William was a son of
Albert I of Bavaria and
Margaret of Brieg. William, allied with the
Hooks, was in
conflict with his father until 1394. In 1404 he succeeded him as
count of Holland,
Hainaut and
Zeeland and
duke of Bavaria-Straubing. In 1408 in the
Battle of Othée, William,
John the Fearless of Burgundy, and
Louis VII of Bavaria defeated the citizens of
Liège who had revolted against William's brother
John, the
bishop of Liège. As a result, he was no longer, as count of Hainaut, obliged to pay homage to the bishop. William's reign was marked by internal strife within the county of Holland. In particular, Lord
John V of Arkel supported William's enemies in Holland. William conquered Arkel in 1412, at which point John accepted his defeat and Arkel was annexed by Holland. William claimed
Friesland as the count of Holland. Expeditions under previous counts had failed to conquer Friesland. Only
Stavoren was captured in 1398. William II also sent expeditions to the region but Stavoren was regained by the Frisians in 1414. Prior to his death, William ensured his nobles swore allegiance to his only daughter,
Jacqueline. Jacqueline was the only child by his wife,
Margaret, a daughter of
Philip the Bold whom he married in 1385, at the Burgundian double wedding in
Cambrai, at the same time his sister,
Margaret, married
John the Fearless. However, on William's death in 1417, a war of succession broke out between his brother
John, the bishop of Liège, and his daughter, Jacqueline. This would be the last episode of the
Hook and Cod wars and finally place Holland and Hainaut into Burgundian hands. The duchy of Bavaria-Straubing was divided between the dukes of Bavaria, the major portion went to
Bavaria-Munich in 1429. ==See also==