care what King Sigismund and some Italian cardinals cooked up), declared her divorced from Jan of Brabant – a declaration only the English accepted – the way was free for them to marry. As a political match, the marriage was not without problems, though.
A variant with fringes
One man who was not happy about Humphrey's marriage was his brother John of Bedford. He was sure it would anger his ally and brother-in-law Philip of Burgundy; the last thing Philip wanted was a husband to back Jacoba's claim to lands he coveted himself. Jan of Brabant was easy to deal with, while Humphrey could prove a serious obstacle.
And he would. In September 1424, Jacoba and Humphrey landed at Calais, an English harbour at the time, in company of an army of 5,000 men. In December, they arrived in Mons in Haunaut where they were welcomed; the Estates paid hommage to Humphrey of Gloucester who styled himself "Count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut".
Jacoba's uncle Johann of Bavaria died in January 1425, so Jacoba could have inherited her lands if not Johann had proclaimed his nephew Philip of Burgundy as heir. And there was still that pesky question of her marriage to Jan of Brabant. Philip of Burgundy tried to influence the pope (Martin V, the one elected in Constance) to not divorce the marriage – the issue was hanging in the air. Again. Martin would take his sweet time about it.
Flaming tulips
Jacoba had a following in Holland, but the presence of an English army made the cities uneasy. When Philip invaded Hainaut – officially to support Jan of Brabant, Jacoba's maybe-still-husband – but in reality to claim his heritage, and fights broke out, the old Cods versus Hooks conflict resurfaced. Philip and Humphrey exchanged some angry letters, until Philip challenged Humphrey to single combat. Humphrey returned to England to prepare for the duel (why must he go to England, he brought his armour and destrier with him), together with one of Jacoba's ladies-in-waiting, Eleanor Cobham. Jacoba remained in Mons, minus a husband and minus half of her army (12). In the end, the English Privy Council and Pope Martin V forbade the duel. Jacoba also suffered a personal tragedy at the time; she miscarried the child she had with Humphrey.
Philip 'the Good' ('the Ruthless' would be a more apt moniker) now pushed with all his force, conquered Mons and took Jacoba captive. She was held in Gravenstein Castle in Ghent. But she was not yet finished fighting for her heritage, and there were still Hook supporters faithful to her cause. With their help, she disguised herself as man, snuck out of the castle and through the streets of Ghent to meet with some knights, and galloped off to Gouda in Holland where she took her headquarters.
Gravensteen Castle in Ghent. Jacoba was held captive there.
Philip must have been pretty shocked about her escape. Snatching Holland-Hainaut turned out more difficult than he expected. He rallied his levies and the militia of the Cod cities in Holland and marched towards Gouda. But Jacoba jumped him, turned up at his back and defeated him at Alphen.
Humphrey kept hanging out in England with Eleanor, but he did send an army of 1.500 men led by baron FitzWalter, to support Jacoba. They appeared in the waters of Zeeland south of Rotterdam in January 1426. Philip hastily manned a fleet with troops from Hague, Dordrecht and Delft to meet the English before they could make landfall. He met with part of the fleet and killed or captured 300 English soldiers, but the main army, augmented by about 3000 warriors from Zeeland and Hollandian knights, had already disembarked at Brouwershagen. Philip's 4000 men had to wait for better weather to go aland and meet them. The English attacked in the middle of that process, but the gunners of Dordrecht kept them at bay until Philip's heavy cavalry could push the English back into the draining dykes and the sea where many drowned.
Keukenhof on a sunny spring afternoon
Brouwershagen was a defeat for Jacoba, but not a final one. She still had enough support from the Hooks and even some towns who did not like the presence of a Burgundian duke. She also brought the prince-bishop of Utrecht to her side. A number of skirmishes and smaller battles were fought in the months to come. Jacoba frequently stayed with the army during that time, living in a tent and encouraging the men. She must have had a great deal of charisma to keep them going against odds.
In a next step, Philip besieged the island town of Zevenbergen where the greater part of Jacoba's fleet was moored. It took months, but eventually, the citizens, brought low by hunger, surrendered. Philip also bockaded the waterway to Utrecht, thus reducing her means to get supplies by sea – though Holland being a land with many rivers and already some canals, he could not cut it off entirely, nor could he prevent her from getting some ships again.
It was basically a stalemate which Jacoba could only have turned to her favour by help from England. She wrote letters beseeching her husband Humphrey, the Privy Council and Parliament, but no assistance would come. Humphrey obviously no longer cared about that "Count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut"-bit or Jacoba, and the Privy Council was dominated by the Duke of Bedford who in turn did not want to risk the English-Burgundian alliance against France by alienating Philip of Burgundy.
Typical Dutch landscape
Jan of Brabant died in April 1427. A few months later, the papal investigation finally reached a result: Jan had been Jacoba's legal husband, her marriage to Humphrey of Gloucester was annulled (13). Humphrey married Eleanor Cobham.
