The Land van Arkel was a fief of the Counts of Holland, and was managed by the Lords of Arkel until 1412. The territory was bordered by the river Merwede on the south, and the river Linge on the east. The northern border might have reached as far as Everdingen, and the western border to the river Lek. Present-day towns in the territory include Leerdam, Arkel, Heukelum, Asperen, Hagestein, Haastrecht and Gorinchem.
Around 1234–1240, Herbaren II, lord of Ter Leede, is supposed to have moved to Arkel in order to settle there. He was the founder of the house of Arkel. He left the lordship Ter Leede (presumably located just south of modern Leerdam) to his younger brother. His son John II is named as vassal of the Count of Holland in a 1253 chronicle. Jan II was assigned a somewhat larger territory, stretching all the way to the river Merwede.
In 1260 the lords of Arkel gained possession of Bergambacht, but they were at a disadvantage because their properties were scattered. In 1272, the port of Gorinchem was bought from the lord of Bentheim, which allowed for toll collection on the Lek and Merwede rivers. There was a flourishing trade from which the lords of Arkel were able to profit considerably. Several castles were built, the most famous in Asperen, Haastrecht and Gorinchem (1267). The lords stayed mostly in this last castle in Gorinchem. In 1290, John II dedicated his castle at Gorinchem to his feudal liege lord, Floris V, count of Holland, in deference to his authority.
After John II van der Lede died without offspring in 1305, John III of Arkel inherited the lordship of Ter Leede. In 1351 the lands around the Lek river were added to their possessions. Haastrecht was also added. Otto gave Gorinchem, Hagestein and Leerdamcity rights in 1382. The power of the Lords of Arkel was at its highest at the end of the 14th century; the fortress on the eastern bank of the city of Gorinchem becoming known as The Imperial Castle.
The Duchy of Gelderland, the County of Holland and the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht watched grudgingly as the economic and military powers of the fiefdom grew. What followed was the Arkel War, which broke out in 1401, after a dispute with Duke Albert I of Bavaria, who was also the Count of Holland. John V managed to maintain his position until 1412, when he was driven to Vuren, where he was captured. He spent the rest of his life in captivity in Gouda and Leerdam. His son William of Arkel led a revolt in 1417, but was killed. The power of dynasty thus came to an end, although the descendants of Maria van Arkel, the daughter of John V, would eventually acquire major political powers in Gelre.
The castle of Gorinchem was demolished in 1413. A new castle was built for the Counts of Holland, south of the city walls. This castle was known as the Blue Tower.
Lords of Arkel
Herbaren II van der Lede (ca.1200 - 1257), received possession of the lordship Arkel (Arcelo, Arclo)
Jan I van Arkel, (1233–1272), nicknamed The Strong
In 2003 a pillar was found at the streets Artilleriekade and Struisvogelstreet in Gorinchem. It was dated to the 14th century and must have been part of the residence where the lords of Arkel resided. In 2006 foundations of a castle belonging to the lords of Arkel were dug up in Hagestein.
Gorinchem, also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 21.93 km2 (8.47 sq mi) of which 3.10 km2 (1.20 sq mi) is water. It had a population of 37,410 in 2021.
The Linge is a river in the Betuwe that is 99.8 km long, which makes it one of the longest rivers that flow entirely within the Netherlands.
The House of Egmond or Egmont is named after the Dutch town of Egmond, province of North Holland, and played an important role in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages and the Early modern period. The main lines Egmond-Geldern, Egmond-Gavere and Egmond-Buren-Leerdam had high noble, princely rank.
Acquoy is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and lies about 12 km (7 mi) east of Gorinchem.
Heeswijk Castle is a moated castle near Heeswijk in the Dutch province of North Brabant.
Vijfheerenlanden, literally "lands of five Lords", is a municipality in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The municipality was created on 1 January 2019 through the merger of the former municipalities of Vianen (Utrecht), Leerdam and Zederik. Vijfheerenlanden has 59,150 inhabitants on 1 January 2022.
Walraven I van Brederode was Burgrave of Stavoren from 1400 to 1401, lord of Brederode from 1402 to 1417, and Stadtholder of Holland from 1416 to 1417.
Reinoud III van Brederode, lord of Brederode and Vianen, burgrave of Utrecht, master of the woods and master of the hunt of Holland, member of the Council of State.
The Free or High Lordship of Zuid-Polsbroek was a type of local jurisdiction with many rights. It's now part of Polsbroek in the Dutch province of Utrecht.
William IV of Egmont was Lord of Egmond, IJsselstein, Schoonderwoerd and Haastrecht and Stadtholder of Guelders.
John V, Lord of Arkel was Lord of Arkel, Haastrecht and Hagestein and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and West Frisia. He was a son of Lord Otto of Arkel and his wife, Elisabeth of Bar-Pierrepont.
Otto, Lord of Arkel was Lord of Arkel from 6 May 1360 until his death.
William Otto, Lord of Arkel was the male member of the House of Arkel. He styled himself Lord of Arkel, although his father had lost control of Arkel in 1412, and William's attempt to regain it, failed. He positioned himself as a potential successor of the childless Duke Reinald IV of Guelders and Jülich; however, this attempt was also unsuccessful.
John IV, Lord of Arkel was Lord of Arkel from 1326 until his death.
Elizabeth of Bar also known as Elisabeth (Isabel) de Bar-Pierrepont, was born circa 1345 at Hagestein, Zeeland, Netherlands. She was the youngest daughter of Theobald de Bar, Seigneur de Pierrepont and his wife Marie de Namur. When her father, Theobald, died between 2 August 1353 and 6 July 1354, and because he had no legitimate male heir, she became the heiress of Bar-Pierrepont.
John III, Lord of Arkel was Lord of Arkel from 1297 until his death in 1324.
Bokhoven Castle was a big defendable castle in Bokhoven, the Netherlands. A moat and part of the northern wall of the outer bailey are all that reminds of the castle.
Willem V of Horne was a medieval nobleman.
Dirk Loef of Horne was a medieval nobleman.
Willem VI of Horne was a Dutch Nobleman, the Lord of Horne.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
