Margaret II, Countess of Hainault

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Margaret II of Avesnes (1311 – June 23, 1356) was Countess of Hainaut and Countess of Holland (as Margaret I) from 1345 to 1356. Margaret was the daughter of William I, Count of Hainaut and his wife, Jeanne of Valois. On 26 February 1324 in Cologne she married Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian.

She succeeded in 1345 her brother William IV following his death in battle: The emperor was conferring Hainaut, Holland, Zeeland and Friesland upon his wife, and shortly later also upon their son William V. The hereditary titles of Margaret's sisters, including Philippa of Hainaut who was Queen consort of Edward III of England, were ignored. Due to the dangerous hostility of the House of Luxemburg Louis had increased his power base ruthlessly. Margaret then returned to Holland in 1346 to secure her position of power but did not manage to prevent the coronation of the Luxemburg Charles IV as anti-king in Aix-la-Chapelle by force.

When Louis IV died on October 11, 1347, he was succeeded by his six sons. In 1349 the brothers decided to partition their possessions; Louis V, Duke of Bavaria kept Brandenburg and Tyrol, he and his younger brothers Louis VI the Roman and Otto V the Bavarian received Upper Bavaria. Stephen II, William and Albert received Lower Bavaria, Holland and Hainaut. Louis V and Stephen were no sons of Margaret and her youngest sons Albert and Otto were still minors. Louis VI released Holland and Hainaut for his brothers William and Albert in 1349 since he expected the Polish crown by his marriage with Cunigunde of Poland. In 1353 also Stephen released Holland and Hainault to his brother William.

Also Margaret had resigned her sovereignty in favour of her son William. In 1350, the nobles of Holland asked Margaret to return to Holland again. She then battled for the power in Holland and Hainaut for some years with her son William who had refussed to pay her alimony. The Cod league was formed in May 23, 1350 by a number of supporters of William. On September 5 of the same year, the Hook league was formed. Soon afterward, these factions clashed, and a civil war began.

Edward III of England, Margaret's brother-in-law through her sister Philippa of Hainault, came to her aid, winning a naval engagement off Veere in 1351; a few weeks later the Hooks and their English allies were defeated by William and the Cods at Vlaardingen, an overthrow which ruined Margaret's cause. Edward III shortly afterwards changed sides, and the empress saw herself compelled (1354) to come to an understanding with her son, he being recognized as count of Holland and Zeeland, she of Hainaut. Margaret died two years later, leaving William, in possession of the entire Holland-Hainaut inheritance (July 1356). William was married to Matilda ("Maud" in the English style) of Lancaster, sister to Blanche of Lancaster.

[edit] Family and children

Coats of Arms of the Counts of Hainaut and Holland.

In 1324 she married Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor. Their children were:

Margarete (1325–1374), married:
1. in 1351 in Ofen Stephen, Duke of Slavonia (d. 1354);
2. 1357/58 Gerlach von Hohenlohe.
Anna (c. 1326 – June 3, 1361, Fontenelles) married John I of Lower Bavaria (d. 1340)
Louis VI the Roman (1328–1365), duke of Upper Bavaria, elector of Brandenburg.
Elisabeth (1329 – August 2, 1402, Stuttgart), married with:
1. Cangrande II della Scala, Lord of Verona (d. 1359) in Verona on November 22, 1350;
2. Count Ulrich of Württemberg (d. 1388) in 1362.
William V of Holland (1330–1389), as William I duke of Lower Bavaria, as Wiliam V count of Hainaut and Holland
Agnes (Munich, 1335 – November 11, 1352, Munich)
Albert I of Holland (1336–1404), duke of Lower Bavaria, count of Hainaut and Holland
Otto V the Bavarian (1340–1379), duke of Upper Bavaria, elector of Brandenburg
Beatrix of Bavaria (1344 – December 25, 1359), married bef. October 25, 1356 Eric XII of Sweden
Louis (October 1347 – 1348)

[edit] See also

Counts of Hainaut family tree

Preceded by William IV	Countess of Hainaut 1345–1356	Succeeded by William V
Preceded by William IV	Countess of Holland and Zeeland 1345–1354	Succeeded by William V
Preceded by —	Duchess consort of Bavaria 1341–1347	Succeeded by Margarete Maultasch jointly with Elizabetta of Sicily, Cunigunde of Poland, Margaret of Brieg, Katharine of Bohemia
Preceded by Mechtild of Nassau	Countess (consort) Palatine of the Rhine 1324–1329	Succeeded by Anna von Kärnten-Tirol
Preceded by 'Vacant Title last held by Bianca Lancia (possibly) Isabella of England (definitely)'	Empress of the Holy Roman Empire 1328–1347	Succeeded by Anne of Świdnica
Preceded by Beatrix von Silesia-Glogau and Isabel of Aragon	German Queen 1324–1328 jointly with Isabel of Aragon 1324–1347	Succeeded by Blanche of Valois