Jacoba had withdrawn to her base at Gouda where Philip besieged her in spring 1428. In June, she finally surrendered and agreed to the Treaty of Delft. She kept her titles as Countess of Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut, but the the administration of her territories was given to a council of mostly Burgundian representatives; she would have to do with an annuity. She also was not allowed to marry without the consent of Philip and the three countries, and she had to name Philip as heir should she remain childless.
Either Jacoba's annuitiy was too meagre (Philip may have curtailed it so she could not fund an army again) for her to maintain a household and lifestyle befitting her rank, or she was spendthrift – she soon found herself in pecuniary troubles. Some members of her Hook party had decided to accept a future with Philip, others lost their fortunes, so she had problems finding someone willing to 'loan' her money they would likely never see again.
The Nieuwe Kerk in Delft
The church already existed when the Treaty of Delft was signed between Jacoba and Philip of Burgundy.
Enter Frank van Borsselen (1396-1470), member of a wealthy and influential family from Zeeland. He was a Cod supporter, serving als alderman of Zeeland under Johann III, responsible for the finances. He fought at the side of Philip of Burgundy at Brouwershagen, and was appointed Grand Captain of Zeeland after the death of Johann. As result of the Treaty of Delft, he became one of the members of the regency council for Jacoba – his cousin Hendrik van Borsselen was another – and in 1430, he was named stadhouder (steward) of Holland.
As member of the regency council, Frank von Borsselen was responsible for Jacoba's finances, so they likely met in person a few times. And it was he who funded her expenses from his private purse.
This gave reason for a romantic story to appear later: Jacoba and Frank fell in love and married in secret, thus breaking the Treaty of Delft. When Philip learned about it, he took Frank captive and threatend to have him exectued if not Jacoba abdicated from all her rights and titles. She did, and they were allowed to marry officially in 1434.
Tulips and hyacinths
Well, fact is, Philip did take Frank van Borsselen captive in 1433. The reasons are not entirely clear; he may have felt threatened by Frank's powerful status and popularity with the people, he might have heard that Frank was in conctact with Jacoba who was the titular countess of Holland-Zeeland, and feared a rebellion. Whatever the reasons, Philip and Frank reconciled, and Frank's lands were restored to him, though he seems to have lost his seat in the regency council. Second fact: He did marry Jacoba in 1434. Thid fact: A few months before, Jacoba had abdicated from her rights and titles in lieu of becoming Countess of Oostervant, with the rights to the income from that county (Treaty of Hague, April 1434). Frank van Borsselen was created Count of Oostervant upon their wedding.
Did Frank van Borsselen plan to rebel against Philip and use Jacoba as figurehead? I think it very unlikely; he had always been loyal to the Cod party, and he knew how powerful Philip of Burgundy was. The reconciliation also speaks in favour of something more alike a mistunderstanding. Though I suppose there must have been a reason to re-negotiate the Delft treaty. A possible one is that Jacoba's abdication was the condition for Philip to permit her marriage to Frank (without any last minute plea in front of a scaffold). In that case it likely was a love marriage. They were both in their thirties, Frank had not been married before, so why now pick a wife that might cause political problems? As for Jacoba – well, after the unfortunate Jean de Valois, the milksop Jan of Brabant, and the unreliable Humphrey of Gloucester, she might have found a kind and reliable husband in Frank van Borsselen, a union worth giving up her titles for.
(Almost) black tulips
The couple spent most of its time in Teylingen Castle. Alas, their idyll would not last long. Jacoba died – probably of consumption – in the presence of her husband and her mother, on October 9, 1436. With her death ended the Wittelsbach line of the Counts of Hainaut and Holland-Zeeland.
Frank van Borsselen survived his wife by 34 years. He never remarried. He remained a supporter of Philip of Burgundy and was created a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1445.
Jacoba's mother Margaret died at her favourite seat Le Quesnoy in 1441.
Eleanor Cobham, Jacoba's rival, was accused of witchcraft, divorced, and sentenced to life imprisonment where she died in 1452. Humphrey of Gloucester was arrested for treason and died in prison in 1447. Philip of Burgundy broke his alliance with England and joined King Charles VII of France (Treaty of Arras, 1435), but relations with France remained uneasy. Philip died in 1467, succeeded by his son Charles the Bold.
After Charles death in 1477, the Burgundian Netherlands fell to Emperior Maximilian I of House Habsburg by right of his marriage to Charles's daughter Mary. The Duchy of Burgundy was annexed by France.
So-called 'konfetti' arrangement
Footnotes
1) Margaret's parents were Willem III of Holland / Wilhelm I of Hainaut and Joan of Valois, of the French Royal House.
2) He was Willem IV of Holland and Wilhelm (Guillaume) II of Hainaut.
3) Partaking in the Northern Crusades was quite popular, see also: my post about Henry IV. For Willem of Holland cfr: William Urban/Darius Baronas, The Teutonic Knights Strike East. Greenhill Books 2024, p. 130.
4) John of Beaumont supported Margaret in the beginning, but eventually changed his allegiance to the King of France. He fought at Crécy in 1346, and may well have saved Philip VI's life by dragging him off the field.
