Ep. 198 – How Holland was Lost to the Holy Roman Empire (Part 1 - the Politics)
History of the Germans
Dirk Hoffmann-Becking
4.9 • 550 Ratings
🗓️ 19 June 2025
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today begins a two part series about how the Low countries modern day Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg shifted out of the Holy Empire. These lands, with the exception of Flanders, had been part of the empire for hundreds of years, ever since Henry the Fowler acquired Lothringia for east Francia in 925 – not by conquest but through diplomacy – as was his way.
There are two ways to tell the story of the split away from the empire, one is about the dynastic machinations, the marriages, poisonings and inability to produce male heirs, the other one is about economics and the rising power of the cities.
This, the first episode will look at the dynastic story, the pot luck and cunning plans that laid the groundworks for the entity that became known as the Low Countries to emerge, whilst the next one will look at the economic realities that thwarted the ambitions of one of the most remarkable women in late medieval history, Jacqueline of Bavaria, countess of Holland, Seeland and Hainault, and why that was ultimately a good thing, not for her and not for the empire, but for the people who lived in these lands.
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
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To make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.
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Salian Emperors and Investiture Controversy
Fredrick Barbarossa and Early Hohenstaufen
The Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356
The Reformation before the Reformation
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the history of the Germans. |
| 0:07.7 | Episode 198 How Holland was Lost, Part 1, which is also episode 14 of season 10, the Empire |
| 0:16.4 | in the 15th century. |
| 0:19.5 | Today we begin a two-part series about how the low countries, |
| 0:22.7 | modern-day Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg shifted out of the Holy Roman Empire. These |
| 0:27.8 | lands, with the exception of Flanders, had been part of the empire for hundreds of years, |
| 0:32.6 | ever since Henry the Fowler acquired Lothringa for East Francia in 925, not by conquest but through |
| 0:39.0 | diplomacy, as was his way. |
| 0:42.6 | There are two ways to tell the story of the split away from the empire. One is about the dynastic |
| 0:48.2 | machinations, the marriages, poisonings and inability to produce male heirs. The other one is about economics and the rising |
| 0:56.1 | power of the cities. This, the first episode, will look at the dynastic story, the potluck and |
| 1:02.4 | cunning plans that laid the groundwork for the entity that became known as the low countries. |
| 1:08.1 | Whilst the next one, we'll look at the economic realities that thwarted the ambitions |
| 1:12.1 | of one of the most remarkable women in late medieval history, Jacqueline of Bavaria, Countess |
| 1:17.4 | of Holland, Zealand and Enno, and why that was ultimately a good thing. |
| 1:22.8 | Not for her, not for the empire, but for the people who lived in these lands. |
| 1:29.3 | But before we start, the usual reminder that this show is advertising free. |
| 1:34.3 | No frantic pressing of the forward button to evade some cringeworthy endorsement of products one |
| 1:39.8 | could at least be skeptical about. |
| 1:42.3 | Assuing the corporate Mammone may not have been the most efficient way to organize things, |
| 1:48.1 | but then I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of so many of you. |
| 1:52.3 | Generosity not just directed at me, but mostly at your fellow listeners. |
... |
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