A new era
The position of the Cuycks declined after their involvement in the murder on Floris the Black in 1133. Their castle at Cuijk was entirely destroyed and the Count of Holland confiscated part of their landed property. The power of the van Cuyck family was broken. Only in 1137 Herman van Cuyck was able to return to his fief (Cuijk), but he was forced to become a vassal of the count of Holland. From then on, the Cuyck family members had to be content with minor ecclesiastical and lay positions and marriages into lower noble families. The Cuycks also lost most of their influence in Utrecht when Bishop Andreas van Cuyck died in 1139. In the mean while the power of their rivals Holland, Gelre and Altena-Berg increased rapidly. The political situation had changed drastically.
The 12th century was dominated by severe conflicts. In 1122 the Investiture Conflict was settled in the Concordat of Worms, but the dispute between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor continued and reached a climax with Frederik II. The long lasting struggle between the Welf and the Hohenstaufen in Germany had its influence on all the feudal territories attached to the crown. The kings of England, France and Germany participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192), but eventually made war to each other. The counts of Flanders, Hainault, Holland and Gelre, the duke of Brabant and the prince-bishop of Utrecht fought amongst each other in a struggle for consolidation of their powers.
Feudal and political relations
Around 1168 Hendrik II van Cuyck (IV.1) succeeded his father Herman as lord of Cuijk and count of Utrecht. As comes Trajectensis or count of Utrecht he was a vassal of the bishop of Utrecht and exercised power over the town and freedom of Utrecht; he was also guardian of the collegiate church of Saint-John in Utrecht. The good relationship between Hendrik and the bishop derived from family relations, Hendrik’s wife Sophia being the niece of bishop Godfried of Rhenen (1156-1178). Sophia was the only daughter of Dirk of Rhenen, viscount of Utrecht, and inherited the allodial land of Herpen from her father. In 1191 Hendrik van Cuyck handed over Herpen partly to the duke of Brabant, partly to the archbishop of Cologne, who both returned it as a fief.
Hendrik II van Cuyck was a vassal of the German emperor. He regularly was present at the German court as we can tell from the charters. When Otto of Brunswick (Hohenstaufen) was elected king in Cologne on 9 June 1198, Hendrik was one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire, an extremely prestigious dignity. They were called the prinicpes et barones Alamannie, clerici et laici (the clerical and lay princes and barons of Germany) and consisted of the archbishop of Cologne, the bishops of Paderborn and Minden, the abbots of Corvey, Inden and Werden, the duke of Brabant and Hendrik van Cuyck. The electors received their fiefs, did the king homage and swore him fealty. The other candidate to become King of Germany was Philip of Swabia (Welf), son of Frederik Barbarossa. He was elected at Mülhausen in Thuringia on 8 March 1198, backed by a much more impressive group (in number) of principes et magnates, among them prince-bishop Albert of Liège (IV.2), brother of Hendrik van Cuyck.[1]
Familial relations
In this early period, we can see that the Cuycks were still part of an impressive familial network.
Hendrik’s grandmother was countess of Hochstaden. His paternal uncle Godfried van Cuyck (III.2) became count of Arnsberg. His paternal aunt Aleydis van Cuyck (III.4) married the lord of Rode. His brother Albert van Cuyck (IV.2) became bishop of Liège.
Hendrik married Sophia van Rhenen, daughter of Dirk, viscount (castellanus) of Utrecht, and heiress of Herpen. They had three sons and two daughters. Their oldest son Godfried (V.1) was lord of Herpen and castellanus of Horst, but as he died before his father, it was the second son Albert van Cuyck (V.2) who succeeded Hendrik as lord of Cuijk. A third son (V.5) was magister and dean of Saint-Marie in Utrecht. One daughter, Alveradis van Cuyck (V.3), married Dirk of Voorne, viscount of Zeeland. The other daughter, Lutgardis van Cuyck (V.4), married Godfried II, lord of Breda and Schoten.
The 12th century was dominated by severe conflicts. In 1122 the Investiture Conflict was settled in the Concordat of Worms, but the dispute between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor continued and reached a climax with Frederik II. The long lasting struggle between the Welf and the Hohenstaufen in Germany had its influence on all the feudal territories attached to the crown. The kings of England, France and Germany participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192), but eventually made war to each other. The counts of Flanders, Hainault, Holland and Gelre, the duke of Brabant and the prince-bishop of Utrecht fought amongst each other in a struggle for consolidation of their powers.
Feudal and political relations
Around 1168 Hendrik II van Cuyck (IV.1) succeeded his father Herman as lord of Cuijk and count of Utrecht. As comes Trajectensis or count of Utrecht he was a vassal of the bishop of Utrecht and exercised power over the town and freedom of Utrecht; he was also guardian of the collegiate church of Saint-John in Utrecht. The good relationship between Hendrik and the bishop derived from family relations, Hendrik’s wife Sophia being the niece of bishop Godfried of Rhenen (1156-1178). Sophia was the only daughter of Dirk of Rhenen, viscount of Utrecht, and inherited the allodial land of Herpen from her father. In 1191 Hendrik van Cuyck handed over Herpen partly to the duke of Brabant, partly to the archbishop of Cologne, who both returned it as a fief.
