[1] The family said to be descendants of the Kings of Friesland and early Counts of future Holland, maintained some power due to its hereditary position as Voogd (Advocate) of the powerful Egmond Abbey in North Holland.

Thanks to a number of judicious marriages they were able to add the strategically important Lordship of IJsselstein[2] and the semi-sovereign territory of the Lords of Arkel[3] to their domains.

The family achieved even greater prominence in the period of Burgundian and Habsburg rule over the Netherlands.

The execution of Lamoral, Count of Egmont in 1568 helped spark the Dutch Revolt that eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands, while Anna van Egmond-Buren, known as Anna van Buren[6] in the Netherlands, was the first wife of William the Silent, the leader of this national uprising.

The Egmond coat of arms is depicted in the medieval Gelre Armorial (folio 83v)[citation needed] The Irish Perceval family, which erroneously claims descent from the house of Egmond, was admitted to the Irish peerage as Earls of Egmont in 1722.