Hook Alliance Treaty

The roots of the Hook Faction can be traced back to the reign of Count William III of Holland, who successfully ruled Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut from 1304 to 1337. During his reign the courtier and financer Willem van Duvenvoorde (c. 1290–1353) managed the internal affairs of Holland. This enabled Van Duvenvoorde and his relatives, the families: Wasseaar, Polanen, Brederode, Boechorst, etc. to amass fiefs and great fortunes.[1]

During the short reign of Count William IV (1337-1345) the Duvenvoorde clan continued in favor, while the financial situation got out of hand due to the lifestyle of the count.

When Count William IV got killed during his failed expedition to Friesland in late September 1345, the nobility had long been divided in two parties: pro and contra Van Duvenvoorde, and was arduous to fight.[1] The Duvenvoorde clan would later become known as the 'Hook' faction, their enemies became known as the 'Cod' faction. Most of the cities of Holland inclined to the Cod faction.

In early 1346 Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut became count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainault. She restored order, and made her second son William of Bavaria her lieutenant in Holland. He was assisted by a council that was again dominated by Van Duvenvoorde, and so nothing was done to quiet the nobility and rebellious cities. Soon, insubordination and anarchy took over in Holland and Zeeland.[2]

Before 5 September 1350 the Hook faction signed the treaty later known as the Hook Alliance Treaty (Hoekse Verbondsakte). On 21 September 1350 Margaret and William of Bavaria then came to Geertruidenberg, where she deposed him of all authority in Holland.[3]

William of Bavaria was then sent to Hainault, and practically imprisoned there. The Hooks seemed victorious, but by February 1351, the Cods had freed Count William, who became their leader.[4] The Cod faction also made formal alliances. The most well known is the Cod Alliance Treaty

The Hook Alliance Treaty is a rather straightforward document. It is a list of signatories followed by mutual promises,[3] and sealed in Hainaut.[5]

The list of signatories shows the extent of partisanship at the time, and can be compared to the list of enemies in the Cod Alliance Treaty.

The Hook alliance treaty uses the word heer in the usual way. If the word heer (Sir) is placed before the name, it denoted that someone was a knight. Squires (except Van Wasseaar) did not get the honorific 'sir'. The word heer after the name indicates that someone ruled a territory, and is therefore translated as 'lord'. In case that somebody is a knight, and rules territory, the second heer / Lord is omitted. E.g. Sir Gerard van Heemstede. However, sometimes this was not possible, because the family names differed. E.g. Sir Philips van Polanen held the Lordship Polanen with Polanen Castle. Sir Jan van Polanen had the Lordship of the Lek as his most prestigious possession.