had married Aleid of Holland, sister of Count William II, which formed the basis for the
dynastic union of Holland, Zeeland, and Hainaut under the Avesnes in 1299. The direct
line of the family was extinguished in 1345, when William II was succeeded by his sister
Marguerite, the wife of the emperor Louis of Bavaria, and her son William III, whose
rule unleashed civil warfare in Holland. The Bavarian Avesnes ruled Holland, Hainaut,
and Zeeland until these principalities were absorbed into the Burgundian state in 1433.
David M.Nicholas
Algemene Geschiedenis der Nederlanden. 2nd ed. Haarlem: Fibula-Van Dishoeck, 1982, Vols. 1–4.
Duvivier, Charles. Les influences française et germanique en Belgique au XIIIe siècle: la querelle
des d’Avesnes et des Dampierre jusqu’à la mort de Jean d’Avesnes (1257). Brussels: Falk,
1894.
Jansen, H.P.H. Hoekse en Kabeljauwse Twisten. Bussum: Van Dishoeck, 1966.
Pirenne, Henri. Histoire de Belgique. Brussels: Lamertin, 1922, 1929, Vols. 1–2.
Vaughan, Richard. Valois Burgundy. Hamden: Archon, 1975.
AVIGNON
. The Roman city of Avenio seemed destined to mediocrity before the arrival in France of
the papal court in the early 14th century. Thereafter, however, it grew to be the leading
city of the Vaucluse and one of the richest of France. Its prosperity in the late Middle
Ages is attested even today by its impressive, well-preserved ramparts (over two miles
long), its many churches and chapels, but espe
Avignon (Vaucluse), Papal Palace.
Photograph courtesy of Karen Gould.
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 164