THE COUNTS OF HOLLAND, THE ORDER OF SAINT JAMES, AND THE EXPANSION OF THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS.
Baron
Rudolph Andries Ulrich Juchter van Bergen Quast requested an audience with His
Serene Highness Prince Georg zu Bentheim und Steinfurt for the purpose of
conducting an exclusive interview for our blog, La Mesa de los Notables. The
conversation arises from a purpose that goes beyond mere testimonial interest:
to serve as an appeal to historians, archivists, and researchers to explore
more deeply the earliest relations between the Counts of Holland and the Order
of Santiago, as well as their participation in the expansion of the Christian
kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Although
certain episodes of particular significance are known, such as the presence of
Count William I of Holland at the siege of Alcácer do Sal in 1217, a
considerable part of the documentation preserved in Spanish and Portuguese
archives has yet to be systematically examined from this perspective.
This
interview also seeks to arouse the interest of those working in Spanish,
Portuguese, or ecclesiastical archives who may be in a position to locate
unpublished or little-studied letters, references contained in chronicles,
lists of combatants, or other documentary evidence relating to the presence of
knights from northern Europe and, in particular, members of the House of
Holland or persons associated with it in the medieval Iberian Peninsula.
Bringing
such discoveries to light and making them known among the members of the Order
could help to clarify historical ties that form part of the shared memory of
European chivalry and of the relationships that, throughout the Middle Ages,
linked the northern and southern territories of Latin Christendom.
Interviewer:
Welcome, Your Serene Highness. Thank you for speaking with us today. While your
family is renowned for its centuries of history, your own path has included
some very modern pursuits. Could you tell us about your professional background
before focusing on your dynastic duties?
Prince
Bentheim: Thank you for having me. Yes, indeed. Before taking on my current
responsibilities, I built a career in the financial sector. I worked as a
banker for Merrill Lynch in New York. It was a highly dynamic and demanding
environment, quite a contrast from the quiet historical archives of European
nobility, but it gave me invaluable global experience.
Interviewer:
That is quite a transition. Looking through your family's rich history, there
are many remarkable figures, but one of the persons that most fascinates me is
your ancestor Count Karl Paul Ernst. His life has been an incredible blend of
governance and culture. Could you share his story with us?
Prince
Bentheim: I would be delighted. Karl Paul Ernst Graf zu Bentheim-Steinfurt was
the Count of Steinfurt and lived from 1729 to 1780. He is widely remembered as
the founder of the high musical culture in Burgsteinfurt. As a young man,
accompanied by his tutor, professor and jurist Johann Christoph Buch, he
embarked on extensive travels to enhance his proficiency in the French
language. He eventually assumed his governmental responsibilities in 1750,
after obtaining imperial sanction.
Interviewer:
He also spent time in France during a very significant historical period,
didn't he?
Prince
Bentheim: Yes, he did. During the Seven Years’ War, which took place from 1756
to 1763, Karl resided in Paris. It was a transformative time for him; he was
introduced to Freemasonry and had the privilege of meeting Voltaire, becoming a
devoted admirer of the philosopher. His time in Paris proved to be
intellectually stimulating. He formed associations with prominent Enlightenment
figures such as Diderot and d’Alembert, and passionately pursued his interests
in music, languages, literature, and the natural sciences. Interestingly,
Benjamin Franklin was also in Paris during this period, from 1779 to 1782.
Franklin later served as Venerable Master of the Masonic Lodge Neuf Soeurs,
which was highly influential in organising French support for the American
Revolution.
Interviewer:
Your family also holds connections to the Dutch Royal family. How did that
kinship come about?
Prince
Bentheim: That connection is clearly visible in our genealogy through the House
of Nassau, as well as the Waldeck-Pyrmont lineage. For instance, Karl Paul
Ernst married Charlotte Sophie von Nassau-Siegen, who lived from 1729 to 1759.
She was the daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm II Nassau-Siegen and Sophie Polyxena
Concordia von Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein. Because the Nassau-Siegen branch
shares its direct roots with the broader House of Nassau, which is the lineage
of the Dutch Royal family, our families are historically bound together. This
bond was further strengthened later on, when my ancestor Alexis, the 4th Prince
of Bentheim and Steinfurt, married Princess Pauline of Waldeck and Pyrmont. My
mother also is a princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont. This family is of course very
significant to The Netherlands, as the Waldeck-Pyrmont lineage is the family of
Queen Emma of the Netherlands, cementing our close familial ties with the Dutch
Royal family.
