William II, Count of Hainaut

William II, Count of Hainaut
William II, Count of Hainaut
Spouse(s)	Joanna, Duchess of Brabant
Noble family	House of Avesnes
Father	William I, Count of Hainaut
Mother	Joan of Valois
Born	1307
Died	26 September 1345 Warns, near Stavoren

William II, Count of Hainaut (1307 – 26 September 1345) was William IV of Avesnes, William IV of Holland and William III of Zeeland from 1337 to his death, succeeding his father, William I. He married Joanna, Duchess of Brabant and Limburg in 1334, but had no issue.^[1]

Military career and death

Holland, 1/4 groat, struck in Geertruidenberg by William IV as Count of Holland.

William fought in France as an ally of the English (he was the brother-in-law of Edward III). He went on crusade against the Saracens and the Lithuanians. He besieged Utrecht, because his one-time favourite bishop John van Arkel of Utrecht had turned against him. He died at Warns, near Stavoren, during one of the battles of Warns against the Frisians in 1345.

After his death

William was succeeded by his sister, who was married to emperor Louis IV. Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland became a part of the imperial crown domains.

Ancestry

Ancestors of William II, Count of Hainaut

16. Bouchard IV of Avesnes               8. John I of Avesnes                       17. Margaret II, Countess of Flanders               4. John II, Count of Holland                             18. Floris IV, Count of Holland               9. Adelaide of Holland                       19. Matilde of Brabant               2. William I, Count of Hainaut                                   20. Waleran III of Limburg               10. Henry V of Luxembourg                       21. Ermesinda of Luxembourg               5. Philippa of Luxembourg                             22. Henry II, Count of Bar               11. Margaret of Bar                       23. Philippa de Dreux               1. William II, Count of Hainaut                                         24. Louis IX of France               12. Philip III of France                       25. Margaret of Provence               6. Charles of Valois                             26. James I of Aragon               13. Isabella of Aragon                       27. Violant of Hungary               3. Joan of Valois                                   28. Charles I of Naples               14. Charles II of Naples                       29. Beatrice of Provence               7. Margaret, Countess of Anjou                             30. Stephen V of Hungary               15. Maria of Hungary                       31. Elizabeth the Cuman

See also

• Counts of Hainaut family tree
• Counts of Holland family tree
• Friso-Hollandic Wars
• Frisia

References

1. Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 4