Battle of Vlaardingen

The Battle of Vlaardingen
Date 29 July 1018 Location near Vlaardingen, Netherlands Result Decisive Hollandic victory
Belligerents
Holy Roman Empire Duchy of Lower Lorraine Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht Prince-Bishopric of Liège Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai Archdiocese of Cologne	County of Holland West Frisian settlers from the area of Vlaardingen
Commanders and leaders
Emperor Henry II Godfrey II, Duke of Lower Lorraine  (POW) Adalbold, Prince-Bishop of Utrecht (fled) Baldrick II, Prince-Bishop of Liège (died on way there) Provided troops: Gerard I, Prince-Bishop of Cambrai Saint Heribert, Archbishop of Cologne	Count Dirk III
Strength
Three imperial legions, estimated to number between 3,000-20,000 professional warriors	Considerably less, from several hundreds to up to 1,000 (see below)
Casualties and losses
3,000+	minimal

 Holy Roman Empire

County of Holland

Emperor Henry II

Provided troops:

The Battle of Vlaardingen was fought on 29 July 1018. The Holy Roman emperor sent an army towards Holland to subdue the rebellious Count Dirk III. However, the imperial army was decisively defeated and fled in panic.

Knowledge of the battle is based on three chronicles, written shortly after the date: De diversitate temporum by the monk Alpertus of Metz, the Chronicon of Thietmar, bishop of Merseburg, and in the Cambrai Bishop’s Chronicle. Also, recent archaeological discoveries shed some light on Vlaardingen in the 11th century.

In the early Middle Ages, Vlaardingen was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The emperor at that time was Henry II. The north-western part of the empire, Lower Lotharingia, was ruled by Duke Godfrey of Verdun. Frisia, the most peripheral part of the duchy, fell under the office of Adalbold, bishop of Utrecht, and under Dirk III, to whom the coastal defence in the west had been delegated. Count Dirk had his power base in Vlaardingen, along the banks of the Merwede, where it merged with the Maas River.

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Wikipedia