Interviewer:
And your family is also bonded with the Most Noble Equestrian Order of Saint
James, an Order that was formed in medieval Holland by your family.
Prince Bentheim: Correct. Our connection to the Counts of Holland is fundamental to our family's identity [reference 1]. The princely House of Bentheim und Steinfurt is regarded as a legal and direct successor of the last heiress of the Counts of Holland. This deep, ancestral lineage intrinsically links us again to The Netherlands. It is through this direct descent that we proudly carry forward the living legacy of the Counts of Holland, which naturally includes our role as custodians of the Most Noble Equestrian Order of Saint James, originally founded by the Counts of Holland.
Interviewer:
What is the historical connection between your family's Order of Saint James
and the famous Spanish Order of Santiago?
Prince
Bentheim: The connection is primarily one of shared cultural resonance and
historical inspiration, rather than a direct institutional lineage. The
foundational link occurred when Count Willem I of Holland, the grandfather of
Floris V, fought alongside the Spanish Order of Santiago during the siege of
Alcácer do Sal between 30 July and 18 October 1217. During this campaign,
Willem I witnessed firsthand the military prowess of the Spanish knights, their
integral role in the expansion of the Christian kingdoms, and their partnership
with the Portuguese crown. This positive encounter likely created a lasting
awareness within the comital house, ultimately inspiring Floris V to adopt the
prestigious name and concept to serve his own distinct political and comital
ambitions in 1290.
Interviewer:
Could you elaborate on how Count Willem I’s military campaign in Spain and
Portugal in 1217 forged this initial bond with the Spanish knights of Santiago?
Prince
Bentheim: It was a crucial turning point during the Fifth Crusade. Count Willem
I of Holland led a fleet of crusaders from the Low Countries who stopped along
the Iberian Peninsula to assist Christian forces during the expansion of the
Christian kingdoms. Following a decisive victory against the Almohad forces on
11 September 1217, the city was surrendered and subsequently handed over to the
Spanish Order of Santiago. This shared campaign established a direct rapport
between the comital house of Holland and the Iberian chivalric elite,
instilling a deep respect for the Spanish order’s martial discipline and noble
organization.
Interviewer:
While the siege of Alcácer do Sal in 1217 is well documented, much of the
broader involvement of the Counts of Holland in the Iberian Peninsula remains
to be fully explored. Are there still missing pieces to this historical puzzle,
and how can the scholarly community assist?
Prince
Bentheim: Absolutely. While we have key milestones documented, vast amounts of
material in Spanish and Portuguese archives remain unexamined regarding the
presence of northern crusaders during the expansion of the Christian kingdoms.
Repositories such as the Archivo Histórico Nacional in Madrid, the Archivo
General de Simancas, and various ecclesiastical archives in Galicia, Castile,
and Portugal likely hold unstudied charters, letters, or chronicle fragments
mentioning northern knights. We would warmly invite historians, archivists,
doctoral researchers, and knowledgeable readers to collaborate with us in
investigating these Spanish archives. If anyone uncovers references to the
Counts of Holland or early knightly contacts between the Low Countries and
Spain from the 12th and 13th centuries, we encourage them to reach out to the
order. Collaborative academic inquiry is essential if we are to bring these
forgotten historical ties back into the light.
Interviewer:
Beyond the military partnership, how did the pilgrimage culture centered around
Santiago de Compostela in Galicia influence the house of Holland?
Prince
Bentheim: Santiago de Compostela was one of the three major pilgrimage centers
of medieval Christendom, alongside Rome and Jerusalem. The veneration of Saint
James the Greater and the network of routes along the Way of St. James (Camino
de Santiago) had a profound impact across Western Europe, including the Low
Countries. The iconic symbols of the Spanish pilgrimage, most notably the
scallop shell (concha de Santiago) and the red sword-cross, were recognized as
emblems of faith, honour, and protection. When Floris V later founded our order
in 1290, invoking Saint James allowed the Counts of Holland to connect their
courtly chivalry directly to the prestigious spiritual and Iberian traditions
associated with Compostela.
Interviewer:
Did the organizational structure of the Spanish Order of Santiago serve as a
model when Count Floris V established the Dutch Order of Saint James in 1290?
