Castle building along the border of Brabant and Holland (c. 1290 - c. 1400) (2014) (original) (raw)

During the 14th century there were some disputes about the exact boundary between Holland and Brabant in the Low Countries. At one point, it was even stated the border ran right through the castle of Strijen at Oosterhout. Historical investigation clarifies the 'juridical perception' in this particular case. The wealthy Willem van Duvenvoorde, holding high offices on both sides of the border, succeeded in bringing the dispute to an end and, furthermore, he greatly modernised Strijen Castle c. 1325. A somewhat comparable situation occurred in the nearby lordship of Loon op Zand. Paulus van Haastrecht, also with high offices in Holland as well as in Brabant, built a strong tower house c. 1385 to strengthen his position to both sides. The last example dealt with in the paper is the strong tower house of Onsenoort at Nieuwkuijk, built after the destruction of its predecessor by Holland in 1370-72. The strong tower houses of Loon op Zand and Onsenoort reflect the turbulent times in this border region by the end of the 14th century. Therefore, they contradict the more general tendency to diminish the wall thickness of new built tower houses seen elsewhere in the Low Countries.