Introduction

In the late Middle Ages, the Dutch fought an epic battle with the water. Bit by bit, they managed to reclaim the land and protect it from the advancing raging sea. Polders were created, dykes built. Right? Well, in part, the problems were caused by the heroic Hollanders themselves: when the old peat bogs were reclaimed, the land had collapsed like a soufflé; the peat cushion became a bathtub. At first, the farming communities, the so-called crafts, dabbled, but it became increasingly clear that coordinated action was necessary. In 1255, King William II issued the first charter to some 15 crafts. This charter counts as the foundation of the Hoogheemraadschap Rijnland, a kind of umbrella body that still exists today. That was the beginning of a development that continues until today.

The charter discussed here dates from 1286. William's son, Count Floris V, stipulates that a new dam may be built in the Spaarne and regulates the administration and jurisdiction in the area south of the IJ.

Physical Description

Original charter on parchment. Sealed.