5) The distinction was not always that clear cut, though. Some nobles sided with the Cods, and somtimes a city would side with the Hooks. The interesting point is that the Hooks tended to accept female rulers while the Cods supported the male lines.
6) The three houses Luxembourg, Wittelsbach and Habsburg all claimed the position; there were a lot of troubles going on prior to Ludwig's ascension, and even more after his death.
7) Wilhelm II of Bavaria-Straubing was Count Wilhelm (Willem) VI of Holland-Zeeland and Wilhelm (Guillaume) IV of Hainaut.
8) One of those was Stephan II, Duke of Bavaria (1319-1375). He in turn married Elisabeth of Sicily and had, among other children, a son named Stephan III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt who married Taddea Visconti Their daughter was Isabeau of Bavaria. Italian marriages were no surprise considering the connections between Germany and Italy at the time.
9) The Estates of Brabant refused to ratify the contract of Martinsdijk – which would have forced them to pay the idemnity to Johann – and installed Jan's brother Philip of St.Pol as regent (1422) but Jan eventually reconciled with the Estates and was reinstalled as Duke of Brabant.
10) Well, John the Fearless had it coming. He was behind the assassination of Louis I of Orleans, a younger brother of King Charles VI of France, in 1407. Charles had fits of madness and often was unable to govern his realm, therefore a regency was required, and contested. One party were Queen Isabeau of Bavaria and Louis of Orleans, another the House of Valois-Burgundy who had recently lost the poweful Philip the Bold as head. His son John strove to regain that power. The event led to the civil war between Burgundians and Armagnacs.
11) The dates are a mess in the secondary literature.
12) The English army likely went back with Humphrey though it is not definitely stated anywhere.
13) One may wonder if the Pope had decided differently had Jacoba brought their child to term. Declaring the child of the duke a bastard might not have stood well with the Lancasters.
Tree in bloom
Literature:
There is a biography of Jacoba of Bavaria-Holland dating to 1905, but it is more a novel than a biography, though the author does use Medieval chronicles, if a bit indiscriminately: Ruth Putnam, A mediaeval Princess; being a true record of the changing fortunes which brought divers titles to Jacqueline, countess of Holland, together with an account of her conflict with Philip, duke of Burgundy (1401-1436), avaliable online.
Christopher Allmand: The Hundred Years War. England and France at War c. 1300 – c. 1450. Cambridge Medieval Textbooks, Cambridge 2001.
David Green: The Hundred Years War. A People's History. Yale University Press 2014.
Ludwig Holzfurter: Die Wittelsbacher. Staat und Dynastie in acht Jahrhunderten. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2005.
James C. Kennedy: A Concise History of the Netherlands. Cambridge University Press 2017.
Lauren Johnson: The Shadow King. The Life and Death of King Henry VI. London 2019.
Harm von Seggern: Die Geschichte der Burgundischen Niederlande. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2018.
Guy Vanthemsche/Roger de Peuter: A Concise History of Belgium. Cambridge University Press 2023.
Oops, it has happened again. I could not find a lot more information about the Keukenhof Park beyond what I posted in the introductory post about my tour to the Netherlands, but I fell into a research hole about the Bavarian Counts of Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut. Instead of a post with lots of photos and little text, this will be a post with a fair amount of history and some photos. Well, you can always just look at the tulips. ;) Though the park looked nothing like today when Count Willem IV or Jacoba of Bavaria-Holland hunted there.
Keukenhof means 'kitchen garden' and was part of a hunting ground that belonged to the owners of Castle Teylingen. The castle had been built to protect a major south-north going route in the province Holland, and was in possession of the counts of Holland. The first documented owner was Count Willem IV (1307-1345). But it would be one of his successors who is most famously connected with the castle and the park at Keukenhof: Jacoba (English: Jacqueline, German: Jakobäa; 1401-1436) of the Bavarian House Wittelsbach, Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut. She was an interesting character; obviously a woman with a mind of her own, though in the end she could not survive politically in a male-dominated world. She remains quite popular in the Netherlands, not the least due to her four marriages.
Let's have some geneaological fun: Jacoba's great-grandfather was Ludwig IV of Bavaria, of House Wittelsbach (1282-1347, Holy Roman Emperor since 1372) who was married to Margaret II Countess of Holland and Hainaut, of the Avesnes family (1), since 1324. Margaret's sister Philippa was married to Edward III of England in 1328.
Margaret also had a brother, Willem IV of Holland and Hainaut (2) who was quite the warrior, fighting in Spain against the Saracens, and partaking in the winter campaign 1344/45 against Lithuania at the side of the Teutonic Knights. The campaign had to be broken off due to an early thaw that made the mashes impassable for heavy cavalry, but we got his household accounts and the expenses listed for that war (3). Willem also fought against the Frisians who he – like several other counts of Holland-Zeeland – would have liked to submit and turn into vassals. He financed those adventures by granting towns like Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Delft, or Middelburg trade and tax privileges which increased their wealth.
