Medieval Coin Identified

First and foremost I would like to thank Mr. Allen G. Berman of Fairfield, CT  for identifying this coin and pointing me in the right direction for further identification and historical reference.  Mr. Berman maintains a very interesting and informative web site of foreign, ancient and medieval coins and collectibles.  Please visit his web site at:  www.bermania.com.
 

Netherlands:  Holland
Denar (penny?) of  Floris IV 1222 to 1234
Material:  silver
Value:  see below

Floris IV Count of HOLLAND (1222 to 1234)

Born:  June 24, 1210 at Of 'S-Gravenhage, Zuid Holland, Netherlands
Died:  July 19, 1234  at Corbie, Picardy, France

Father: Willem I Count of  HOLLAND
Mother: Countess Van Gelre ALEID

In the beginning of the 13th century, Floris IV, count of Holland,  bought a piece of land at one hour ride (horse) from Loosduinen. He started to build a house on a dune top, next to a little dune lake. This lake still exists and is called "the Court Pond" (Hofvijver).  The house of Floris IV was probably a stone building surrounded by some wooden houses for his people and some stables for the horses and cattle.  Around it all some defensive walls and perhaps a first canal. They called the house and it's surrounding area "Haga". Which means both "Hague" and "land surrounded by walls". In later centuries "Haga" became "Haag Ambacht" and "Haag Ambacht" became Den Haag or 's Gravenhage [Graven is Dutch for "counts"].  The Hague, about 750 years old, was created with the intentions to be a garden for Floris IV of Holland.  When Floris IV first arrived in The Hague, it was already a very small town that was a left-over of the Roman village that was situated there some 100 years ago.

This was also a time of  knights and knight tournaments, like we know from so many movies.  Count Floris went to such a tournament (jousting) in France.  He was an enthusiastic participant in tournaments and was usually victorious. At the tournament in Corbie, however, he died at the hands of the Count of Clairmont, who had discovered that Floris had fallen in love with his wife and wanted to make sure that the affair was put to and end.  Floris' death also caused the death of his lover, the Countess of Clairmont, from grief a few days later.  The next count of Holland was Willem II, son of Floris IV.  He loved the place his father bought near Loosduinen and wanted a bigger house there.  Willem became king within the German-Roman Catholic empire and would even become emperor. The pope had chosen him for that function.  Therefore, Willem wanted the house in The Hague to become large and magnificent.  Just weeks before he would be crowned by the Pope, Willem just wanted to show the Friesians in the north who was boss.  He went north with his army and... he died.

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