William II, Count of Hainaut

William II (1307 – 26 September 1345) was Count of Hainaut from 1337 until his death. He was also Count of Holland (as William IV) and Count of Zeeland. He succeeded his father, Count William I of Hainaut, and married in 1334 to Joanna, Duchess of Brabant, the daughter and heiress of John III, Duke of Brabant, but had no issue.[1]

William II
Holland, 1/4 groat, struck in Geertruidenberg by William IV as Count of Holland.
Born1307
Died(1345-09-26)26 September 1345
Warns, near Stavoren
Noble familyHouse of Avesnes
Spouse(s)Joanna, Duchess of Brabant
FatherWilliam I, Count of Hainaut
MotherJoan of Valois

William fought in France as an ally of the English. (He was the brother-in-law of King Edward III of England.) He went on crusade against the Saracens and the Lithuanians. He besieged Utrecht, because his one-time favorite 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.

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

See also

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


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