We are now at the beginning of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). King Philip of France had seized the Angevin fiefs of Aquitaine and Ponthieu which angered King Edward III of England, who in turn claimed the French throne himself and marched into northern France with an army in 1338. His brothers-in-law Willem of Holland and Emperor Ludwig were slow to commit, though. Willem was connected to both the king of France by his grandmother, and King Edward by his sister, and thus careful about taking sides. Also, wars cost money, and Edward didn't have any, but Willem and Ludwig wanted so see some compensation upfront. So that first campaign petered out; in October the following year, Edward returned to England.
Willem died in another battle against the Frisians in September 1345. Together with his uncle John of Beaumont, he had set sail from Enkhuizen across the Zuidersee to Stavoren. The army could not bring horses along on the ships, and they made the mistake to divide forces for a pincer attack. The Frisians attacked Willem's unit, the knights' armour proved a disadvantage against the more mobile Frisian troops after they got stuck in a swamp. Willem was killed. When John of Beaumont heard about the desaster, he ordered retreat to the ships.
Margaret succeeded her brother. Kind Edward III also arrogated the lands by right of his wife, but Ludwig acted faster and proclaimed Margaret his vassal for the lands in question – Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut (German: Hennegau) had been imperial fiefs since the 10th century. Another – unsuccessful – claimant was Willem's uncle John of Beaumont (4).
Ludwig IV died in October 1347 and was succeeded by his second wife Margaret and the sons of two marriages who divided the Bavarian, Brandenburgian, and Dutch possessions among them. Margaret retained Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut, but only succeeded to Hainaut without problems. She installed her son Wilhelm als lieutenant of Holland-Zeeland, while she tried to enforce her claim with the Estates of Holland (representatives of clergy, nobility and cities).
Wilhelm got involved in the simmering internal conflicts between the old nobility and the cities that benefitted from a rising economy, and now claimed greater independence of the ruling counts. Two parties were founded in 1350: the Hooks – the nobility – and the Cods – the cities (5). Wilhelm sided with the Cods who argued against a female ruler and would rather see him as Count of Holland-Zeeland.
The Hooks recalled Margaret form Bavaria. She summoned Wilhelm to Le Quesnoy, the main seat of the Counts of Hainaut, and forced him to submit, but the act did not prevent several cities from rebelling in the name of Wilhelm. Civil war broke out, with mother and son on opposite sides.
At first, Edward III of England supported his sister-in-law, but after a defeat at Vlaardingen, he changed his alliance to Wilhelm who married his niece, Maud of Lancaster. More Hook castles fell to the Cod armies, and in 1354, Margaret negotiated with her son: She ceded Bavaria-Straubing and Holland to William (in lieu of a generous pension), but remained Count of Hainaut. She died in 1356.
Wilhelm showed increasing signs of madness and was taken into custody in 1358, locked away in Le Quesnoy. His younger brother Albert of Bavaria-Straubing became regent and moved his seat from Straubing to The Hague. He defeated the Cod resistance in Delft and Middelburg (1361) and managed to get an agreement with his aunt Philippa of England who ceded her claim to Holland and Hainaut. Albert and his older (half)-brothers also accepted Charles IV of House Luxembourg as Holy Roman Emperor (6) to avoid a war in Germany.
Albert was married to Margarete von Brieg, of the Polish Piast dynasty with whom he had seven children. At the Double Wedding of Cambrai in 1385, his son, another Wilhelm, born 1365, married Marguerite, the daughter of Philip the Bold (Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, 1342-1404); and his daughter Margarete married John the Fearless, Philip's eldest son, thus establishing a strong criss-cross connection with House Valois-Burgundy. The wedding was a major event with 20,000 guests, including King Charles V of France, a brother of Philip the Bold.
One of Albert's daughters, Johanna (1362-1386), married Wenceslaw of House Luxembourg, King of Bohemia (since 1363) and King of Germany (1376-1400). He was nicknamed 'the Lazy' and eventually deposed as king by the German electors. Joahnna was eight years old when she moved to the court at Prague in 1370, her husband was nine; the marriage would be consumated years later and remained childless.
One of his mistresses would eventually get Albert in trouble. Aleida van Poelgeest tried to increase the influence of the Cods (the party of the cities) at court, while the Hooks sided with Albert's son Wilhelm who at the time was governor of Hainaut. In 1392, Aleida and Albert's master of the household were assassinated, Albert responded with a military campaign and destroyed a number of castles; Wilhelm had to flee to England. But in 1394, father and son were reconciled, and Wilhelm again installed as governor of Hainaut.
When Albert died in December 1404, he had turned Holland-Hainaut into a major player within the European network, stabilised the provinces internally and furthered their economy. His son Wilhelm was his successor in the Netherlands and Bavaria-Straubing, his youngest son Joahnn was Prince Elect of the diocese of Liège; another son, Albert, had died in 1397 without issue.
Wilhelm (7) could build on his father's successes, but he got some problems nevertheless. One were the rebellious – from his POV – Frisians who still refused to become part of the county of Zeeland. Several campaigns were unsuccessful in defeating them. The other problem was his involvement in the Hundred Years War via his brother-in-law, John the Fearless of Burgundy. Wilhelm did not participate in person, but could not prevent the Hainaut been damaged by the chevauchees of both the English and French armies in context of the battle at Azincourt (1415).
