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335:. She hoped that this would take the wind out of his sails as a possible successor to Dirk's brother William. According to the Egmond annalist, Dirk would have entrusted the care of Ada to William, but Adelaide would have thwarted this. Immediately after Dirk's death, she ensured that the marriage between fifteen-year-old Ada and Louis was solemnized on 4 November, even before Dirk was buried in Egmond. A succession struggle between the followers of Adelaide and those of William ensued. According to the annalist, Adelaide would also play an active role in this: "…everything was handled according to the will, orders and directions of Countess Aleid". However, she could not prevent William from finally gaining the upper hand. Ada was captured after taking refuge in the stronghold of
278:("wife") was designated. She was also the first to bear the title "Countess of Holland". Furthermore, she acted remarkably often as co-counsellor next to her husband. Count and countess are mentioned together in all charters issued by the Dutch chancellery between 1198 and 1203. Whether Adelaide's strong personality played a role in this, or if it was a deliberate policy, is unclear. It is possible that Dirk wanted to prepare his subjects for a possible
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arrival was, moreover, "to the great disadvantage of the monastery and to the inconvenience of the whole monastic community, because the Church had to pay her expenses for food as well as for many other things, for the benefit of the knights and the others". But the writer also had to admit that
Adelaide prepared the battle against William skilfully and decisively. Her army succeeded in pushing back William's troops.
356:, where she wanted to be buried. Other prominent members of the Count's family lay there, including Adelaide's daughter Aleydis, and her brother-in-law William I with his first wife Adelaide of Guelders. The Count's family apparently held no grudge against Adelaide, because after her death around 1238 (an exact year or date is unknown) she was indeed buried in
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After this turbulent period, things became quiet around
Adelaide. The Egmond Annals do not go further than 1205, and the charter material also contains little information. There is, however, a letter from Adelaide from 1207 to King John of England, in which she begs him to let her daughter Ada, who
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and took residence in the monastery for two months, to lead the counterattack from there. The monastery's annalist – who was not on
Adelaide's side – complains about the commotion this entailed. Every day there was a back and forth of maidservants and other female followers of the Countess. Her
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of
Adelaide, in case he died young. The regency of a countess dowager for her minor children was not an uncommon phenomenon in Holland, but the minor children had been male in all cases hitherto, while Dirk and Adelaide had only daughters. A regency of Adelaide for her daughter could meet with
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resistance because it was nowhere stipulated that a woman could succeed in the county of
Holland. By putting Adelaide in the foreground, Dirk seems to have wanted to avoid problems in the event of a regency.
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With contemporary, but also with later historians, Adelaide has had predominantly bad press. The hasty marriage she arranged between the young Ada and Louis of Loon and her active role in the
190:. She played an important role in the administration during the reign of her husband, during which she served as regent in 1195, and facilitated the marriage and accession of their daughter
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is being held captive there by order of
William, return to Holland. It is not known where Adelaide spent the rest of her relatively long life. In 1237, she donated two Dutch pounds to the
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in London. In 1210, William definitively took the title "Count of
Holland". Adelaide had to accept this reality, but she would call herself "Countess of Holland" for years to come.
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As the wife of Dirk VII, Adelaide played a prominent role in the administration of the county. It is striking that she was the first Dutch countess to consistently act as
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In 1203, Dirk VII became seriously ill. In an attempt to secure the succession, Adelaide hastily arranged a marriage between her only surviving daughter Ada and
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218:(died before 1202) and Arnold (died 1200), and a sister, Margaret (Margaretha) (died about 1184). Adelaide's father is called a wealthy man in the
211:(died 1172) and Adelaide (Adelheid) of Sulzbach (died 1189). Nothing is known about her childhood and upbringing. She had two brothers: Dietrich
222:. The counts of Cleves were on good terms with the counts of Holland, who, like them, had an interest in limiting the power of the counts of
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of
Holland, then heir to the county, took place. The couple would have three daughters: Aleydis and Petronilla (both died before 1203) and
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In het spoor van Egbert. Aartsbisschop Egbert van Trier, de bibliotheek en geschiedschrijving van het klooster Egmond.
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Burgers, J. W. J. (1997). "Allinus, grafelijke kapelaan en
Egmondse geschiedschrijver". In: Vis, G. N. M. (ed.).
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In 1195, Adelaide actually had to take charge. The county was attacked from the north by Dirk's younger brother
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The good relationship between
Holland and Cleves was sealed with two marriages between the two houses: in 1182,
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306:(1839–1841). Aleid on horseback with her army: on the left the foot soldiers, on the right the horsemen
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are mentioned with disapproval. The prevailing opinion is that she acted mainly out of self-interest.
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314:(Willem) while Dirk himself was involved in a war against the Flemish count in
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of Holland, and in 1186 the union between Adelaide and
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Gules, an escutcheon argent, overall an escarbuncle Or
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of Cleves married Margaret (Margaretha), daughter of
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Burgers 1997, pp. 123–125; qtd. in Bussel 2019, n.p.
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459:. Instituut voor Nederlandse Geschiedenis.
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35:Aleid on horseback with her army (detail)
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120: 1186; died 1203)
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457:Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland
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448:Hilversum. pp. 116–151.
209:Dietrich II, Count of Cleves
156:Dietrich II, Count of Cleves
451:Bussel, Marion van (2019).
174:(died 1238), also known as
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498:12th-century women regents
483:13th-century women regents
106:Dirk VII, Count of Holland
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182:was, by her marriage to
333:Louis II, Count of Loon
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478:Countesses of Holland
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296:Johann Wilhelm Kaiser
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503:12th-century regents
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165:Adelaide of Sulzbach
354:Rijnsburg monastery
256:Countess of Holland
188:Countess of Holland
42:Countess of Holland
18:Countess of Holland
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473:1238 deaths
347:Later years
250: 1188
56:Predecessor
51:1190 – 1203
467:Categories
376:References
235:Floris III
139:Petronilla
392:Citations
358:Rijnsburg
263:comitissa
66:Successor
370:Loon War
239:Dirk VII
224:Guelders
184:Dirk VII
180:Adelheid
316:Zeeland
312:William
287:Regency
280:regency
275:coniunx
203:Origins
136:Aleydis
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364:Legacy
337:Leiden
320:Egmond
304:, 1195
162:Mother
152:Father
100:Spouse
88:Burial
176:Aleid
129:Issue
116:(
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48:Reign
269:uxor
213:III/
198:Life
178:and
83:1238
80:Died
272:or
243:Ada
192:Ada
143:Ada
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399:^
298:,
247:c.
216:IV
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118:m.
245:(
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