Floris and Barbarossa

To rewind even further. Where did Floris V get his claim to the throne of Scotland from? It went back to 1162, when his ancestor, Count Floris III, married Ada, granddaughter of King David I of Scotland.

This marriage did not fit at all into the usual pattern of the dynasty of Holland. In the twelfth century there were no particular ties between Holland and Scotland. Floris III's foreign policy was concerned with his neighbours, Utrecht and Flanders, and his service to the Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa.

Floris was very much Barbarossa's loyal follower. Even before he succeeded as count of Holland, he appeared as a witness on Barbarossa's charters, and fought for the emperor in his Italian campaigns in 1158 and the 1170s. In later years he was present at the emperor's court on the Rhine, and even followed Barbarossa to the Holy Land. Floris died there in 1190 and was buried, appropriately enough, next to his master.

So, what was the Scottish marriage all about? Nobody really seems to know, except it was probably the result of Barbarossa's influence. Whatever the motive, Floris sent the abbot of Egmond to Scotland, who returned with his bride. Their wedding took place at Loosduinen, one of the count's manors near the Hague. The couple had 11 children. Ada died in about 1206 and was probably buried in the abbey of Middelburg.

Attached is a gilded bronze bust of Barbarossa, c.1160

.