Wilhelm died in May 1417 as result of an infected dog bite. He left only one legitimate daughter behind: Jacoba (Jacqueline) of Bavaria-Holland, aged sixteen and already widowed; a pawn for both her mother Marguerite of Burgundy and her uncle Johann. At least they thought so.
At the age of four, Jacoba had been betrothed to Jean of Valois, aged seven, a son of the French king Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria, another descendant of Ludwig IV of Bavaria. Before his marriage to Margaret of Holland and Hainaut, Ludwig had been married to Beatrice of Silesia, of the Polish Piast dynasty († 1322), and produced several surviving children. (8). Isabeau of Bavaria (~1370-1435) was his great-granddaughter, just like Jacoba.
Jean of Valois grew up in Le Quesnoy, the seat of the Counts of Hainaut, and spent time in company of Jacoba before they were married in 1415. Usually, it would be the bride to live in the houshold of her future husbandn; this arrangement shows the status of Hainaut-Holland. Four months after their marriage, Jean's older brother Louis died, and Jean became Dauphin of France. Had history turned out differently, Jacoba may one day have become queen. But it was not to be; in April 1417, Jean died, probably from an a middle ear inflammation (there were rumours about poison, but never proven). Jacoba found herself a widow.
Jacoba's father had tried to secure her succession as Countess of Holland-Zeeland already when she was still married to Jean, but Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Germany and thus Wilhelm's feudal lord for the provinces in question, was unwilling to accept her claim, and the Cod party proved recalcitrant as well.
Jacoba was accepted as countess in Hainault in June 1417, but in Holland-Zeeland, she had to contest with her ambitous uncle Johann III of Bavaria. He was the youngest son of Albert and had been Prince-Bishop Elect of Liège, though he had never been ordained. He now succeded his brother Wilhelm in Bavaria-Straubing without any dispute, but he had his eyes on Holland as well – and the support of King Sigismund and the Cod party. Sigismund invested Johann with the fief of Holland-Zeeland and offered his niece, Elisabeth of Görlitz-Luxembourg (1390-1453), in marriage.
Elisabeth had prior been married to Anthony of Burgundy-Brabant who fell at Agincourt. Anthony was a brother of John the Fearless who had married Jacoba's aunt Margarete (double wedding at Cambrai, see above). Elisabeth was Anthony's second wife; his first had been Joan of Luxembourg with whom he had two sons: Jan IV of Brabant (1402-1427) and Philip of St.Pol. Sorry for that geneaological knotwork, but Jan will play a role here.
We don't know why Jacoba decided to marry Jan IV of Brabant who was her first cousin and additionally connected to her land-claiming uncle Johann via the marriage of his stepmother. We can't even tell for sure whether it had been her decision or if she was coerced into it by her mother and/or John the Fearless who might have seen advantages in the marriage by connecting Holland-Hainaut to Burgundy. King Sigismund, on the contrary, did not like a strong Burgundian presence in lands that were Imperial fiefs.
The couple needed a papal dispensation for consanguinity. That's where the problem with the schism comes in. There had been two popes, in Rome and Avignon, for several decennies. Some rulers supported one pope over the other (France mostly stood by Avignon, England and Germany by Rome, fe.); those alliances would also shift depending on which pope was willing to grant something to a party. To end this mess, a council was assembled in Constance (1414-1418) under the presidency of King Sigismund. Thus the couple got a dispensation only to have it revoked by the council. They could marry with help of the Estates of Hainaut, though, and Jan swore his oath to the Estates.
Jacoba lived mostly in Brussels during her marriage to Jan of Brabant
Johann's rule as prince-bishop elect of Liège obviously had been a desaster which gained him the nickname 'the Pitiless'. He managed to alienate both the nobility and the burghers to the point of open revolt (from which his brother-in-law John the Fearless had to save him by sending an army in 1408). No surprise that he would cause trouble again.
The Cods did not like the idea of a connection between Holland and Burgundy-Brabant that might endanger the position of the cities, while the Hooks supported Jacoba, now residing in Brussels.
Johann went for a military solution. At first, Jacoba's Hainault levies and Hook troops gained the upper hand, but in the long run, Johann could call upon more ressources. Moreover, Jacoba's husband Jan of Brabant was more interested in using his rights as Count of Hainault to save his rotten finances than in helping his wife to fight her uncle. Thus Jacoba was forced to accept the Compensation of Workum (1419) which had been mediated by Philip 'the Good' of Burgundy, son and heir of John the Fearless. Jacoba lost several towns and had to accept her uncle as co-ruler in Holland-Zeeland. Johann in turn got a financial compensation to be paid by Jan, and had to acknowledge Jacobas's marriage (which finally received a dispensation after the end of the schism).
