Teisterbant

Teisterbant
County of Middle Francia
843–1026 →   →   →   →   →
Approximate location of Teisterbant
Government		County
Count
•	889-987	Gerolf of Holland
•	?-995	Ansfried van Huy
•	1017-1018	Balderic of Utrecht
•	1026-?	Adalbold II of Utrecht (last)
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Treaty of Verdun	843
•	Incorporation into the Episcopal principality of Utrecht	1026
Today part of		Vlaardingen, Netherlands

Teisterbant was a pagus (province) of Lotharingia/Middle Francia. It was located in what is today Vlaardingen, bordered by the rivers Lek, Meuse, Waal and Hollandse IJssel.^[1]:277 Modern-day Neder-Betuwe shares most of the same land, while the rest is in Vianen, Culemborg, Batenburg and Geldermalsen. Tiel is the largest city in the area. The historic fiefdoms of Altena, Arkel, Buren, Heusden and Vianen were also part of it.

History

The name Teisterbant probably comes from Celtic, meaning 'right' (compare teister with the Latin dexter, which means 'right'). This makes it the counterpart of Swifterbant, 'located on the left'. In the 8th century, it was a well-known area.^[2] From 843 (after the Treaty of Verdun) to the death of Lothair II in 869, Teisterbant was ruled by Middle Francia. In 870, following the Treaty of Meerssen, Teisterbant came to Lothair's uncle Louis the German and became part of East Francia.^[1]:3

After expelling the Normans of the East Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia on August 4, 889, Count Gerolf of Holland was given full ownership of a number of lands and properties. He was given several farms and houses in Tiel, Aalborg, and Asch, among others. He was also granted additional property in his own county, consisting of a forest and agricultural lands, situated somewhere between the mouth of the Old Rhine and (presumably) Bennebroek. Gerolf had two sons, Waldger and Dirk. Dirk's descendants became the counts of Holland. Waldger was count of Teisterbant from 898-928.^[1]:309[3] He was succeeded by his son Radboud, possibly also called "Poppo".

At the end of the 10th century the area came into the possession of Count Ansfried van Huy.^[1]:109 Around 985 he gave up his belongings to live in a monastery. In 994 he was elected bishop of Utrecht. On April 11, 999, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III was given the royal property that "Poppo, son of Wedigeri" in Teisterbant had borrowed from the church of Utrecht.^[4] The title count of Teisterbant went to Ansfried's cousin Unruoch (Hunerik), possibly father of Herman van Malsen, ancestor of the lords of Cuijk.

After the death of Unruoch the county went to Diederik of Hamaland. When he died in 1017, his stepfather Balderic of Utrecht took over.^{[1]:116, 121–122} In 1018, Balderic was tried by the Reichstag in Nijmegen, and lost all of his goods and leadership positions.

In 1026, as a reward for his support in the fight against Balderic, the bishop of Utrecht Adalbold II acquired the title of count of Teisterbant.^{[1]:309–310} The diocese had already acquired several lands, which formed the basis for the Episcopal principality of Utrecht.^[1]:122 Parts were issued in loan to the counties of Cleves and Guelders, as well as several honors.^[1]:310 Eventually, Teisterbant lost its sovereignty to the diocese, and Teisterbant disappeared from the map.

Later, the area became a zone of contention between the dukes of Brabant and Gelre, because of its strategic location.^{[1]:310–311}

Things named after Teisterbant

• There is a fortified house holding the name Teisterbant in the village Kerk-Avezaath, located in the Betuwe. The local football association in this village is called the "v.v. Teisterbanders", and there is a Teisterbant Street (Teisterbantstraat).
• In the Maasdrielse Kerkdriel on the Teisterbantstraat, "House Teisterbant" (Huis Teisterbant) was built on the remains of the outhouse of Count Ansfried van Teisterbant. This noble castle is a large rectangular house. In 1399 the house was mentioned in sources as the 'Huys to Driel'. Many generations of the Van Driel family of the Dukes of Gelre lived here. Only later did it get its current name.
• The Teisterbant club, founded by Godfried Bomans, was named for the pseudonym "Count of Teisterbant" (graaf van Teisterbant), used by author Willem Bilderdijk.

References