Hendrik II van Cuyck was a vassal of the German emperor. He regularly was present at the German court as we can tell from the charters. When Otto of Brunswick (Hohenstaufen) was elected king in Cologne on 9 June 1198, Hendrik was one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire, an extremely prestigious dignity. They were called the prinicpes et barones Alamannie, clerici et laici (the clerical and lay princes and barons of Germany) and consisted of the archbishop of Cologne, the bishops of Paderborn and Minden, the abbots of Corvey, Inden and Werden, the duke of Brabant and Hendrik van Cuyck. The electors received their fiefs, did the king homage and swore him fealty. The other candidate to become King of Germany was Philip of Swabia (Welf), son of Frederik Barbarossa. He was elected at Mülhausen in Thuringia on 8 March 1198, backed by a much more impressive group (in number) of principes et magnates, among them prince-bishop Albert of Liège (IV.2), brother of Hendrik van Cuyck.[1]
Familial relations
In this early period, we can see that the Cuycks were still part of an impressive familial network.
Hendrik’s grandmother was countess of Hochstaden. His paternal uncle Godfried van Cuyck (III.2) became count of Arnsberg. His paternal aunt Aleydis van Cuyck (III.4) married the lord of Rode. His brother Albert van Cuyck (IV.2) became bishop of Liège.
Hendrik married Sophia van Rhenen, daughter of Dirk, viscount (castellanus) of Utrecht, and heiress of Herpen. They had three sons and two daughters. Their oldest son Godfried (V.1) was lord of Herpen and castellanus of Horst, but as he died before his father, it was the second son Albert van Cuyck (V.2) who succeeded Hendrik as lord of Cuijk. A third son (V.5) was magister and dean of Saint-Marie in Utrecht. One daughter, Alveradis van Cuyck (V.3), married Dirk of Voorne, viscount of Zeeland. The other daughter, Lutgardis van Cuyck (V.4), married Godfried II, lord of Breda and Schoten.
Hendrik’s mother came from an important family. We don’t know her name, but she was a daughter of Aleidis of Namur (+ 1124) and Otto II, count of Chiny.[2] The marriage connected the Cuyck family with the counts of Namur, Chiny and Louvain. Hendrik’s grandfather was Albert III, count of Namur (1063-1102).
The name of his grandmother is unknown, but his step-grandmother Ida of Saxony was the heiress of the county of Laroche and daughter of the duke of Saxony. Godfried I, count of Louvain, Gijsbrecht, count of Duras, and Albert I, count of Chiny, were Hendrik’s uncles.[3] Another uncle, Adalbero of Chiny, became prince-bishop of Liège in 1135. One of his nieces was married to the English King Henry I, another one to Arnold III, count of Kleef. He was also related to the powerful Baldwin, count of Hainault, Namur and Flanders
The name of his grandmother is unknown, but his step-grandmother Ida of Saxony was the heiress of the county of Laroche and daughter of the duke of Saxony. Godfried I, count of Louvain, Gijsbrecht, count of Duras, and Albert I, count of Chiny, were Hendrik’s uncles.[3] Another uncle, Adalbero of Chiny, became prince-bishop of Liège in 1135. One of his nieces was married to the English King Henry I, another one to Arnold III, count of Kleef. He was also related to the powerful Baldwin, count of Hainault, Namur and Flanders
The Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192), also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin.[4] The latter had taken Acre and Jerusalem by the end of 1187. Pope Gregory VIII proclaimed that the capture of Jerusalem was punishment for the sins of the Christians across Europe and the kings of England and France decided to start a new Crusade. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederik Barbarossa immediately responded to the call of arms. He organized the Diet of Mainz (Reichstag zu Mainz) on Easter (27 March) 1188, a meeting of the Estates General of the Holy Roman Empire in Mainz Cathedral. All the lords of Germany adjourned the so-called Reichstag Christi, where the emperor took up the cross. Many nobles followed his example: Hendrik II van Cuyck was one of them.
The emperor led an enormous army to the East. On 28 May 1189 the illustrious King Bela of Hungary joyfully received Frederik Barbarossa and the nobles who accompanied him, among them Hendrik II van Cuyck. The army then continued its journey through Serbia and Bulgaria and finally arrived at Constantinople in the autumn of 1189. On 10 June 1190 Frederik Barbarossa drowned while crossing the river Saleph (now known as the Göksu). He had decided to walk his horse through the river instead of crossing the bridge that had been too crowded with troops. The current was too strong for the horse to handle, and the suit armour was too heavy for the emperor to swim in: both were swept away and drowned. Efforts to conserve his body in vinegar eventually failed. Hence, his flesh was interred in the church of Saint-Peter in Antioch, his bones in the cathedral of Tyre, and his heart and inner organs in Tarsus.
Frederik's death plunged his army into chaos. Leaderless, panicking, and attacked on all sides by Turks, many Germans deserted, were killed, or committed suicide. Only 5,000 soldiers, a small fraction of the original force, arrived in Acre. Many returned home, among them Hendrik van Cuyck, though it is not clear whether he did this before or after the conquest of Acre (12 July 1191).
A remarkable Bishop: Albert van Cuyck
Through his mother, Hendrik van Cuyck was well connected to the prince-bishops of Liège. His great uncle Frederik of Namur held the office from 1119 to 1121.[5] Hendrik’s uncle Adalbero II of Chiny was prince-bishop of Liège from 1135 to 1145.[6] And his brother Albert van Cuyck (IV.2) became bishop in 1194. He was a most remarkable person.[7]
Albert started his ecclesiastical career at young age. We find him in Utrecht, where he was provost of the collegiate church of Saint-John in Utrecht from 1174 to 1184. He was also active in Liège: archdeacon (1178-1193), provost of the collegiate church of Saint-Lambert (1185-1192) and probably also provost of Saint-Paul.
The Bishopric of Liège, with its cathedral church of Saint-Lambert, comprised seven collegiate churches and thirty parish churches, four abbeys, and numerous monasteries. The chapter numbered fifty-nine clerics from all the important families of the region.