Things took a turn for the worse again. One problem was that Jan surrounded himself with advisors from the Cod party, to the dismay of Hook-prefering Jacoba. Moreover, in April 1420 Jacoba's husband pawned out his rights to Holland-Zeeland to none other than her uncle Johann, and installed him as regent and heir, as means to get out of paying that indemnity (Contract of Martinsdijk). Jacoba finally had enough, packed her suitcase, handed Jan the divorce papers, and left Brussels, first for Hainaut, later she fled to England. (9)
Meanwhile, John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy had been assassinated during a parley with the Dauphin Charles VII of France on the bridge at Montereau in September 1419 (10). His son, Philip 'the Good' of Burgundy formed an alliance with Henry V of England. The French, already weakened by the defeat of Agincourt, could not withstand the English army. King Charles VI had to negotiate a peace treaty at Troyes which disinherited the dauphin and installed King Henry V and his heirs as heirs to the French throne. Henry married Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI, to seal the deal.
Henry V and Catherine married in June 1420; little Henry VI was born in December 1421; in August 1422, Henry V died during a campaign in France. Charles VI of France died in October 1422. Theoretically, baby Henry VI was now king of England and of France. It would change everything.
Baby Henry VI was crowned King of England, but he needed regents. John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (1389-1435), the third son of Henry IV, was appointed Lord Protector by the English Parliament. His brother Humphrey of Gloucester (1390-1447) became his deputy in England, while John of Bedford was away in France where he compelled the Parliament to take an oath to King Henry VI. He remained in France to keep the conquest going. During that time, he made an alliance with Philip of Burgundy by marrying Philip's sister Anne in 1423.
Jacoba had been welcomed in England with a grand ceremony by King Henry V in March 1421, received a monthly grant to live according to her status, and stood as godmother to baby Henry VI. A few months after Henry V's death, Jacoba married Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, either in autumn 1422 or spring 1423 (11). The marriage seems to have come as surprise to Humphrey's family and the Royal Council.
For Jacoba, Humphrey was not a bad catch; he was renowned as chivalrous and educated, brave (he had been wounded at Agincourt) and, as member of the ruling House Lancaster, a man with considerable power and wealth. Jacoba in turn surely was a woman of some spirit, and likely had personal charme as well. And she was the rightful ruler of some rich provinces. It is well possible that there was a personal attraction on top of political considerations.
When (ex)pope Benedict XIV in Avignon, who did not accept the results of the Council of Constance (basically: I got my job from God, and I don't care what King Sigismund and some Italian cardinals cooked up), declared her divorced from Jan of Brabant – a declaration only the English accepted – the way was free for them to marry. As a political match, the marriage was not without problems, though.
One man who was not happy about Humphrey's marriage was his brother John of Bedford. He was sure it would anger his ally and brother-in-law Philip of Burgundy; the last thing Philip wanted was a husband to back Jacoba's claim to lands he coveted himself. Jan of Brabant was easy to deal with, while Humphrey could prove a serious obstacle.
And he would. In September 1424, Jacoba and Humphrey landed at Calais, an English harbour at the time, in company of an army of 5,000 men. In December, they arrived in Mons in Haunaut where they were welcomed; the Estates paid hommage to Humphrey of Gloucester who styled himself "Count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut".
Jacoba's uncle Johann of Bavaria died in January 1425, so Jacoba could have inherited her lands if not Johann had proclaimed his nephew Philip of Burgundy as heir. And there was still that pesky question of her marriage to Jan of Brabant. Philip of Burgundy tried to influence the pope (Martin V, the one elected in Constance) to not divorce the marriage – the issue was hanging in the air. Again. Martin would take his sweet time about it.
Jacoba had a following in Holland, but the presence of an English army made the cities uneasy. When Philip invaded Hainaut – officially to support Jan of Brabant, Jacoba's maybe-still-husband – but in reality to claim his heritage, and fights broke out, the old Cods versus Hooks conflict resurfaced. Philip and Humphrey exchanged some angry letters, until Philip challenged Humphrey to single combat. Humphrey returned to England to prepare for the duel (why must he go to England, he brought his armour and destrier with him), together with one of Jacoba's ladies-in-waiting, Eleanor Cobham. Jacoba remained in Mons, minus a husband and minus half of her army (12). In the end, the English Privy Council and Pope Martin V forbade the duel. Jacoba also suffered a personal tragedy at the time; she miscarried the child she had with Humphrey.
Philip 'the Good' ('the Ruthless' would be a more apt moniker) now pushed with all his force, conquered Mons and took Jacoba captive. She was held in Gravenstein Castle in Ghent. But she was not yet finished fighting for her heritage, and there were still Hook supporters faithful to her cause. With their help, she disguised herself as man, snuck out of the castle and through the streets of Ghent to meet with some knights, and galloped off to Gouda in Holland where she took her headquarters.
Philip must have been pretty shocked about her escape. Snatching Holland-Hainaut turned out more difficult than he expected. He rallied his levies and the militia of the Cod cities in Holland and marched towards Gouda. But Jacoba jumped him, turned up at his back and defeated him at Alphen.
