Dirk I, Count of Holland

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Dirk I of Holland
Count in Frisia

Dirk I as imagined in the 16th century
Reign uncertain – 928/944
Born ca. 870
Died 928/944
Buried Egmond
Predecessor Gerolf
Successor Dirk II
Consort Geva
Issue Dirk II
Father possibly Gerolf or
Radbod, Prince of the Frisians

Dirk I (Theoderic) was Count of Holland, thought to have been in office from ca. 921 to ca. 928 or 939.

[edit] 'Count in Frisia'

The actual title of count Dirk I was 'count in Friesland'.

Dirk is thought to be a son of Gerulf II, 'count in Frisia', who is named by some sources as one of the counts who assassinated their Viking overlord Godfryth 'the Sea King' at a place named Herespich (modern Spijk) in 885.

Regarding Dirk I, almost nothing is known of his life, a situation further clouded by the present-day hypothesis that he had a son, Dirk (numbered Dirk I bis, to avoid confusion with the already established numbering), who succeeded him instead of the traditional view that he was succeeded by his supposed son Dirk II.

[edit] Founding of the abbey at Egmond

In 922 Dirk was present at a place called Bladella (present day Bladel, in the extreme south of the Dutch province of Noord Brabant), at which he received certain lands ('at a place called Egmond') from the West Frankish king Charles III the Fat. Dirk subsequently erected a nunnery at the said lands, at which nuns prayed continuously for the well-being of the comital dynasty.

Under Dirk II however, this wooden convent was rebuilt in stone to house the relics of Saint Adalbert. Adalbert was not well known at that time, but he was said to have preached Christianity in the immediate surroundings two centuries earlier. The convent was also to be for a community of Benedictine monks from Ghent, replacing the nuns. Count Dirk and many of his descendants were buried at Egmond.

[edit] References/Bibliography

Preceded by
Gerolf		 Count of Friesland west of the Vlie
921–928		 Succeeded by
Dirk II