Editing Hook and Cod wars (section)

=== The reign of William IV of Holland and the war against Utrecht===
In 1337 [[William IV, Count of Holland|William IV]] succeeded his father as count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut (as William II). William waged many wars, traveled far and wide and participated in many tournaments. As a consequence the finances of Holland fell into utter disarray. For political advice, William continued to rely on [[Willem van Duvenvoorde]], and therefore also on Duvenvoorde's kin: the Wassenaar's, Polanen's, Brederode's, Boechorsten etc. This was to the detriment of families like those of Arkel, Egmond, Heemskerk and Wateringen.{{sfn|Blok|1923|p=319}}

In 1342 [[John of Arkel]] had become Bishop of [[Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht|Utrecht]]. He set about to restore the bishopric's power. In order to prevent this, Count William and his many allies in Utrecht, attacked and started to {{ill|Siege of Utrecht (1345)|fr|Siège d'Utrecht (1345)|nl|Beleg van Utrecht (1345)|lt=besiege Utrecht}} city on 8 July 1345. After six weeks of siege, a truce was concluded, to last until 11 November. In return the citizens of Utrecht had to beg for forgiveness.{{sfn|Blok|1923|p=320}}

William then attempted to restore his authority in Friesland. On 26 September 1345 he led an army that crossed the [[Zuiderzee]] and landed near [[Stavoren]]. The subsequent [[Battle of Warns]] was a disaster: William died and his army returned without him, although his uncle, [[John of Beaumont]], managed to escape.{{sfn|Blok|1923|p=320}} William's death did not end the war with Utrecht. Right after the truce ended, the bishop subdued almost all William's allies in Utrecht, and collected major reparations from them.{{sfn|Aurelius|De Hamer|2011|p=208v}}
[[File:Locator County of Holland (1350).svg|thumb|County of Holland circa 1350.]]