Humphrey kept hanging out in England with Eleanor, but he did send an army of 1.500 men led by baron FitzWalter, to support Jacoba. They appeared in the waters of Zeeland south of Rotterdam in January 1426. Philip hastily manned a fleet with troops from Hague, Dordrecht and Delft to meet the English before they could make landfall. He met with part of the fleet and killed or captured 300 English soldiers, but the main army, augmented by about 3000 warriors from Zeeland and Hollandian knights, had already disembarked at Brouwershagen. Philip's 4000 men had to wait for better weather to go aland and meet them. The English attacked in the middle of that process, but the gunners of Dordrecht kept them at bay until Philip's heavy cavalry could push the English back into the draining dykes and the sea where many drowned.
Brouwershagen was a defeat for Jacoba, but not a final one. She still had enough support from the Hooks and even some towns who did not like the presence of a Burgundian duke. She also brought the prince-bishop of Utrecht to her side. A number of skirmishes and smaller battles were fought in the months to come. Jacoba frequently stayed with the army during that time, living in a tent and encouraging the men. She must have had a great deal of charisma to keep them going against odds.
In a next step, Philip besieged the island town of Zevenbergen where the greater part of Jacoba's fleet was moored. It took months, but eventually, the citizens, brought low by hunger, surrendered. Philip also bockaded the waterway to Utrecht, thus reducing her means to get supplies by sea – though Holland being a land with many rivers and already some canals, he could not cut it off entirely, nor could he prevent her from getting some ships again.
It was basically a stalemate which Jacoba could only have turned to her favour by help from England. She wrote letters beseeching her husband Humphrey, the Privy Council and Parliament, but no assistance would come. Humphrey obviously no longer cared about that "Count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut"-bit or Jacoba, and the Privy Council was dominated by the Duke of Bedford who in turn did not want to risk the English-Burgundian alliance against France by alienating Philip of Burgundy.
Jan of Brabant died in April 1427. A few months later, the papal investigation finally reached a result: Jan had been Jacoba's legal husband, her marriage to Humphrey of Gloucester was annulled (13). Humphrey married Eleanor Cobham.
Jacoba had withdrawn to her base at Gouda where Philip besieged her in spring 1428. In June, she finally surrendered and agreed to the Treaty of Delft. She kept her titles as Countess of Holland-Zeeland and Hainaut, but the the administration of her territories was given to a council of mostly Burgundian representatives; she would have to do with an annuity. She also was not allowed to marry without the consent of Philip and the three countries, and she had to name Philip as heir should she remain childless.
Either Jacoba's annuitiy was too meagre (Philip may have curtailed it so she could not fund an army again) for her to maintain a household and lifestyle befitting her rank, or she was spendthrift – she soon found herself in pecuniary troubles. Some members of her Hook party had decided to accept a future with Philip, others lost their fortunes, so she had problems finding someone willing to 'loan' her money they would likely never see again.
The church already existed when the Treaty of Delft was signed between Jacoba and Philip of Burgundy.
Enter Frank van Borsselen (1396-1470), member of a wealthy and influential family from Zeeland. He was a Cod supporter, serving als alderman of Zeeland under Johann III, responsible for the finances. He fought at the side of Philip of Burgundy at Brouwershagen, and was appointed Grand Captain of Zeeland after the death of Johann. As result of the Treaty of Delft, he became one of the members of the regency council for Jacoba – his cousin Hendrik van Borsselen was another – and in 1430, he was named stadhouder (steward) of Holland.
As member of the regency council, Frank von Borsselen was responsible for Jacoba's finances, so they likely met in person a few times. And it was he who funded her expenses from his private purse.
This gave reason for a romantic story to appear later: Jacoba and Frank fell in love and married in secret, thus breaking the Treaty of Delft. When Philip learned about it, he took Frank captive and threatend to have him exectued if not Jacoba abdicated from all her rights and titles. She did, and they were allowed to marry officially in 1434.
Well, fact is, Philip did take Frank van Borsselen captive in 1433. The reasons are not entirely clear; he may have felt threatened by Frank's powerful status and popularity with the people, he might have heard that Frank was in conctact with Jacoba who was the titular countess of Holland-Zeeland, and feared a rebellion. Whatever the reasons, Philip and Frank reconciled, and Frank's lands were restored to him, though he seems to have lost his seat in the regency council. Second fact: He did marry Jacoba in 1434. Thid fact: A few months before, Jacoba had abdicated from her rights and titles in lieu of becoming Countess of Oostervant, with the rights to the income from that county (Treaty of Hague, April 1434). Frank van Borsselen was created Count of Oostervant upon their wedding.
Did Frank van Borsselen plan to rebel against Philip and use Jacoba as figurehead? I think it very unlikely; he had always been loyal to the Cod party, and he knew how powerful Philip of Burgundy was. The reconciliation also speaks in favour of something more alike a mistunderstanding. Though I suppose there must have been a reason to re-negotiate the Delft treaty. A possible one is that Jacoba's abdication was the condition for Philip to permit her marriage to Frank (without any last minute plea in front of a scaffold). In that case it likely was a love marriage. They were both in their thirties, Frank had not been married before, so why now pick a wife that might cause political problems? As for Jacoba – well, after the unfortunate Jean de Valois, the milksop Jan of Brabant, and the unreliable Humphrey of Gloucester, she might have found a kind and reliable husband in Frank van Borsselen, a union worth giving up her titles for.
