Ada of Huntingdon – A Scottish Princess as Countess of Holland




ada huntingdon

Ada of Huntingdon was born circa 1139 as the daughter of Henry of Huntingdon, a son of King David I of Scotland and Maud, Countess of Huntingdon, and Ada de Warenne. Her brothers Malcolm and William would later succeed as Kings of Scotland.

She probably married Floris III, Count of Holland sometime in 1162. She received the County of Ross in the Scottish Highlands as a gift for her wedding. Floris was around 30 years old at the time of the wedding. They went on to have at least ten children together: Dirk (future Count of Holland, Henry, Floris, William (another future Count of Holland), Ada, Sophia, Margaret, Elisabeth, Agnes and Baudouin. Her husband was quite politically active, but there is little evidence that Ada was. We know that she knew Latin as she borrowed two books from Egmond Abbey. Floris went on several campaigns with Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Floris died during the Third Crusade on 1 August 1190, and he was buried in Antioch. She outlived her eldest son Dirk and was forced to flee with her son William and his wife Adelaide during the Loon War. We know that she died on 11 January, though the year is unknown, but it was definitely after 1206. She gave considerable funds to Middelburg Abbey, and it is likely that she was buried there.

Her great-great-grandson Floris V, Count of Holland, claimed the throne of Scotland in the Great Cause as her descendant.1

 

  1. E.H.P. Cordfunke – Gravinnen van Holland






About Moniek Bloks 2871 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.