968
The region "het Gooi" was called Naerdiclant or Nardingerland at that time. The name refers to a small colony slightly north of the current town Oud-Naarden.
Count Wichman II of Hameland donated Nardingerland to his daughter Luitgarde. He had founded a monastery for her near the city of Emmerich (in Germany) and she became abbess. This donation was approved by the emperor Otto I on June 29th 968.

1260-1300
Nardingerland was under the authority of the abbess for about 300 years, but it became under threat by others. There was the bishop of Utrecht who supported local farmers, but also several counts of Holland claimed the land.
In 1280 count Floris V of Holland forced the abbess Godelinde to transfer the authority to him in exchange for a certain sum of money and a permanent lease.
Floris V was murdered in 1296 near the village of Muiderberg. Since 1300 the name Gooiland was used.

1350
On May 15th 1350 an armed troop from the province of Utrecht plundered the town of Naarden and burned it down. Count Willem V ordered that the town would be rebuilt on a new spot, more to the south. The new location was close to the hills in this region and thus provided more protection against the sea (Zuiderzee).

1400-1500
The name “erfgooier” is being used already. The first letter that describes the rights of the local farmers to use the common land dates from 1404. These farmers, the so-called "erfgooiers" were united in a agrarian organisation representing their interests. It became known as the Gooiland Mark, the "Gooise Marke".
In the 15th century there live about 5000 people in Gooiland and about half of them in the town Naarden. They herd sheep on the heath and grow rye and barley around the villages.
In 1420- 1422 there was a war between the provinces Holland and Utrecht and the town Naarden was under attack, But the town was able to defend itself owing to the strong wall around it. But in 1481 there was another attack and many of its inhabitants were killed and the town was plundered.

1567
There is an increasing resistance against the king of Spain, at that time ruling The Netherlands. In 1566 the king sends the duke of Alva with a large army, but in Gooiland it is still relatively quiet.

1572
In december of that year the town Naarden is occupied by the Spanish. The inhabitants are murdered and the town is destroyed. In most villages nearby, such as Blaricum, it is still quiet.

1609
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft became sheriff of Gooiland and settled in the castle of Muiden. Hooft was a prolific writer of plays, poems and letters, but he concentrated from 1618 onwards on writing his history of the Netherlands. His focus was primarily on the Eighty Years' War between The Netherlands and Spain.

1672
That year the French invaded The Netherlands. On June 10th Naarden surrendered and the town remained under French authority till September 1673 when prince Willem III conquered the town again. Shortly after the walls were fortified using double walls. The unique Vesting (the great fortification), with its bastions deep into the moat, is one of the best preserved defensive works in the world.

1773
Map of the province of Utrecht with Gooiland top-left

1787
There is a increasing resistance by the Patriots against the ruling prince Willem V. His wife Wilhelmina asks her brother, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II, for help. He sends an army of 20,000 men to occupy Naarden.

1795
The French arrive in Gooiland in January and are treated as liberators.

1812-1814
Life under French occupation was bad. All industrial activity stopped. After the defeat of Napoleon near Leipzig in 1813 resistance grow and in May 1814 the French were defeated.

During those years small villages such as Blaricum en Laren suffered a lot from plundering. There was no agricultural development and farming provided just enough to survive.
Till 1850 Gooiland was considered more or less as an underdeveloped area. It could only be reached from Amsterdam or Utrecht by coach. Freight could be transported by boat between Naarden and Amsterdam.

Map of Blaricum around 1800

Map of Blaricum approx. 1860

1874
" 't Gooi" or Gooiland lost its isolation in July 10th 1874 when a railway was officially opened, the "Oosterspoorweg". In 1882 this was followed by the tram line Amsterdam-Naarden-Laren and with a branch from Hilversum to Blaricum and Huizen.
This meant a major change for this region. Het Gooi became easily within reach and it changed from an unpopular area into a place where many (relatively wealthy) people from Amsterdam settled in large houses and enjoyed the beautiful nature.
Before the railway there lived about 20,000 people in het Gooi. In 1900 that number was already doubled, mainly due to the expansion of both Hilversum and Bussum.

Map of around 1900 with the lines of the steam tram
(Gooische Stoomtram) and the toll-bar (Tol) near the Eemnesserweg.

Blaricum
Till the end of the 18th century Blaricum belonged to the jurisdiction of Laren although it had its own administration. In 1795 it became fully independent of Laren. Both were mainly agricultural villages.
At the end of the 18th century there were about 50 to 60 cloth mills in Laren and about 20 in Blaricum. A century later there were 9 cloth mills in Laren whereas in Blaricum they had all disappeared. Agriculture and cattle breeding were the only means of income left.
In the 20th century population increased sharply. Many people wanted to live in this green area and settled in Blaricum. As a result it is now known for its beautiful country houses. Fortunately the centre of the old village kept its original, rural character.