Baldwin II van Holland

Baldwin II of Holland († 1196) was bishop of Utrecht and the son of Count Dietrich VI. of Holland.

Life

After he had been for some time provost of the chapter to Oldenzaal, and had held a similar position at the St. Marienkirche in Utrecht, he followed in 1178 the late Gottfried in the diocese of Utrecht.

His contemporaries praise him as a very gentle man and praised his chastity in a way which brings his spiritual brothers strongly suspected. Despite his gentleness of Count Baldwin son showed courage in the management of worldly goods of the diocese. He continually led battle against the inhabitants Groningerlands and Drenthe, which often rebelled against the authority of the bishop of Utrecht. Also, it came between him and the Earl of funds to a bloody clash over the possession of a tract of land called the Veluwe. In 1188 he was reconciled at the Diet of Mainz, probably through the mediation of the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, with his opponent Otto von Geldern, who wanted to join the Third Crusade, but had to be previously reconciled by the terms of that time with his enemies.

From Baldwin's spiritual effectiveness little is mentioned. When he had the archbishops of Trier and Verdun resign in 1192 in Cologne, where he was to organize Bruno von Berg, priority, Baldwin withdrew. After Otto had returned funds from the Holy Land, the dispute renewed with this. Baldwin went to Mainz to get the help of the Emperor Henry VI. to call but a few days after his arrival he died. In the St. Martin's Church at Utrecht he was buried.