The ecclesiastical domain of the bishop was much larger than the princedom he controlled as a vassal of the king of Germany. This princely domain of the church of Liège had been gradually enlarged by donations and acquisitions. In the 10th century, the bishops had received secular power and become sovereign princes. The prince-bishopric of Liège succeeded in maintaining its autonomy, though theoretically it was part of the Holy Roman Empire. This virtual independence was owed largely to the ability of its bishops, who on several occasions played an important part in international politics, being strategically positioned between France and Germany.
In Germany Emperor Henry VI occupied the throne since the death of his father Frederik Brabarossa in 1191. He relied heavily on the ecclesiastical princes of his realm, and they responded to his needs. They attended court, accompanied the emperor throughout his territories, filled high offices of state, executed diplomatic missions and joined in the emperor’s crusade and military campaigns. The close collaboration resulted from Henry’s policy of careful control over elections to the episcopal sees, so that men upon whom he could rely and whom he could trust secured these important offices and their resources.
The election in 1191 of the young bishop Albert of Louvain, brother of Henry I of Brabant, was not approved by the emperor – he appointed Lotharius of Hochstaden – and caused a long and bitter conflict, which ended with the assassination of bishop Albert on 24 November 1192: he was slaughtered in Reims and buried in the cathedral. It is likely that the emperor ordered the murder.[8] The pope excommunicated Lotharius and suspended him from all his prebends. The emperor was forced to do penance. The situation eventually led to the great princely uprising against the crown.
After the murder of Albert of Louvain and the excommunication of Lotharius of Hochstaden, the episcopal sea was vacant once again. And again it would be hard to find someone who would be accepted by the Church, the people, the emperor and the princes. A synod of clerics and laymen of Liège was responsible for electing the new bishop. But the electors all were connected to the important families and dynasts in the region, which made it difficult to reach a consensus.
Duke Henry III of Limburg tried to have his son Simon elected. The boy was only 16 years old and thus too young for the position. Moreover Duke Henry I of Brabant withstood this candidacy because he feared the increase of Limburg power. Nevertheless Simon was elected and shortly after he did homage to the emperor (13 November 1193). But he was not accepted. Liège had four valid candidates, all of appropriate age, all holding the degree of archdeacon: Albert of Réthel, Albert van Cuyck, Otto of Valkenburg and Hugo of Pierpont. These four men were related to and supported by Count Baldwin V of Hainault (Baldwin I of Namur, Baldwin VIII of Flanders), who was at war with Brabant. While Simon was trying to get his election confirmed by the pope, the opposite party attempted the contrary. Pope Celestine III annulled Simon’s election and ordered a new one to be held in a place where the electors would be able to act in full liberty. Far away from Liège, occupied by Limburg, in the collegiate church of Saint-Aubin in Namur, Albert van Cuyck was elected on 18 November 1194. Baldwin of Hainault came to Namur to pay homage to the new bishop and promised to protect him against his enemies.
The next year Simon and Albert both travelled to Rome, where the pope confirmed the election of Albert and Simon received the title of Cardinal as a consolation prize; Simon died in Rome on 1 August 1195. Than the rumor of Albert’s death was spread, resulting in the election of Otto of Valkenburg. Both Albert and Otto appeared before the emperor in Worms and asked for the investiture. Finally Albert did homage to the emperor and after being consecrated by the archbishop of Cologne (7 January 1196), he returned to Liège.
Albert van Cuyck is especially known because he granted to the bourgeoisie of Liège a collection of customs, rights and liberties in the so-called ‘charter of Albert van Cuyck’. The document – now lost, but copied in a confirmation charter of 1208 – contained 26 articles and is considered to be the first step in the process of democratization in the Middle Ages. Albert liberated the citizens of Liège from unwanted taxes and military service, confirmed and protected their property rights (no confiscation) and protected them from the violation of their homes. He also set maximum prices for bread, grain and beer. Today in Liège the expression pauvre home dans sa maison est roi (a poor man is king in his own home) still exists and refers to the privileges Albert of Cuyck gave to the citizens of the town.
Today a street in Liège bears the name of ‘Albert de Cuyck’, because he gave these privileges to the city. Historians doubt whether this charters indeed existed. They think Albert orally confirmed existing privileges. Whatever the truth may be, it is clear that Albert was praised for his prudence, wisdom and intellect and remembered for the efforts he did for the town of Liège.[9]
Albert van Cuyck also played an important part in the building of the famous Gothic cathedral of Liège. The original church was entirely destroyed by a violent fire in 1185. Part of the cathedral had been restored by 1189, when the archbishop of Cologne visited to reconsecrate the church. Albert van Cuyck continued the restoration and in 1197, the relics of Saint Lambert, which had been in safe storage since the fire, were reinstalled in the new building.
The seal of Albert of Cuyck was oval (75 x 64 mm) and shows the seated and mitered bishop, holding a cross in his right hand and a book in his left hand. Legend: Albert dei gratia Leodiensis episcopus (Albert by the grace of God bishop of Liège).[10]
Albert also produced hammered coins. The denier (silver) shows the bishop with miter and staff of office on one side, and a representation of the town of Huy with the collegiate church and the fortress on the other side.
Albert van Cuyck died on 2 February 1200 and was buried in the cathedral. His tomb was discovered during excavations on the Place Saint-Lambert, the spot where the gothic church used to stand. His remains were transferred to the crypte of the actual cathedral of Saint-Paul. A fragment of the memorial plate, his ring and part of his cross are exhibited in the museum. [11]
In the shadow
Hendrik II van Cuyck died in 1204. His oldest son Godfried (V.1) already being deceased at that time, he was succeeded as lord of Cuijk and Grave and count of Utrecht by his second son Albert (V.2). Albert van Cuyck sold his comitia Trajectensis, his title of count of Utrecht, to the bishop of Utrecht, although he kept the fealty attached to the title. Hendrik III van Cuyck (VI.1), Albert’s oldest son, succeeded his father in 1233.
