St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)
The St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was a huge flood in the Grote Hollandse Waard, an area in what is now the Netherlands. It happened during the night of 18–19 November 1421, when a powerful North Sea storm caused the dikes to break and low-lying land to flood. Thousands of people died, with estimates ranging from about 2,000 to 10,000 casualties. The flood hit Zeeland and Holland and even separated the cities Geertruidenberg and Dordrecht, which had fought each other in the Hook and Cod wars. Much of the land remained underwater for decades. Some areas were later reclaimed, including the island of Dordrecht, Hoeksche Waard, and parts of northwestern North Brabant around Geertruidenberg; the Biesbosch area was mostly flooded.
The flood was caused by a strong extratropical cyclone whose surge pushed North Sea water up the rivers until the dikes broke, flooding a large sea arm between South Holland and Zeeland and destroying the Grote Hollandse Waard. The lowest point of the flood near Dordrecht is noted as a place where floodwater lingered.
Legend says a baby and a cradle were washed away, but a cat leaped around the cradle and kept it upright, keeping the baby dry. The baby is said to be Beatrix de Rijke. This story inspired a painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema in 1856, The Inundation of The Biesbosch. The flood is named after Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, whose feast day was 19 November.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:19 (CET).