Shortly before the year 700 Saint Adelbert arrived in Egmond. The region he settled in, Frisia, was comparatively densely populated for those days. Near the present-day Abbey grounds there must have been a trade settlement called Hallum. The indigenous Frisians had leaders of their own, among whom the renowned King Redbad. However, not much is known about them due to the lack of written sources.
At the beginning of the 8th century the Frisians were still pagan. Only after the occupation of the coastal region by Frankish invaders, Christianity got a foothold. The first churches were built.
For a short interval halfway the 9th century the Norsemen ruled western Frisia. After that the Franks regained their power.
The first Count was Gerulf. He was succeeded by, among others, Dirk I, Dirk II and Dirk III — truly powerful men. They ruled the coastal region which by then no longer was called Frisia but Holland.
From the times of Count Floris I and Count Dirk V onwards we also have written sources of information. They supply us with a fairly reliable picture of life in County Holland.
All Counts of Holland, from Dirk I in the 10th century to Dirk VIII in the 13th century, were buried in Egmond together with their spouses. For this reason alone Egmond Abbey may be considered as one of the most important historic sites in the western part of the Netherlands.