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TheSt. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was aflooding of theGrote Hollandse Waard, an area in what is now theNetherlands. It takes its name from thefeast day of SaintElisabeth of Hungary which was formerly 19 November. During the night of 18/19 November 1421 a heavy storm near theNorth Sea coast caused thedikes to break in a number of places and the lower-lyingpolder land was flooded. A number of villages were swallowed by the flood and were lost, causing between 2,000 and 10,000 casualties. The dike broke and floods caused widespread devastation inZeeland andHolland.
The flood separated the cities ofGeertruidenberg andDordrecht which had previously fought against each other during theHook and Cod (civil) wars.
Most of the area remained flooded for several decades. Reclaimed parts are the island ofDordrecht, theHoeksche Waard island, and north-westernNorth Brabant (aroundGeertruidenberg). Most of the actual National Park ofBiesbosch area has been flooded since.
The cause of the flood was a powerfulextratropical cyclone. Water from the storm in the North Sea surged up the rivers causing the dikes to overflow and break through. The flood reached a large sea arm between south Holland and Zeeland (or Zealand), destroying theGrote Hollandse Waard. At the lower point where the flood water reached the city ofDordrecht is the point where flood water still remains today.
According to legend, the water carried away a baby along with its crib and a cat. After the flood receded, people ventured out to assess the survivors. They spotted a cradle floating on the water and prepared for the worst: the chances of the baby surviving seemed slim. As the cradle approached the shore, they noticed a cat leaping frantically from one corner to another, desperately maintaining balance. It turned out, the cat's acrobatics managed to keep the crib upright, preventing it from overturning. The cat allegedly succeeded so well that even the peacefully sleeping baby's bedding remained dry. The artistLawrence Alma-Tadema captured this legend in his 1856 painting "The Inundation of The Biesbosch".