It is generally accepted that the Cuycks became less important and their power and influence diminished in a significant way, but a closer look at the documents shows a much more nuanced picture. The Cuycks indeed disappeared from the fore, but in the shadow they remained important players who developed an impressive network.
Brabant
From the 1180’s onwards Hendrik II van Cuyck started to develop a close relationship with Henry I, duke of Brabant. The title of duke of Brabant was brand new and created by the German Emperor Frederik Barbarossa in favor of Henry I, son of Godfried III of Louvain. In 1190, after the death of Godfried III, Henry I also became duke of Lotharingia.
Even though it seems that the duke of Brabant tried to claim Hendrik’s territories while being on crusade (in September 1190, during the Reichstag in Schwäbisch Hall), the latter developed a good relationship with Brabant. Hendrik II van Cuyck became a vassal of Brabant for Herpen in 1191. Through his mother, Hendrik was related to the counts of Louvain / dukes of Brabant.
Hendrik – sometimes together with his son Albert – represented duke Henry I on different occasions, such as treaties with Baldwin V of Hainault and Flanders (1194), with the count of Gelre (1195). In the violent conflict between Brabant on the one hand and Holland and Gelre on the other hand (1196-1203), the Cuycks fought on the side of Henry I. During the siege of ‘s Hertogenbosch (7 September 1202), Dirk VII, count of Holland, took prisoner Hendrik van Cuyck and his son Albert. It took months before peace was established and Hendrik and Albert were released against a ransom of 2,000 silver Marks.
The good relationship with Brabant continued with Albert van Cuyck and Hendrik III van Cuyck.[12] The Lords of Cuijk became to be known as knights of Brabant. An example of this can be found in 1238. In February of that year King Louis IX of France (Saint Louis) organized a great tournament in Compiègne where more than 300 knights were present. The occasion was the marriage of his brother Robert I of Artois to Mathilde, daughter of the duke of Brabant, the year before. Le Seigneur de Kuelz is mentioned among the knights from Brabant. The description of the coat of arms makes clear that it is in fact the Lord of Cuijk: D’or à 2 fasces de gueules à 8 merles de gueules en orle, 3 en chef, 2 en flanc et 3 en pointe. Haneau couronné au camail d’or. Cimier: 2 cornes de vair.[13]
The King of Germany
From the very beginning the lords of Cuijk were vassals of the king of Germany. After the murder on Floris the Black in 1133 the relationship with the King was virtually nonexistent, but this changed again during the reign of Konrad III. Herman and Godfried van Cuyck were present at the Reichstag in Bamberg in 1144, at the Landtag in Utrecht in 1145 and at the Hoftag in 1151. They joined the king when he stayed in Aachen for Christmas 1145 and again in 1146. And they were present in Aachen on 30 March 1147 when Konrad’s son Henry was crowned.
The close relationship continued with Hendrik II van Cuyck. He was one of the witnesses present at the Hoftag in Gelnhausen when emperor Frederik Barbarossa deposed the Welf duke of Saxony Henry the Lion. Hendrik and the duke of Brabant were also the only lay electors of Otto IV in 1198.
The contacts continued during the 13th century.
Marital politics – familial networks
Hendrik II arranged excellent marriages for his two daughters.
Alveradis married Dirk II, lord of Voorne and viscount of Zeeland. The lords of Voorne were powerful and independent rulers of the Land of Voorne, situated at the mouth of the river Meuse. The oldest son of Alveradis and Dirk succeeded his father as lord of Voorne and viscount of Zeeland, their second son became the first lord of Heenvliet.
Lutgardis married Godfried II, lord of Breda and Schoten. Around 1198 Godfried became a vassal of the duke of Brabant for the land of Breda and Schoten. It appears he was in very close contact with the duke: he almost certainly arranged the marriage between Machteld of Brabant and the future count of Holland Floris IV in 1214. Machteld was 14 years old at that time; Floris was 4. So the marriage was not celebrated until in 1224 and in the mean while Godfried and his wife Lutgardis van Cuyck accommodated Machteld in Schoten (near Antwerp).
Lutgardis was quite a remarkable lady.[14] She inherited Perk (near Vilvoorde) from her great uncle Gerlach of Rhenen and was therefore called Lutgardis of Perk. After her husband had died in 1216, she administered all his possessions, even though her children had already reached adulthood. She called herself by the grace of God lady of Breda and Schoten. She had possessions in the surroundings of Brussels and the duke of Brabant called her his blood relative. Lutgardis died around 1122; she was buried in the church of Saint-Michael in Antwerp. Her sarcophagus was found during excavations in 1843.
For his son and successor Albert, Hendrik II van Cuyck arranged a marriage with the daughter of Rutger, lord of Merum. This is how the Cuyck family came into the possession of Merum and allodial lands in Herten and Maasniel (near Roermond). The marriage connected the Cuycks also with the van Horne family.
Albert and his wife had ten children: 7 sons and 3 daughters. The oldest son, Hendrik III van Cuyck (VI.1), succeeded his father as lord of Cuijk and Grave, lord of Merum and Half Asten. The second son, Rutger van Cuyck (VI.2), inherited Herpen. Dirk van Cuyck (VI.4) became Viscount of Leiden and Willem van Cuyck (VI.5) became lord of Asten and Escharen. Marriages of the daughters connected the Cuycks to the lords of Diest, Reifferscheid, Amstel and Lek.
[1] B. Arnold, Princes and territories in medieval Germany (Cambridge, 1991), pp. 27-30.
[2] Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, 22 (Brussel, 2016), forthcoming.
