They were named after Gerulf the Elder (died after 839), who is believed to have descended from the Frisian king Radbod (died 719). Dijkstra[who?] suggests that Dirk may have been the son of a sister of Gerolf and that his own father died while he was still an infant.
The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia He received land around Egmond from Charles the Fat at a place called Bladella (modern-day Bladel near Eindhoven) in 922. This is seen as the beginning of the county of Holland. However, until about 1100, the usual names for the county were West-Friesland, Frisia or Kennemerland; in spite of this the counts from Dirk I onwards are traditionally named of Holland.
Note that the chronology of the first few counts is uncertain. The existence of a count between Dirk I and Dirk II was only recently suggested, since it is thought that the references to counts named Dirk between 896 and 988 refer to three, not two, different counts. This third Count Dirk is placed between Dirk I and II and numbered as Dirk I bis to avoid confusion with the already established numbering referring to the other counts of Holland named Dirk.
The main line of the family died out in 1299.
Bentheim and other branches
A branch of the dynasty held the County of Bentheim. The property was inherited through Sophia of Rheineck, married to Dirk VI of Holland. Their children split the property. This branch survived longer than the original family: it went extinct in 1421, after which Bentheim was inherited through non-direct female line.
Bastard lines of the family were the Van Teylingen, Van Brederode and Van der Duyn. The House of Egmond and the Van Wassenaer may also trace their origins to an illegitimate child from this family.
The early reign of Dirk VI was marked by conflict. After a rebellion from her second son, Floris, Gertrude supported him and associated him to her regency in 1129-1131. However, after a second rebellion, she returned her support to her eldest son, and Floris didn't recover power. Floris was eventually assassinated by Dirk's supporters.
Claimants to the succession of Dirk VII. Dirk wanted for his brother to succeed him, but his widow pushed their daughter Ada for the inheritance, marrying her to the count of Loon, who should rule alongside his wife; The inheritance struggle motivated the Loon War: Ada was sent to England and her husband didn't have enough supporters; the matter was eventually settled in 1206, establishing a co-rulership between them, but soon undone, as by 1210 William was already using the title alone, which may indicate the abandonment of Ada's claim. William is noted for participating in the Fifth Crusade: on his way to Egypt, stopped in Portugal and helped to conquer Alcácer do Sal.
A. W. E. Dak: Genealogie der graven van Holland. ’s-Gravenhage 1954
A. C. F. Koch: Oorkondenboek van Holland en Seeland tot 1299 I. ’s-Gravenhage 1970
J. G. Kruisheer: De oorkonden en de kanselerij von den graven van Holland tot 1299 II. ’s-Gravenhage-Haarlem 1971
Johanna Maria van Winter: Die Hamaländer Grafen als Angehörige der Reichsaristokratie im 10. Jahrhundert,. in: Rheinische Vierteljahresblätter 44 (1980), p. 14–46
Johanna Maria van Winter: Ansfrid en Dirk twee namen uit de Nederlandse Geschiedenis van de 10e en 11e eeuw. in: Naamkunde. 13. Jahrgang (1981), p. 39–74
Johanna Maria van Winter: De vornaamste adelijk geslachten in de Nederlanden 10e en 11e eeuw. in: Algemene Geschiedenis der Nederlanden I. Haarlem-Bussum 1981, p. 225–229
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