 The Hook Alliance Treaty in the Dutch National Archives | |
| Type | Alliance |
|---|---|
| Drafted | before 5 September 1350 |
| Original signatories |
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| Language | Dutch |
The Hook Alliance Treaty was signed during the first phase of the Hook and Cod wars in the County of Holland. By this treaty the Hook faction promised to support Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut against her rebellious son William of Bavaria.
The roots of the Hook Faction can be traced back to the reign of Count William III of Holland, who successfully ruled Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut from 1304 to 1337. During his reign the courtier and financer Willem van Duvenvoorde (c. 1290–1353) managed the internal affairs of Holland. This enabled Van Duvenvoorde and his relatives, the families: Wasseaar, Polanen, Brederode, Boechorst, etc. to amass fiefs and great fortunes. [1]
During the short reign of Count William IV (1337-1345) the Duvenvoorde clan continued in favor, while the financial situation got out of hand due to the lifestyle of the count.
When Count William IV got killed during his failed expedition to Friesland in late September 1345, the nobility had long been divided in two parties: pro and contra Van Duvenvoorde, and was arduous to fight. [1] The Duvenvoorde clan would later become known as the 'Hook' faction, their enemies became known as the 'Cod' faction. Most of the cities of Holland inclined to the Cod faction.
In early 1346 Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut became count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainault. She restored order, and made her second son William of Bavaria her lieutenant in Holland. He was assisted by a council that was again dominated by Van Duvenvoorde, and so nothing was done to quiet the nobility and rebellious cities. Soon, insubordination and anarchy took over in Holland and Zeeland. [2]
Before 5 September 1350 the Hook faction signed the treaty later known as the Hook Alliance Treaty (Hoekse Verbondsakte). On 21 September 1350 Margaret and William of Bavaria then came to Geertruidenberg, where she deposed him of all authority in Holland. [3]
William of Bavaria was then sent to Hainault, and practically imprisoned there. The Hooks seemed victorious, but by February 1351, the Cods had freed Count William, who became their leader. [4] The Cod faction also made formal alliances. The most well known is the Cod Alliance Treaty
The Hook Alliance Treaty is a rather straightforward document. It is a list of signatories followed by mutual promises, [3] and sealed in Hainaut. [5]
The list of signatories shows the extent of partisanship at the time, and can be compared to the list of enemies in the Cod Alliance Treaty.
The Hook alliance treaty uses the word heer in the usual way. If the word heer (Sir) is placed before the name, it denoted that someone was a knight. Squires (except Van Wasseaar) did not get the honorific 'sir'. The word heer after the name indicates that someone ruled a territory, and is therefore translated as 'lord'. In case that somebody is a knight, and rules territory, the second heer / Lord is omitted. E.g. Sir Gerard van Heemstede. However, sometimes this was not possible, because the family names differed. E.g. Sir Philips van Polanen held the Lordship Polanen with Polanen Castle. Sir Jan van Polanen had the Lordship of the Lek as his most prestigious possession.
Knights:
Priest:
Squires:
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Knights:
Priest:
Squires:
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The content of the treaty consisted of two parts. The first part consisted of promises by the Hook nobles and Margaret to help each other. I.e. they allied against an unnamed enemy. The second part consisted of Margaret authorizing the Hooks to use force against this unnamed enemy.
The promise of the Hook lords was a statement that they would always support 'their legal lord empress Margaret of Hainaut and Holland'. [3]
In Le Quesnoy (Hainaut) Margaret added that she would protect these nobles on 5 September 1350. [3] She stated that the signatories had fought against people living in her lands and outside. These people had attempted to evict her party from her lands, and burned and looted in her lands. She then took responsibility for what these nobles had done so far, or would do against this enemy. (Our enemies have done or will do with burning...) [9]
Margaret II of Avesnes was Countess of Hainaut and Countess of Holland from 1345 to 1356. She was Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Germany by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian.
The Hook and Cod wars comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were ostensibly fought over who should hold the title of "Count of Holland", but some have argued that the underlying reason was a power struggle conducted by the bourgeois in the cities against the ruling nobility.
Albert I, Duke of Lower Bavaria, was a feudal ruler of the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Low Countries. Additionally, he held a portion of the Bavarian province of Straubing, his Bavarian ducal line's appanage and seat, Lower Bavaria.
William I, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing, was the second son of Emperor Louis IV and Margaret II of Hainaut. He was also known as William V, Count of Holland, as William III, Count of Hainaut and as William IV, Count of Zeeland.
William II of Bavaria was Duke of Bavaria-Straubing and count of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland. He ruled from 1404 until 1417, when he died from an infection caused by a dog bite.
The Battle of Zwartewaal was a decisive naval battle during the Hook and Cod wars.
Dirk III van Brederode was lord of Brederode.
Brederode Castle, also called the Ruins of Brederode, is located near Santpoort-Zuid. The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century by William I van Brederode (1215–1285). William was a descendant of the lords van Teylingen, who were related to the counts of Holland. The castle formed part of the high lordship Brederode, which had been given in loan in the 13th century to the lords of Brederode by the count of Holland.
John II, Lord of Polanen was Lord of Polanen, Lord of De Lek and Lord of Breda.
Polanen Castle was a castle located in today's Monster, South Holland in the Netherlands. The ancestral home of the Polanen family, it suffered a siege in 1351 and was demolished in 1394. It was replaced by a small manor somewhat to the south.
The Cod Alliance Treaty was a 1350 or 1351 treaty by which a number of nobles and cities allied with William V of Holland against his mother Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut and her allies. It was signed in the first phase of the Hook and Cod wars.
The Battle of Veere was a small naval battle that took place in late May 1351 during the Hook and Cod wars.
Dirk III van Wassenaar was Heer van Wassenaar and burggraaf (burgrave) of Leiden.
Gerard (III) van Heemskerk, Lord of Heemskerk was a leader of the Cod Alliance during the opening phases of the Hook and Cod wars
Machteld van Voorne was Lady of Voorne, Monschau and Valkenburg, and burgrave of Zeeland. During the Hook and Cod wars she was an important ally of Count William V of Holland.
Floris I van BorselenFlorens de Bersalia was lord of Sint-Maartensdijk and Sint-Maartensdijk Castle, the count's lieutenant in Zeeland and keeper of the seal of Holland.
Geertruidenberg Castle was a major medieval castle in Geertruidenberg, then part of County of Holland now in North-Brabant, Netherlands
The Siege of Geertruidenberg (1351-1352) was a long siege of Geertruidenberg Castle during the first of the Hook and Cod wars.
The Siege of Zierikzee (1351) was a relatively unknown siege of Zierikzee during the first of the Hook and Cod wars.
Philips I, Lord of Polanen became Lord of Polanen in 1345. He later became Lord of Capelle, Nieuwerkerk, and Uyterlier. Philips was an important commander during the Hook and Cod wars.