[3] Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, 22 (Brussel, 2016), forthcoming.
[4] D. Nicolle, The Third Crusade 1191: Richard the Lionheart and the Battle for Jerusalem (Oxford, 2005). S. Runciman, A History of the Crusades, II and III (Cambridge, 1952-1955).
[5] When Frederik died, his body turned blue and his eyes bulged out. It was believed his opponents had poisoned him. He was buried in the cathedral of Liège and the people came to his tomb to pray. They worshipped him as a saint and a martyr, especially because of his virtues and his struggle against simony. His feast is on 27 May. Biographie nationale de Belgique, 7 (Brussels, 1880-1883), col. 288-289.
[6] Biographie nationale de Belgique, 1 (Brussels, 1866), col. 183-184.
[7] J. de Theux de Montjardin, Le Chapitre de Saint-Lambert à Liège, I (Brussels, 1871), pp. 183-185. Daris, Histoire du diocese et de la principauté de Liège depuis leur origine jusqu’en XIIIe siècle (Liège, 1890), pp. 639-654.
[8] J. Meerbergen, Sint Albertus van Leuven (Antwerp, 1935). R. H. Schmandt, ‘The Election and Assassination of Albert of Louvain, Bishop of Liège, 1191-92’, in: Speculum, 42/4 (1967), pp. 639-660. At the request of Albert VII, Archduke of Austria and Governor General of the Netherlands, the Pope canonized Bishop Albert of Louvain in 1613. His body was transferred from Reims to Brussels and later (1882) to the cathedral of Liège. A hip was returned to Reims and the Archduke received some smaller bones and a golden ring. In 1919 archeological research showed that the wrong body was sent to the Netherlands. The canons of Reims mistook the tomb of Archbishop Odalric of Reims for that of Albert. The remains of the murdered Bishop of Liège are still in Reims cathedral. L. Vervaeck, ‘Les reliques de S. Albert de Louvain, évêque de Liège’, in: Analecta Bollandiana, 26 (1907), pp. 393-422. L. Vervaeck, ‘La découverte du tombeau de S. Albert de Louvain’, in: Analecta Bollandiana, 40 (1922), pp. 155-170. L. Duerloo, Dynasty and Piety. Archduke Albert (1598-1621) and Habsburg Political Culture in an Age of Religious Wars (Ashgate, 2012), pp. 387-388.
[9] G. Despy, ‘La charte d’Albert de Cuyck de 1196 pour les bourgeois de Liège a-t-elle existé’, in: Revue belge de philology et d’histoire, 50 (1972), pp. 1071-1097.
[10] E. Poncelet, Les sceaux et les chancelleries des princes-évêques de Liège (Liège, 1983), p. 163.
[11] L. Engen & J. Philippe, ‘Les documents provenant du site de la place Saint-Lambert conserves au Musée Curtius à Liège’, in: M. Otte (ed.), Les fouilles de la place Saint-Lambert à Liège, I (Liège, 1984), pp. 27-29. J.-L. Kupper, Liège et l’Eglise imperial. XIe-XIIe siècles (Paris, 1981), pp. 154, 198-199. E. Dabrowska, ‘Insignes du pouvoir episcopal et abbatial dans l’archéologie funéraire des dioceses pyrénéens français’, in: Aquitania, 13 (1995), pp. 277-284. J.-L. Kupper, Liège. Autour de l'an mil, la naissance d'une principauté (Xe-XIIe siècle) (Liège, 2000), p. 18.
[12] Coldeweij (De Heren van Kuyc, pp. 55-57) thought that Hendrik III did not continue the tradition of his father and grandfather, because the latter never represented the Duke of Brabant. Most of the charters Hendrik III appears in concern indeed his own property or fiefs, but his presence among the knights of Brabant in 1238 proves that he continued the close connections between Cuyck and Brabant.
[13] A. de Behaud, ‘La noblesse hennuyère au tournoi de Compiégne, de 1238’, in: Annales du Cercle Archéologique de Mons, 22 (1890), p. 93.
[14] H. van Cuyck & V. Lambert, ‘Lutgardis van Cuyck, vrouwe van Breda en Schoten’, in: Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, Vol. 22 (Brussels, Koninklijke Academiën van België, 2016), forthcoming.
The Third Crusade (1189–1192), also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin.[4] The latter had taken Acre and Jerusalem by the end of 1187. Pope Gregory VIII proclaimed that the capture of Jerusalem was punishment for the sins of the Christians across Europe and the kings of England and France decided to start a new Crusade. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederik Barbarossa immediately responded to the call of arms. He organized the Diet of Mainz (Reichstag zu Mainz) on Easter (27 March) 1188, a meeting of the Estates General of the Holy Roman Empire in Mainz Cathedral. All the lords of Germany adjourned the so-called Reichstag Christi, where the emperor took up the cross. Many nobles followed his example: Hendrik II van Cuyck was one of them.
The emperor led an enormous army to the East. On 28 May 1189 the illustrious King Bela of Hungary joyfully received Frederik Barbarossa and the nobles who accompanied him, among them Hendrik II van Cuyck. The army then continued its journey through Serbia and Bulgaria and finally arrived at Constantinople in the autumn of 1189. On 10 June 1190 Frederik Barbarossa drowned while crossing the river Saleph (now known as the Göksu). He had decided to walk his horse through the river instead of crossing the bridge that had been too crowded with troops. The current was too strong for the horse to handle, and the suit armour was too heavy for the emperor to swim in: both were swept away and drowned. Efforts to conserve his body in vinegar eventually failed. Hence, his flesh was interred in the church of Saint-Peter in Antioch, his bones in the cathedral of Tyre, and his heart and inner organs in Tarsus.