Prince
Bentheim: Yes, in many practical ways. Unlike monastic military orders such as
the Knights Templar, which required strict vows of celibacy, the Spanish Order
of Santiago developed statutes that permitted its knights to marry and retain
personal wealth while maintaining a noble calling. This flexible Iberian model
was very appealing to secular rulers. When Count Floris V created the Order of
Saint James in 1290, he sought a courtly structure that could bind powerful
nobles and wealthy patricians to the comital crown without requiring them to
enter a monastic life. The Spanish blueprint demonstrated how a chivalric order
could function as both a prestigious brotherhood and an effective instrument of
statecraft.
Interviewer:
It is fascinating how historical records survive the centuries. How do the
French archives of the Order of the Golden Fleece shed light on your order's
history?
Prince
Bentheim: They provide a vital case study in early modern historical
preservation and legitimacy. A distinct dossier within the Chifflet Collection,
preserved at the municipal library of Besançon, contains a detailed
correspondence between Jules Chifflet and Thymon van Schoonhoven. Chifflet
served as the 19th Chancellor of the Order of the Golden Fleece, while Van
Schoonhoven was a prominent patrician and civic administrator from Rotterdam.
Together, they utilized the scholarly evidence of the Flemish scholar Petrus
Montanus to establish the ancient, continuous lineage of the Dutch chivalric
tradition. By formally incorporating these documents into his collection,
Chifflet effectively recognized the Order of Saint James, integrating the
heritage of the northern Netherlands into the broader Habsburg-Burgundian
chivalric context despite the religious and political schisms of the era.
Interviewer:
Count Floris V was known for elevating commoners to knights. Can you explain
the role of the wealthy Dutch patricians in the formation of the Order?
Prince
Bentheim: It was a highly calculated political mechanism designed to secure
essential capital and create a loyal counterweight to the traditional
aristocracy. Floris V's relentless expansionist policies and geopolitical
ambitions generated expenditures that far exceeded traditional feudal revenues,
forcing him to rely heavily on the accumulated wealth of the commercial elite.
A perfect example is the Utrecht patrician Lambert de Vries, who acted as a
chief creditor. After assuming an overwhelming £12,000 Hollands debt liability
for the Count in 1291, De Vries was formally knighted by Floris V by 22 April
1292. This elevation was a direct transactional reward for underwriting
princely finances, demonstrating how the Count utilized his sovereign authority—the
fons honorum—to promote loyal burghers into the nobility.
Interviewer:
The Order of Saint James is clearly very internationally oriented today, but it
seems this global outlook is deeply rooted in its very foundations. Could you
elaborate on how the Order's founder, Count Floris V, approached international
diplomacy and how his broad European ambitions ultimately impacted his reign?
Prince
Bentheim: As the son of a Holy Roman Emperor (William II), Count Floris V of
Holland naturally inherited a broad European perspective, which he further
expanded by actively projecting his influence across the major courts of the
thirteenth century. Recognizing that his county's prosperity relied heavily on
the wool trade, the founder of the Order of Saint James forged strategic,
albeit shifting, alliances with powerful monarchs like King Edward I of England
and King Philip IV of France, while also marrying Beatrice of Dampierre to
broker peace with his rivals in Flanders. His geopolitical ambitions extended
well beyond the Low Countries; in 1292, he even crossed the North Sea to assert
a dynastic claim to the Scottish throne during the succession crisis known as
the Great Cause. Ultimately, this deep entanglement in European high politics
sealed his fate, as his decision to shift his allegiance from England to France
prompted an angered Edward I to conspire with disgruntled local nobles,
resulting in the Count's assassination on 27 June 1296.
Interviewer:
The order continues to thrive today. I understand it is now a network of men
and women of achievement, including captains of industry operating
internationally. Could you tell us more about its current focus on chivalric
norms and values, the history of the order, and business development for its
members?
Prince
Bentheim: Yes, it is a dynamic, global network built on ancient foundations.
Today, the Most Noble Equestrian Order of Saint James has evolved into an
exclusive, international community of highly accomplished men and women.
Membership is by invitation only, and our members are indeed often captains of
industry and leaders in their respective fields. While we remain deeply
committed to preserving the rich history of the order and upholding traditional
chivalric norms and values, we are equally focused on the present and future.
