County of Loon

Who rules

Name

Louis II (Lodewijk II)

Title

Count of Loon

Since

1194, on the death of his father Gerard

Born

About 1170

Family

House of Loon. Son of Count Gerard and Adelaide of Guelders (died 1212; the nl.wikipedia infobox says Maria of Guelders, its family table Adelaide), so a nephew of Count Otto I of Guelders. First cousin of William of Perwez (son of Imagina of Loon) and of the Berthout children of Goda of Loon.

Confidence

high

nl.wikipedia Lodewijk II van Loon; a history of the county of Loon on dbnl.

Overlord

The bishop of Liege (Loon is a fief of the church of Liege, nl.wikipedia) and, beyond him, the king.

What the realm holds

• Borgloon, castle and capital
• Hasselt (allod until 1203)
• Kolmont castle (franchise 1170)
• Bilzen, Brustem (franchise 1175), Herk, Montenaken (franchises under Liege law, 12th century)
• Stokkem, Maaseik, Bree and Peer on the Meuse and in the northern Kempen
• Tessenderlo, and rights at Lummen (de.wikipedia makes the duke of Limburg's son Frederick lord of Lummen, died 1211/1212; nl.wikipedia has Louis later giving Tessenderlo and Lummen to the bishop and chapter of Liege)
• The county of Duras (see Duras)
• Herkenrode abbey, founded by Count Gerard in 1182
• Income at Sint-Truiden
• A share in Moha by the contract of 1197 (nl.wikipedia)

How it was acquired

Inherited from Gerard (died 1194); Duras bought by Gerard from the duke of Limburg (1189) and from the church of Liege.

Allies and rivals

Allies: Philip's party in the Low Countries: Holland, Guelders (his uncle Otto I) and Limburg. Rivals: Brabant (Duras, Sint-Truiden, the trade road), and, in the throne war, his own overlord at Liege and his Brabant neighbour, both on Otto's side according to the Loon history.

The realm that morning

Louis holds the county and Duras in peace; he is Philip's man, a vassal of Liege, and the neighbour Brabant most wants to bend.

Wealth

The Demer and the road from Brabant to Maastricht; rents of the Hesbaye loam around Borgloon; the Kempen heaths and the Meuse towns.

Military

Castles of Borgloon, Kolmont, Montenaken, Brustem and Stokkem; the franchise towns.

Threats

• Brabant's pressure on Duras and the road through Sint-Truiden
• The Liege election
• Isolation as Philip's man between Otto's Brabant and Aachen

Consort

None on record: he marries Ada of Holland in 1203.

Heirs and children

No children. Brothers: Gerard, count of Rieneck in Franconia; Arnold, the later count (Arnold III), who marries Adelaide of Brabant in 1206; Henry, count for three days in 1218. Other brothers and the sisters are not pinned in the sources used. Heir presumptive: his next brother (not pinned which).

Court winter 1199 in 1200

Not pinned; Borgloon is the county's capital, where the counts swore their oath.

Treaties marriages wars

1189: Gerard of Loon bought part of the Duras fiefs from Limburg; the church of Liege sold Conon's lands to Gerard and Wery of Walcourt. 1197: contract giving parts of Moha to Brabant and Loon.

Throne war

STAUFEN on 1 January 1200, medium confidence: the Loon history on dbnl says Louis first sided with Philip of Swabia although his Liege and Brabant overlords backed Otto, and changed sides in 1201 after the Welf preparations at Maastricht; nl.wikipedia says he changed under pressure.

Rome and the Church

Nothing on record for 1199.

The host

The count's knights and the levies of his franchise towns; no numbers.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

In 1200

1. 1 or 2 February 1200Albert of Cuyck dies; Louis's overlord changes, and the new bishop (Hugh of Pierrepont, Otto's man) will be the lord to whom he hands Hasselt, Tessenderlo, Montenaken and Brustem in 1203.Depends on: Albert's death and Hugh's election. Stopped by: Albert surviving; another candidate winning.

Later, on the likely course

1. 1201Louis goes over to Otto after the Welf preparations at Maastricht (Loon history).Depends on: Otto's party gathering at Maastricht; Brabant's and Liege's pressure. Stopped by: Philip sending real help to the Meuse.
2. November 1203 onward (later course)Marriage to Ada, heiress of Dirk VII of Holland, and the Loon War for Holland (1203-1206).Depends on: Dirk VII's death without a son (4 November 1203). Stopped by: Dirk living or having a son.

Where the sources disagree

• Lummen: de.wikipedia (Heinrich III. von Limburg) names Frederick of Limburg (died 1211/1212) lord of Lummen, while nl.wikipedia (Louis II of Loon) has Louis giving Tessenderlo and Lummen to Liege. Lummen may be a Loon fief held by the Limburg son: not pinned; drawn with Loon.
• The study of Archbishop Adolf of Cologne (Düsseldorf, chapters IV-V, citing Ficker's register no. 52) has Bishop Dietrich of Utrecht join Philip in September 1200 and Count Otto of Guelders and his nephew Count Louis of Loon follow his example in the summer of 1201, which implies that neither count was on Philip's side before; the ADB on Otto IV counts the duke of Brabant's quarrel with the count of Guelders among the troubles 'on the Welf side' at the end of 1202. The Cologne record's likely course follows the study. This runs against the dbnl Loon history (Louis first with Philip, changing sides in 1201): the count's side on 1 January 1200 is doubtful (left for the campaign).

Evidence: The count, his succession and his first side in the throne war come from nl.wikipedia and a published history of Loon; brothers beyond Gerard, Arnold and Henry are thin.

On the map: The ground is drawn in Count of Loon and Duras.

Primary sources for this realm

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. Read online