The couple spent most of its time in Teylingen Castle. Alas, their idyll would not last long. Jacoba died – probably of consumption – in the presence of her husband and her mother, on October 9, 1436. With her death ended the Wittelsbach line of the Counts of Hainaut and Holland-Zeeland.
Frank van Borsselen survived his wife by 34 years. He never remarried. He remained a supporter of Philip of Burgundy and was created a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1445.
Jacoba's mother Margaret died at her favourite seat Le Quesnoy in 1441.
Eleanor Cobham, Jacoba's rival, was accused of witchcraft, divorced, and sentenced to life imprisonment where she died in 1452. Humphrey of Gloucester was arrested for treason and died in prison in 1447. Philip of Burgundy broke his alliance with England and joined King Charles VII of France (Treaty of Arras, 1435), but relations with France remained uneasy. Philip died in 1467, succeeded by his son Charles the Bold.
After Charles death in 1477, the Burgundian Netherlands fell to Emperior Maximilian I of House Habsburg by right of his marriage to Charles's daughter Mary. The Duchy of Burgundy was annexed by France.
Footnotes
1) Margaret's parents were Willem III of Holland / Wilhelm I of Hainaut and Joan of Valois, of the French Royal House.
2) He was Willem IV of Holland and Wilhelm (Guillaume) II of Hainaut.
3) Partaking in the Northern Crusades was quite popular, see also: my post about Henry IV. For Willem of Holland cfr: William Urban/Darius Baronas, The Teutonic Knights Strike East. Greenhill Books 2024, p. 130.
4) John of Beaumont supported Margaret in the beginning, but eventually changed his allegiance to the King of France. He fought at Crécy in 1346, and may well have saved Philip VI's life by dragging him off the field.
5) The distinction was not always that clear cut, though. Some nobles sided with the Cods, and somtimes a city would side with the Hooks. The interesting point is that the Hooks tended to accept female rulers while the Cods supported the male lines.
6) The three houses Luxembourg, Wittelsbach and Habsburg all claimed the position; there were a lot of troubles going on prior to Ludwig's ascension, and even more after his death.
7) Wilhelm II of Bavaria-Straubing was Count Wilhelm (Willem) VI of Holland-Zeeland and Wilhelm (Guillaume) IV of Hainaut.
8) One of those was Stephan II, Duke of Bavaria (1319-1375). He in turn married Elisabeth of Sicily and had, among other children, a son named Stephan III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt who married Taddea Visconti Their daughter was Isabeau of Bavaria. Italian marriages were no surprise considering the connections between Germany and Italy at the time.
9) The Estates of Brabant refused to ratify the contract of Martinsdijk – which would have forced them to pay the idemnity to Johann – and installed Jan's brother Philip of St.Pol as regent (1422) but Jan eventually reconciled with the Estates and was reinstalled as Duke of Brabant.
10) Well, John the Fearless had it coming. He was behind the assassination of Louis I of Orleans, a younger brother of King Charles VI of France, in 1407. Charles had fits of madness and often was unable to govern his realm, therefore a regency was required, and contested. One party were Queen Isabeau of Bavaria and Louis of Orleans, another the House of Valois-Burgundy who had recently lost the poweful Philip the Bold as head. His son John strove to regain that power. The event led to the civil war between Burgundians and Armagnacs.
11) The dates are a mess in the secondary literature.
12) The English army likely went back with Humphrey though it is not definitely stated anywhere.
13) One may wonder if the Pope had decided differently had Jacoba brought their child to term. Declaring the child of the duke a bastard might not have stood well with the Lancasters.
There is a biography of Jacoba of Bavaria-Holland dating to 1905, but it is more a novel than a biography, though the author does use Medieval chronicles, if a bit indiscriminately: Ruth Putnam, A mediaeval Princess; being a true record of the changing fortunes which brought divers titles to Jacqueline, countess of Holland, together with an account of her conflict with Philip, duke of Burgundy (1401-1436), avaliable online.
Christopher Allmand: The Hundred Years War. England and France at War c. 1300 – c. 1450. Cambridge Medieval Textbooks, Cambridge 2001.
David Green: The Hundred Years War. A People's History. Yale University Press 2014.
Ludwig Holzfurter: Die Wittelsbacher. Staat und Dynastie in acht Jahrhunderten. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2005.
James C. Kennedy: A Concise History of the Netherlands. Cambridge University Press 2017.
Lauren Johnson: The Shadow King. The Life and Death of King Henry VI. London 2019.
Harm von Seggern: Die Geschichte der Burgundischen Niederlande. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2018.
Guy Vanthemsche/Roger de Peuter: A Concise History of Belgium. Cambridge University Press 2023.