We actively foster business development, creating a trusted environment where
our members can connect, exchange ideas, and collaborate on an international
scale. To give you an example, this September we will host a special gathering
that perfectly reflects this balance: it will begin with a solemn religious
service to honour our heritage, and the following day we will enjoy a sportive
and highly exclusive polo event for our members. Polo is played all over the
world, with a strong presence in Argentina, but it also has a wilder history -
in Kenya, for instance, I remember that lions first had to be chased off the
pitch before our game could even begin!
Interviewer:
Turning to your personal life, you live with your wife, Princess Madeleine, in
the beautiful region of Tegernsee in Bavaria, just south of Munich. I
understand your son, Prince Maximilian, is also deeply involved as the Vice
Governor of the Order of Saint James. Could you share a bit about your family
life in this stunning location and what it means to have your son engaged in
the Order's leadership?
Prince
Bentheim: It is truly a blessing. Princess Madeleine and I deeply cherish our
life in Tegernsee. It is a magnificent place; being situated near Munich and so
close to Austria and Italy gives the area a wonderful, cross-cultural
atmosphere. We live right across the road from the lake, which provides an
incredibly peaceful and inspiring environment. As for Maximilian, seeing him
step into the role of Vice Governor fills me with immense pride. Having the
next generation actively involved ensures that our family's historical legacy
and the modern endeavours of the order will continue to flourish for years to
come.
Interviewer:
Your family’s ties to Spain clearly extend into your personal life as well
through your wife, Princess Madeleine. Could you tell us a bit about her
connection to the country?
Prince
Bentheim: Yes, indeed. Spain holds a very special place in our household.
Madeleine grew up in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, where her father owned a
hotel. During those formative years on the island, she attended a convent
school, an experience that shaped her deeply and gave her a profound
appreciation for the culture. As a result, she speaks Spanish fluently and
holds a deep, lifelong affection for the country. Having that vibrant, personal
connection to Spain in our daily life makes our family’s historical ties to the
Iberian Peninsula feel even more immediate and meaningful.
Interviewer:
Thank you so much for your time and for sharing these extraordinary insights
into your family's enduring legacy, Your Serene Highness.
Prince Bentheim: You are very welcome; it has been a true pleasure speaking with you today, and I thank you for such a fascinating conversation.
Reference.
(1) Gothaisches Genealogisches Handbuch: Fürstliche Häuser 2018, GGH 7 – Bentheim, II. Linie: Bentheim und Steinfurt, Verlag des Deutschen Adelsarchivs, Marburg 2018, S. 200–208.
- Website: ordevansintjacob.nl
- Email address: jvbq@fastmail.nl
- Further reading:
- https://lamesadelosnotables.blogspot.com/2026/05/historia-y-situacion-actual-de-las.html
- https://freiherrvonquast.wordpress.com/2024/09/02/an-examination-of-historical-connections-between-the-order-of-santiago-de-compostela-and-the-order-of-saint-james-of-holland-12th-13th-centuries/
- https://freiherrvonquast.wordpress.com/2024/09/01/the-order-of-saint-james-and-the-counts-of-holland-de-sint-jacob-s-orde/
Images.
1. Louvre Museum. Edmond de Rothschild Collection. Jacques Charles Bar, Knight of Santiago in Holland. Paris 1778/79.
2. Dirk V (1054–1091), a Frisian count (comes Fresonum) who ruled the territories that would later become known as the County of Holland. He was the son of Gertrude of Saxony and her first husband, Floris I. Source: Hollandse jaar-boeken of Rijm-kronijk van Melis Stoke. Behelsende de geschiedenissen des lands, onder de Princen van het eerste Huis, tot den jare 1305.
3. Coat of arms of the Princes of Bentheim-Steinfurt. From: Coat of Arms. Stemma Verlag: Germany. Published circa 1820. Copper engraving of a coat of arms circa 1820.
4. This photograph was taken on the occasion of the investiture dinner at the Grote Kerk in Dordrecht on May 23, 2026. From left to right: HHS Maximilian Prinz zu Bentheim und Steinfurt, KJH (Deputy Governor); HHS Carl-Ferdinand Fürst zu Bentheim-Steinfurt, KJH (Head of the House of Bentheim-Steinfurt); HHS Georg-Viktor Prinz zu Bentheim und Steinfurt, KJH (Governor). Photo credit: Princess Madeleine zu Bentheim und Steinfurt, DJH.
Publicado por La Mesa de los Notables.