Frederik's death plunged his army into chaos. Leaderless, panicking, and attacked on all sides by Turks, many Germans deserted, were killed, or committed suicide. Only 5,000 soldiers, a small fraction of the original force, arrived in Acre. Many returned home, among them Hendrik van Cuyck, though it is not clear whether he did this before or after the conquest of Acre (12 July 1191).
A remarkable Bishop: Albert van Cuyck
Through his mother, Hendrik van Cuyck was well connected to the prince-bishops of Liège. His great uncle Frederik of Namur held the office from 1119 to 1121.[5] Hendrik’s uncle Adalbero II of Chiny was prince-bishop of Liège from 1135 to 1145.[6] And his brother Albert van Cuyck (IV.2) became bishop in 1194. He was a most remarkable person.[7]
Albert started his ecclesiastical career at young age. We find him in Utrecht, where he was provost of the collegiate church of Saint-John in Utrecht from 1174 to 1184. He was also active in Liège: archdeacon (1178-1193), provost of the collegiate church of Saint-Lambert (1185-1192) and probably also provost of Saint-Paul.
The Bishopric of Liège, with its cathedral church of Saint-Lambert, comprised seven collegiate churches and thirty parish churches, four abbeys, and numerous monasteries. The chapter numbered fifty-nine clerics from all the important families of the region.
The ecclesiastical domain of the bishop was much larger than the princedom he controlled as a vassal of the king of Germany. This princely domain of the church of Liège had been gradually enlarged by donations and acquisitions. In the 10th century, the bishops had received secular power and become sovereign princes. The prince-bishopric of Liège succeeded in maintaining its autonomy, though theoretically it was part of the Holy Roman Empire. This virtual independence was owed largely to the ability of its bishops, who on several occasions played an important part in international politics, being strategically positioned between France and Germany.
In Germany Emperor Henry VI occupied the throne since the death of his father Frederik Brabarossa in 1191. He relied heavily on the ecclesiastical princes of his realm, and they responded to his needs. They attended court, accompanied the emperor throughout his territories, filled high offices of state, executed diplomatic missions and joined in the emperor’s crusade and military campaigns. The close collaboration resulted from Henry’s policy of careful control over elections to the episcopal sees, so that men upon whom he could rely and whom he could trust secured these important offices and their resources.
The election in 1191 of the young bishop Albert of Louvain, brother of Henry I of Brabant, was not approved by the emperor – he appointed Lotharius of Hochstaden – and caused a long and bitter conflict, which ended with the assassination of bishop Albert on 24 November 1192: he was slaughtered in Reims and buried in the cathedral. It is likely that the emperor ordered the murder.[8] The pope excommunicated Lotharius and suspended him from all his prebends. The emperor was forced to do penance. The situation eventually led to the great princely uprising against the crown.
After the murder of Albert of Louvain and the excommunication of Lotharius of Hochstaden, the episcopal sea was vacant once again. And again it would be hard to find someone who would be accepted by the Church, the people, the emperor and the princes. A synod of clerics and laymen of Liège was responsible for electing the new bishop. But the electors all were connected to the important families and dynasts in the region, which made it difficult to reach a consensus.
Duke Henry III of Limburg tried to have his son Simon elected. The boy was only 16 years old and thus too young for the position. Moreover Duke Henry I of Brabant withstood this candidacy because he feared the increase of Limburg power. Nevertheless Simon was elected and shortly after he did homage to the emperor (13 November 1193). But he was not accepted. Liège had four valid candidates, all of appropriate age, all holding the degree of archdeacon: Albert of Réthel, Albert van Cuyck, Otto of Valkenburg and Hugo of Pierpont. These four men were related to and supported by Count Baldwin V of Hainault (Baldwin I of Namur, Baldwin VIII of Flanders), who was at war with Brabant. While Simon was trying to get his election confirmed by the pope, the opposite party attempted the contrary. Pope Celestine III annulled Simon’s election and ordered a new one to be held in a place where the electors would be able to act in full liberty. Far away from Liège, occupied by Limburg, in the collegiate church of Saint-Aubin in Namur, Albert van Cuyck was elected on 18 November 1194. Baldwin of Hainault came to Namur to pay homage to the new bishop and promised to protect him against his enemies.
The next year Simon and Albert both travelled to Rome, where the pope confirmed the election of Albert and Simon received the title of Cardinal as a consolation prize; Simon died in Rome on 1 August 1195. Than the rumor of Albert’s death was spread, resulting in the election of Otto of Valkenburg. Both Albert and Otto appeared before the emperor in Worms and asked for the investiture. Finally Albert did homage to the emperor and after being consecrated by the archbishop of Cologne (7 January 1196), he returned to Liège.
Albert van Cuyck is especially known because he granted to the bourgeoisie of Liège a collection of customs, rights and liberties in the so-called ‘charter of Albert van Cuyck’. The document – now lost, but copied in a confirmation charter of 1208 – contained 26 articles and is considered to be the first step in the process of democratization in the Middle Ages. Albert liberated the citizens of Liège from unwanted taxes and military service, confirmed and protected their property rights (no confiscation) and protected them from the violation of their homes. He also set maximum prices for bread, grain and beer. Today in Liège the expression pauvre home dans sa maison est roi (a poor man is king in his own home) still exists and refers to the privileges Albert of Cuyck gave to the citizens of the town.
