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Margaret II, Countess of Hainault

Margaret II
Marguerite II de Hainaut.png
Countess of Hainaut and Holland
Tenure 1345–1356
Queen consort of Germany
Tenure 1324–1347
Holy Roman Empress
Tenure 1328–1347
Born 1308
Died 23 June 1356
(aged 47–48)
Le Quesnoy
Burial Valenciennes
Spouse Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Issue Margaret, Duchess of Slavonia
Anna, Duchess of Bavaria
Louis VI the Roman
Elisabeth, Countess of Württemberg
William V, Count of Holland
Agnes of Bavaria
Albert of Holland
Otto V the Bavarian
Beatrice, Queen of Sweden
House House of Wittelsbach (by marriage)
House of Avesnes (by birth)
Father William I, Count of Hainaut
Mother Joan of Valois
Religion Roman Catholicism

Margaret II of Avesnes (1311 – 23 June 1356) was Countess of Hainaut and Countess of Holland (as Margaret I) from 1345 to 1356. Margaret was the daughter of William I, Count of Hainaut, and his wife, Joan of Valois. On 26 February 1324 in Cologne she married Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian.

She succeeded in 1345 her brother William II of Hainaut (William IV) following his death in battle with later Louis IV the Bavarian designating that Hainaut, Holland, Zeeland and Friesland were his wife's possessions. and later these passed to their son William V. Margaret's sisters, including Philippa of Hainaut who was Queen consort of Edward III of England disavowed their hereditary claims. Due to the dangerous hostility of the House of Luxemburg Louis increased his power base ruthlessly. Margaret then returned to Holland in 1346 to secure her position of power but did not manage to prevent the coronation of the Luxemburg Charles IV as anti-king in Aix-la-Chapelle by force.

When Louis IV died on 11 October 1347, he was succeeded by his six sons. In 1349 the brothers decided to partition their possessions; Louis V, Duke of Bavaria kept Brandenburg and Tyrol, he and his younger brothers Louis VI the Roman and Otto V the Bavarian received Upper Bavaria. Stephen II, William and Albert received Lower Bavaria, Holland and Hainaut. Louis V and Stephen were not sons of Margaret and her youngest sons Albert and Otto were still minors. Louis VI released Holland and Hainaut for his brothers William and Albert in 1349 since he expected the Polish crown by his marriage with Cunigunde of Poland. In 1353 also Stephen released Holland and Hainaut to his brother William.


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