William II of Holland
William II of Holland, (February 1228-28 January 1256), was a count of Holland and Zeeland (1235-1256) and king of Germany (1247-1256). He was the son of Floris IV and Mathilde of Brabant.
When his father was killed at a tournament at Corbie, William was only seven years old. His uncles William and Otto (bishop of Utrecht) were his guardians until 1239.
With the help of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and the archbishop of Cologne, he was elected in 1247 as king of Germany after Emperor Frederick II was excommunicated. After a siege of five months, he took Aachen in 1248 from Frederick's followers. Only then could he be crowned as king. Many of the German princes recognized his claim only after his marriage to Elizabeth, daughter of Otto the Child, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, in 1252.
In his home county, William fought with Flanders for control of Zeeland. He made 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.
From 1254, he fought a number of wars against the West Frisians. He build some strong castles in Heemskerk and Haarlem and created roads for the war against the Frisians. In a battle near Hoogwoud on January 28, 1256, his horse fell through the ice, and in this vulnerable position, William was killed by the Frisians.
William's death robbed him of the opportunity to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Innocent IV. His body was recovered 26 years later by his son Floris of Holland, who was only 2 years old when he succeeded his father. William was buried in Middelburg.
William gave city rights to Haarlem, Delft, 's-Gravenzande and Alkmaar. A castle he had built in 1248 was the beginning of the city of The Hague.