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Egmond Castle (), also called the Ruins of Egmond (), is a ruined medieval castle built c. 1150, in the Netherlands province of North Holland. It is located in Egmond aan den Hoef in the municipality of Bergen and lies about west of Alkmaar. The castle dates from the 11th century and is the ancestral seat of the Egmond family, whose members became sovereign Dukes of Guelders, Counts of Egmond and Princes of Gavere, Counts of Buren and Leerdam.Dek, Dr. W.A.E., Genealogie der Heren en Graven van Egmond. The Hague, 1958; pp. 21-33 and pp. 48-64. Coppens, Thera, "Buren, Egmond en Oranje; Over heren, graven en prinsen" Buren, 1989; pp.14-46 It is a Rijksmonument of the Netherlands.
It is an interesting question whether the first version of Egmond Castle was a Motte-and-bailey castle. This hypotheses could include that the motte was lowered, and that this explains the absence of debris and building remains on the site of the later round water castle. Renaud and P. Beelaerts van Blokland saw no pressing reasons to suppose that a motte had existed on that site.
Walter I, Lord of Egmond, nicknamed Kwade Wouter got involved in the Loon War, a war of succession over the County of Holland (and its dependency Zeeland) from 1203 until 1206, brought on by the death of count Dirk VII. During this war, the faction of Louis II, Count of Loon set the fortified manor on fire in 1205.
The second castle was a round water castle. It formed a far from perfect circle, with a minimum diameter of 27 meters, and a maximum diameter of 29 meters. The curtain wall was 0.76-1 m thick, and stood in the moat. There were buttresses on the inside, which stood left a space of 3.20-4 m between them. These spaces were spanned by arcs that supported a circular walkway. On the south side there was a strong tower house which probably doubled as a gatehouse. Later a smaller, but strong tower was added on the northeast side. The smaller and lighter tower on the northwest side was also a later addition.
The main purpose of the circular castle was to serve as a place for refuge and defense in times of peril. No traces of buildings were found inside the circular castle. The main living and residential buildings Therefore have to be sought on what was then the outer bailey. Egmond castle was first mentioned in 1228. In 1285 Floris V, Count of Holland confirmed that Sir Willem van Egmond was allowed to harbor fugitives from the law of Holland at his house near Rynegom, and on the hoeve (farm) where his house was.
The church next to the castle was started at the same time as the round water castle. Renaud deduced this from the used brick. The oldest was 29-31 * 14.5 * 8 cm and therefore the church was also from the early thirteenth century. Later brick used in the church was like that used in the second phase of the third castle.
There is a single source that claims that Egmond Castle was destroyed in 1315. If such were true, the circular castle would have been destroyed that year. Renaud thought it more likely that this happened during the rebellions after the death of Count Floris V. In both cases a wall fragment retrieved in the northwest moat could be a leftover of the destruction. The distance between the round castle, and the new (third) castle makes it likely that the round castle lost its use in about 1300. The existence of the circular water castle was then forgotten till it was rediscovered in the 1930s. See: 18th century floor plan.
The tower house was constructed in about 1330, and had walls of 2.10-3 m thick. Part of the northwest and southwest curtain wall were built as about the same time. In the foundations there were some yellow bricks of 30 * 15 * 8 cm, and some of the outside facings were covered in mortar. It all indicated that brick from the round castle had been reused in the foundations of the tower house and some connected walls. The northern tip of the old wall with a loose piece of old foundation probably indicates that the court of the third castle was smaller. The southern tip of the old wall gives the same indication, and showed sure signs of a gate.
At the time the third castle was constructed there were no stone constructions on the long outer bailey. This was deduced from the differences in the brick that was used, and the configuration of the (later) fortification of the outer bailey.
Walter II, Lord of Egmond (c. 1283-1321) went on an expedition to Flanders with 60 men in 1315. He might have started the third castle. His son John I, Lord of Egmond (1310-1369) is also a likely candidate. John I was a leader of the Cod faction during the Hook and Cod wars.
The new outer bailey was fortified during this same phase. Its southern, and most of its eastern and western walls are date to the construction phase. The round southwest tower and the square northwest tower were also built during this phase. A single wall fragment of the northwest tower is the only piece of wall still standing today.
The second building phase can be attributed to the growing wealth of the Lords of Egmond. John I, Lord of Egmond (1310-1369) married the rich heiress Gyote van IJsselstein. Arnold I, Lord of Egmond and IJsselstein became rich. He was credited with constructing most of Egmond Castle. For this one can certainly think of the fortification of the outer bailey.
On the outer bailey a large hall for servants was created in the first half of the 16th century. The large gate-building was added in about 1500. With its four towers, it was a fortress on its own. Near the gate building a sand stone lion and two lead dragons were found during the excavation.
John III of Egmont (1438-1516) was the first Count of Egmont as well as an important statesman in the Burgundian Netherlands. He decided to enlarge and decorate the castle. He was also the last Lord of Egmond to think of Egmond castle as his residence. Many writers called it the largest and most beautiful castle of Holland.
Lamoraal I, Count of Egmont and first prince of Gavere was the grandson of John III. He was a leading general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands during the 16th century. His beheading in Brussels in 1568 sparked the national uprising which led to the independence of the Netherlands. Troops led by Diederik Sonoy set both Egmond castle and the abbey on fire in 1573. The destruction was at the command of the Prince of Orange to prevent the Spanish army from occupying these strategic locations.
Just like the Brederode Castle the ruins of Egmond Castle became a favorite subject of the artists in the Dutch Golden Age. Painters like Meindert Hobbema and Jacob van Ruisdael or sketchers like Roelant Roghman or Cornelis Pronk depicted the ruins in romantic settings or how they imagined the castle looked like in more glorious times. These paintings are scattered around the world and can be admired in places like the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam or the Art Institute of Chicago.
Ms Jacoba van Foreest, married with Mr Tinne, became proprietors of the ruins in 1798. They are responsible for the disappearance of the ruins, as they sold it for demolition with the exception of the so-called 'rentmeestertoren' or 'clock tower'. However, in the end, they stopped maintenance and tore it down in 1832. Nothing remained of the castle as from 1836 onwards. The loss of the castle ruins started discussions in the Netherlands around heritage awareness and how to treat monuments. As a result, Brederode castle, the other great ruin in Holland, became one of the first national monuments of the Netherlands.
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