Castle Egmond

About

Egmond Castle (Dutch: Kasteel Egmond), also called the Ruins of Egmond (Dutch: Ruïne van Egmond), is a ruined medieval castle built c. 1150, in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is located in Egmond aan den Hoef in the municipality of Bergen and lies about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of Alkmaar. The castle dates from the 11th century and is the ancestral seat of the Egmond family, whose members became sovereign Dukes of Guelders, Counts of Egmond and Princes of Gavere, Counts of Buren and Leerdam. It is a national monument of the Netherlands.

The origins of Egmond Castle is closely connected to Egmond Abbey, which was founded by the counts of Holland in Egmond-Binnen. When the Abbey lands became too large, the abbot decided to appoint a certain Berwout as steward of these estates in 1129. Berwout and his descendants lived in a (fortified) farm or manor ("Hoeve") north of the abbey. As Berwout and his descendants took part in the crusades, they were rewarded with the hereditary lordship over Egmond.

Little is known about the first castle of the Lords of Egmond. In the 1930s Wouter Braat discovered that under the later main castle, there were signs of previous habitation. He found remains of an old palisade, and also some very heavy oak piles, with burned heads. Jaap Renaud thought it possible and tempting to consider these to be remains of the first castle. It is not known when the first castle was built. Some say this was in about 1050. Others say it was in 1150.

It is an interesting question whether the first version of Egmond Castle was a Motte-and-bailey castle. This hypotheses could include that the motte was lowered, and that this explains the absence of debris and building remains on the site of the later round water castle. Renaud and P. Beelaerts van Blokland saw no pressing reasons to suppose that a motte had existed on that site.

Walter I, Lord of Egmond, nicknamed Kwade Wouter got involved in the Loon war, a war of succession over the County of Holland (and its dependency Zeeland ) from 1203 until 1206, brought on by the death of count Dirk VII. During this war, the faction of Louis II, Count of Loon set the fortified manor on fire in 1205.

Walter I or his successor decided to build a circular stone castle as a replacement.

The second castle was a round water castle. It formed a far from perfect circle, with a minimum diameter of 27 meters, and a maximum diameter of 29 meters. The curtain wall was 0.76-1 m thick, and stood in the moat. There were buttresses on the inside, which stood left a space of 3.20-4 m between them. These spaces were spanned by arcs that supported a circular walkway. On the south side there was a strong tower house which probably doubled as a gatehouse. Later a smaller, but strong tower was added on the northeast side. The smaller and lighter tower on the northwest side was also a later addition.

The main purpose of the circular castle was to serve as a place for refuge and defense in times of peril. No traces of buildings were found inside the circular castle. The main living and residential buildings Therefore have to be sought on what was then the outer bailey. Egmond castle was first mentioned in 1228. In 1285 Floris V, Count of Holland confirmed that Sir Willem van Egmond was allowed to harbor fugitives from the law of Holland at his house near Rynegom, and on the hoeve (farm) where his house was.

The church next to the castle was started at the same time as the round water castle. Renaud deduced this from the used brick. The oldest was 29-31 * 14.5 * 8 cm and therefore the church was also from the early thirteenth century. Later brick used in the church was like that used in the second phase of the third castle.

There is a single source that claims that Egmond Castle was destroyed in 1315. If such were true, the circular castle would have been destroyed that year. Renaud thought it more likely that this happened during the rebellions after the death of Count Floris V. In both cases a wall fragment retrieved in the northwest moat could be a leftover of the destruction. The distance between the round castle, and the new (third) castle makes it likely that the round castle lost its use in about 1300. The existence of the circular water castle was then forgotten till it was rediscovered in the 1930s. See: 18th century floor plan.

Third Castle - First Building Phase | first half 14th century

The third castle was constructed in two phases. It was built on what is supposed to have been the outer bailey of the old circular castle. It also replaced this castle. The former outer bailey was divided into a western and eastern side. The first phase saw the construction of a new small square main castle on the eastern half of the former outer bailey. It had a large tower house, often designated as donjon.

The tower house was constructed in about 1330, and had walls of 2.10-3 m thick. Part of the northwest and southwest curtain wall were built as about the same time. In the foundations there were some yellow bricks of 30 * 15 * 8 cm, and some of the outside facings were covered in mortar. It all indicated that brick from the round castle had been reused in the foundations of the tower house and some connected walls. The northern tip of the old wall with a loose piece of old foundation probably indicates that the court of the third castle was smaller. The southern tip of the old wall gives the same indication, and showed sure signs of a gate.

At the time the third castle was constructed there were no stone constructions on the long outer bailey. This was deduced from the differences in the brick that was used, and the configuration of the (later) fortification of the outer bailey.

Walter II, Lord of Egmond (c. 1283-1321) went on an expedition to Flanders with 60 men in 1315. He might have started the third castle. His son John I, Lord of Egmond (1310-1369) is also a likely candidate. John I was a leader of the Cod faction during the Hook and Cod wars.

Third Castle - Second Building Phase | second half 14th century

The second construction phase of the third castle took place in the second half of the 14th century. At the small main castle, the northwest and southwest walls were extended to create a larger, but still modest square castle. A new tower on the southeast corner got walls of 1.10 m thick. The brick used in this part measured 27.5-28 * 13.5-14.5 * 6.5-7.5 cm.

The new outer bailey was fortified during this same phase. Its southern, and most of its eastern and western walls are date to the construction phase. The round southwest tower and the square northwest tower were also built during this phase. A single wall fragment of the northwest tower is the only piece of wall still standing today.

The second building phase can be attributed to the growing wealth of the Lords of Egmond. John I, Lord of Egmond (1310-1369) married the rich heiress Gyote van IJsselstein. Arnold I, Lord of Egmond and IJsselstein became rich. He was credited with constructing most of Egmond Castle. For this one can certainly think of the fortification of the outer bailey.

Third Castle - third Building Phase | c. 1450-1525