- Willem II Berthout
William II Berthout of Mechelen (died near
De Meern ,4 February 1301 ) wasbishop of Utrecht from1296 to1301 , succeeding Jan II van Sierck. He was a leader of theBerthout family, which ruled over the heerlijkheid ofMechelen .Willem was appointed without intervention from the "kapittels" by
pope Boniface VIII because of his anti-French and pro-English attitude. He tried in vain to get back his lost lordships of Amstelland andWoerden until the death of count Floris V of Holland. When he returned from a trip to Rome he found so much opposition to him in the Sticht that he sought refuge inAmersfoort . In 1300 Boniface VIII suspended him as bishop since he had not paid back debts owed to the papal treasury, but when he paid these debts the suspension was lifted and he remained bishop until his death in battle against a coalition of the Dutch and his own rebellious subjects. His intended successor as bishop,Adolf II of Waldeck , was passed over in favour ofGuy of Avesnes .ource
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