Today a street in Liège bears the name of ‘Albert de Cuyck’, because he gave these privileges to the city. Historians doubt whether this charters indeed existed. They think Albert orally confirmed existing privileges. Whatever the truth may be, it is clear that Albert was praised for his prudence, wisdom and intellect and remembered for the efforts he did for the town of Liège.[9]
Albert van Cuyck also played an important part in the building of the famous Gothic cathedral of Liège. The original church was entirely destroyed by a violent fire in 1185. Part of the cathedral had been restored by 1189, when the archbishop of Cologne visited to reconsecrate the church. Albert van Cuyck continued the restoration and in 1197, the relics of Saint Lambert, which had been in safe storage since the fire, were reinstalled in the new building.
The seal of Albert of Cuyck was oval (75 x 64 mm) and shows the seated and mitered bishop, holding a cross in his right hand and a book in his left hand. Legend: Albert dei gratia Leodiensis episcopus (Albert by the grace of God bishop of Liège).[10]
Albert also produced hammered coins. The denier (silver) shows the bishop with miter and staff of office on one side, and a representation of the town of Huy with the collegiate church and the fortress on the other side.
Albert van Cuyck died on 2 February 1200 and was buried in the cathedral. His tomb was discovered during excavations on the Place Saint-Lambert, the spot where the gothic church used to stand. His remains were transferred to the crypte of the actual cathedral of Saint-Paul. A fragment of the memorial plate, his ring and part of his cross are exhibited in the museum. [11]
In the shadow
Hendrik II van Cuyck died in 1204. His oldest son Godfried (V.1) already being deceased at that time, he was succeeded as lord of Cuijk and Grave and count of Utrecht by his second son Albert (V.2). Albert van Cuyck sold his comitia Trajectensis, his title of count of Utrecht, to the bishop of Utrecht, although he kept the fealty attached to the title. Hendrik III van Cuyck (VI.1), Albert’s oldest son, succeeded his father in 1233.
It is generally accepted that the Cuycks became less important and their power and influence diminished in a significant way, but a closer look at the documents shows a much more nuanced picture. The Cuycks indeed disappeared from the fore, but in the shadow they remained important players who developed an impressive network.
Brabant
From the 1180’s onwards Hendrik II van Cuyck started to develop a close relationship with Henry I, duke of Brabant. The title of duke of Brabant was brand new and created by the German Emperor Frederik Barbarossa in favor of Henry I, son of Godfried III of Louvain. In 1190, after the death of Godfried III, Henry I also became duke of Lotharingia.
Even though it seems that the duke of Brabant tried to claim Hendrik’s territories while being on crusade (in September 1190, during the Reichstag in Schwäbisch Hall), the latter developed a good relationship with Brabant. Hendrik II van Cuyck became a vassal of Brabant for Herpen in 1191. Through his mother, Hendrik was related to the counts of Louvain / dukes of Brabant.
Hendrik – sometimes together with his son Albert – represented duke Henry I on different occasions, such as treaties with Baldwin V of Hainault and Flanders (1194), with the count of Gelre (1195). In the violent conflict between Brabant on the one hand and Holland and Gelre on the other hand (1196-1203), the Cuycks fought on the side of Henry I. During the siege of ‘s Hertogenbosch (7 September 1202), Dirk VII, count of Holland, took prisoner Hendrik van Cuyck and his son Albert. It took months before peace was established and Hendrik and Albert were released against a ransom of 2,000 silver Marks.
The good relationship with Brabant continued with Albert van Cuyck and Hendrik III van Cuyck.[12] The Lords of Cuijk became to be known as knights of Brabant. An example of this can be found in 1238. In February of that year King Louis IX of France (Saint Louis) organized a great tournament in Compiègne where more than 300 knights were present. The occasion was the marriage of his brother Robert I of Artois to Mathilde, daughter of the duke of Brabant, the year before. Le Seigneur de Kuelz is mentioned among the knights from Brabant. The description of the coat of arms makes clear that it is in fact the Lord of Cuijk: D’or à 2 fasces de gueules à 8 merles de gueules en orle, 3 en chef, 2 en flanc et 3 en pointe. Haneau couronné au camail d’or. Cimier: 2 cornes de vair.[13]
The King of Germany
From the very beginning the lords of Cuijk were vassals of the king of Germany. After the murder on Floris the Black in 1133 the relationship with the King was virtually nonexistent, but this changed again during the reign of Konrad III. Herman and Godfried van Cuyck were present at the Reichstag in Bamberg in 1144, at the Landtag in Utrecht in 1145 and at the Hoftag in 1151. They joined the king when he stayed in Aachen for Christmas 1145 and again in 1146. And they were present in Aachen on 30 March 1147 when Konrad’s son Henry was crowned.
The close relationship continued with Hendrik II van Cuyck. He was one of the witnesses present at the Hoftag in Gelnhausen when emperor Frederik Barbarossa deposed the Welf duke of Saxony Henry the Lion. Hendrik and the duke of Brabant were also the only lay electors of Otto IV in 1198.
The contacts continued during the 13th century.
Marital politics – familial networks
Hendrik II arranged excellent marriages for his two daughters.
Alveradis married Dirk II, lord of Voorne and viscount of Zeeland. The lords of Voorne were powerful and independent rulers of the Land of Voorne, situated at the mouth of the river Meuse. The oldest son of Alveradis and Dirk succeeded his father as lord of Voorne and viscount of Zeeland, their second son became the first lord of Heenvliet.
Lutgardis married Godfried II, lord of Breda and Schoten. Around 1198 Godfried became a vassal of the duke of Brabant for the land of Breda and Schoten. It appears he was in very close contact with the duke: he almost certainly arranged the marriage between Machteld of Brabant and the future count of Holland Floris IV in 1214. Machteld was 14 years old at that time; Floris was 4. So the marriage was not celebrated until in 1224 and in the mean while Godfried and his wife Lutgardis van Cuyck accommodated Machteld in Schoten (near Antwerp).
