A dyke in great haste

Scooting over to the Netherlands...

Floris V, Count of Holland and Zeeland (1254-96) was one of the claimants to the throne of Scotland, eventually assassinated by his own nobles. For much of his career he was focused on conquering West Friesland. Recent studies in the Netherlands, led by Nancy de Jong-Lembregts, have argued that Floris was heavily influenced by Edward I of England's castle-building policy in Wales.

His father, William II, was King of Germany as well as Count of Holland and Zeeland. William died on 28 January 1256, when his horse fell through a frozen lake near Hoogwoud, now a small city in the Dutch province of North Holland. Willliam was dragged out and killed by the Frisians, who hid his body. It was not discovered for 26 years, when his son Floris swore revenge.

Floris's first campaign against the Frisians occurred in 1272. West Friesland was an island, essentially, bordered by inlets to the north and interconnecting lakes to the south. The inhabitants of this swampy region had no wish to be vassals of the rulers of Holland, and held off Dutch invasions using guerilla-style tactics, similar to the Welsh and Irish.

As early as 1133 and 1168, the Dutch had made serious military attempts to conquer West Friesland, but never achieved a permanent settlement. Floris, just like his contemporary Edward I, was determined to reverse the failures of his ancestors.

Their strategies were remarkably similar. Edward widened roads and created new waterways in Wales, to provide easier access for his armies. Floris did the same on the borders of West Friesland, where he widened the traditional invasion route near Aaalkmar, north of Amsterdam, to make it easier for his cavalry. One of his clerks, Melis Stoke, wrote that Floris also raised a new dyke:

“He also had a dyke built nearby in great haste,
So that people could move from here in times of emergency,
And could go from the castle to Vronen and Aalkmar.”

Floris also built new fortifications, including a castle at Middelburg. A recent archaeological dig on the site in 2018 achieved results that were – according to the official study – nothing short of spectacular.