| Notes |
- BIOGRAPHY
Willem was born in 1227. When his father Floris IV was killed at a tournament at Corbie in 1234 Willem was only seven years old. His uncles Willem and Otto (bishop of Utrecht) were his guardians. His uncle Willem was killed in a tournament in 1238 and from then on his mother Machteld acted as his regent until 1239.
With the help of Hendrik II, duke of Brabant, and the archbishop of Cologne, he was elected on 3 October 1247 as king of Germany after Emperor Friedrich II was excommunicated. After a siege of five months he took Aachen in 1248 from Friedrich's followers. Only then could he be crowned as king. Many of the German princes recognised his claim only after his marriage in 1252 to Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg, daughter of Otto I 'das Kind', duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Willem and Elisabeth had two children, Floris and Machteld; Floris would succeed his father and have progeny.
In his home county, Willem fought against Flanders for control of Zeeland, and declared himself (being king of Germany) count of Zeeland. In July 1253 he defeated the Flemish army at Westkapelle, and a year later a cease-fire followed. His anti-Flemish policy worsened his relationship with France.
In December 1255 they were in Worms when Elisabeth, on an outing to the castle Trifels near Speyer, was abducted by the robber baron Herman von Rietberg, who released her after a high ransom was paid. From 1254 Willem fought a number of wars against the West Friesians. He built strong castles in Heemskerk and Haarlem and created roads for the war against the Friesians. In a battle near Hoogwoud on 28 January 1456, his horse fell through the ice, and in his vulnerable position he was killed by the Friesians.
Willem's death robbed him of the opportunity to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Innocent IV. His body was recovered 26 years later in 1284 by his son Floris, who was only two years old when he succeeded his father as Floris V. Willem was buried in the Abbey Church of Middelburg.
Willem gave city rights to Haarlem, Delft, 's-Gravezande and Alkmaar. A castle he had built in 1248 marked the beginning of the city of 's-Gravenhage (The Hague).
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1227 - 1256 (28 years)
Siblings
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