Lutgardis was quite a remarkable lady.[14] She inherited Perk (near Vilvoorde) from her great uncle Gerlach of Rhenen and was therefore called Lutgardis of Perk. After her husband had died in 1216, she administered all his possessions, even though her children had already reached adulthood. She called herself by the grace of God lady of Breda and Schoten. She had possessions in the surroundings of Brussels and the duke of Brabant called her his blood relative. Lutgardis died around 1122; she was buried in the church of Saint-Michael in Antwerp. Her sarcophagus was found during excavations in 1843.
For his son and successor Albert, Hendrik II van Cuyck arranged a marriage with the daughter of Rutger, lord of Merum. This is how the Cuyck family came into the possession of Merum and allodial lands in Herten and Maasniel (near Roermond). The marriage connected the Cuycks also with the van Horne family.
Albert and his wife had ten children: 7 sons and 3 daughters. The oldest son, Hendrik III van Cuyck (VI.1), succeeded his father as lord of Cuijk and Grave, lord of Merum and Half Asten. The second son, Rutger van Cuyck (VI.2), inherited Herpen. Dirk van Cuyck (VI.4) became Viscount of Leiden and Willem van Cuyck (VI.5) became lord of Asten and Escharen. Marriages of the daughters connected the Cuycks to the lords of Diest, Reifferscheid, Amstel and Lek.
[1] B. Arnold, Princes and territories in medieval Germany (Cambridge, 1991), pp. 27-30.
[2] Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, 22 (Brussel, 2016), forthcoming.
[3] Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, 22 (Brussel, 2016), forthcoming.
[4] D. Nicolle, The Third Crusade 1191: Richard the Lionheart and the Battle for Jerusalem (Oxford, 2005). S. Runciman, A History of the Crusades, II and III (Cambridge, 1952-1955).
[5] When Frederik died, his body turned blue and his eyes bulged out. It was believed his opponents had poisoned him. He was buried in the cathedral of Liège and the people came to his tomb to pray. They worshipped him as a saint and a martyr, especially because of his virtues and his struggle against simony. His feast is on 27 May. Biographie nationale de Belgique, 7 (Brussels, 1880-1883), col. 288-289.
[6] Biographie nationale de Belgique, 1 (Brussels, 1866), col. 183-184.
[7] J. de Theux de Montjardin, Le Chapitre de Saint-Lambert à Liège, I (Brussels, 1871), pp. 183-185. Daris, Histoire du diocese et de la principauté de Liège depuis leur origine jusqu’en XIIIe siècle (Liège, 1890), pp. 639-654.
[8] J. Meerbergen, Sint Albertus van Leuven (Antwerp, 1935). R. H. Schmandt, ‘The Election and Assassination of Albert of Louvain, Bishop of Liège, 1191-92’, in: Speculum, 42/4 (1967), pp. 639-660. At the request of Albert VII, Archduke of Austria and Governor General of the Netherlands, the Pope canonized Bishop Albert of Louvain in 1613. His body was transferred from Reims to Brussels and later (1882) to the cathedral of Liège. A hip was returned to Reims and the Archduke received some smaller bones and a golden ring. In 1919 archeological research showed that the wrong body was sent to the Netherlands. The canons of Reims mistook the tomb of Archbishop Odalric of Reims for that of Albert. The remains of the murdered Bishop of Liège are still in Reims cathedral. L. Vervaeck, ‘Les reliques de S. Albert de Louvain, évêque de Liège’, in: Analecta Bollandiana, 26 (1907), pp. 393-422. L. Vervaeck, ‘La découverte du tombeau de S. Albert de Louvain’, in: Analecta Bollandiana, 40 (1922), pp. 155-170. L. Duerloo, Dynasty and Piety. Archduke Albert (1598-1621) and Habsburg Political Culture in an Age of Religious Wars (Ashgate, 2012), pp. 387-388.
[9] G. Despy, ‘La charte d’Albert de Cuyck de 1196 pour les bourgeois de Liège a-t-elle existé’, in: Revue belge de philology et d’histoire, 50 (1972), pp. 1071-1097.
[10] E. Poncelet, Les sceaux et les chancelleries des princes-évêques de Liège (Liège, 1983), p. 163.
[11] L. Engen & J. Philippe, ‘Les documents provenant du site de la place Saint-Lambert conserves au Musée Curtius à Liège’, in: M. Otte (ed.), Les fouilles de la place Saint-Lambert à Liège, I (Liège, 1984), pp. 27-29. J.-L. Kupper, Liège et l’Eglise imperial. XIe-XIIe siècles (Paris, 1981), pp. 154, 198-199. E. Dabrowska, ‘Insignes du pouvoir episcopal et abbatial dans l’archéologie funéraire des dioceses pyrénéens français’, in: Aquitania, 13 (1995), pp. 277-284. J.-L. Kupper, Liège. Autour de l'an mil, la naissance d'une principauté (Xe-XIIe siècle) (Liège, 2000), p. 18.
[12] Coldeweij (De Heren van Kuyc, pp. 55-57) thought that Hendrik III did not continue the tradition of his father and grandfather, because the latter never represented the Duke of Brabant. Most of the charters Hendrik III appears in concern indeed his own property or fiefs, but his presence among the knights of Brabant in 1238 proves that he continued the close connections between Cuyck and Brabant.
[13] A. de Behaud, ‘La noblesse hennuyère au tournoi de Compiégne, de 1238’, in: Annales du Cercle Archéologique de Mons, 22 (1890), p. 93.
[14] H. van Cuyck & V. Lambert, ‘Lutgardis van Cuyck, vrouwe van Breda en Schoten’, in: Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, Vol. 22 (Brussels, Koninklijke Academiën van België, 2016), forthcoming.
