Adolf von Kleve
Adolf von Kleve (born June 28, 1425 , † September 18, 1492 in Oostburg , Zeeland ) was an influential nobleman at the Burgundian ducal court. Belonging to the closest circle of the court nobility, Adolf acted as the ducal governor- general of the Burgundian Netherlands from July 1475 to 1477 and, after the death of Mary of Burgundy, took over the regency in the duchy for her son and successor Philip the Fair, who was still underage at the time , from March 1483 .
Life
Childhood and youth
Adolf was born as the sixth child and thus the youngest son of Duke Adolf I of Cleves and his second wife Maria of Burgundy. Through his mother he was the nephew of the Burgundian Duke Philip the Good , at whose court he grew up and was brought up together with his older brother Johann . Initially, he was intended for a career in the church, which is why Philip the Good brought about the appointment of Adolf as Archbishop of Cologne by Eugene IV in 1446 . The Pope tried in this way to remove Archbishop Dietrich II von Moers from his office and thus to end the Soest feud . This plan failed, however, and the appointment of Adolf had no effect whatsoever.
Inheritance and promotion at the Herzogshof
After the death of his father in 1450, Adolf received the Brabant fiefs of Ravenstein , Herpen and Uden as well as an entitlement to the Winnendahl rule , which came from his mother's dowry , in addition to financial compensation . In return, he had to do without the Duchy of Kleve and the County of Mark . However, he could not rule in Ravenstein until 1463 after the death of his mother, and that in Winnendahl only in 1473. There he had Wijnendale Castle expanded into his representative main residence.
From 1443 Adolf took part in all major campaigns of the Burgundian duke and also supported him in the battle of Gavere against the rebellious Ghent in 1453 . For his loyalty and services he was accepted as a knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece in The Hague in 1456 . Since then he has also had his coat of arms adorned with the collar of the respected order.
On May 6, 1453, Adolf married Beatrix of Portugal, a daughter of Peter of Portugal , the Duke of Coimbra , and thus the granddaughter of the Portuguese King John I. In addition to an annual allowance of 25,000 crowns, she also brought the Dreischor reign in Zeeland as a dowry Marriage.
Governor General and Regency
In the army of Charles the Bold , Adolf marched in 1465 in the Guerre du Bien Public (German: War for the common good) against the French King Louis XI. and participated as one of the leading captains in the period from 1466 to 1468 in Charles' campaigns against uprisings in Liège and Dinant . In gratitude for this, Karl installed him as governor in Arras .
In 1470 Adolf married Anna of Burgundy, an illegitimate daughter of Duke Philip the Good . He had now risen to become one of the most influential and respected members of the Burgundian court, which is why Duke Karl appointed him governor- general of the Burgundian Netherlands on June 22, 1475 for the time of his absence during the campaign against Lorraine . After Charles's death, his daughter and successor Maria Adolf confirmed on January 28, 1477 as regent over all Burgundian lands and on July 7 of the same year appointed him captain general of the county of Hainaut, threatened by France . He held this office until August 6, 1482. How much the new Duchess trusted Adolf von Kleve is also shown by the fact that she chose him as the godfather of her first child Philipp in 1478.
Maria died unexpectedly in 1482 after a hunting accident, and in June 1483 her husband Maximilian , who later became the Roman-German Emperor , set up a Regency Council for Philip, his still underage son and successor to Mary. He appointed Adolf von Kleve as chairman, who thus nominally exercised the reign of Philipp. In addition, he acted - from 1485 together with Olivier de la Marche - as tutor of the heir to the throne. Maximilian, however, dissolved the council in October of the same year in order to exercise the custodial government himself, whereupon unrest broke out in the Dutch possessions. Adolf tried to mediate between the fronts and, as a result of his efforts, was able to record the Peace of Sluis on June 28, 1485 . The peace was short-lived, however, and Adolf subsequently sided with the rebellious Dutch, including his son Philip . Maximilian accused him of rebellion in April 1491, but there was no conviction.
In 1492 Adolf was already fighting on the Habsburg side again. He died on September 18 in Oostburg during the last days of a siege of Sluis. In accordance with his will in his will, he was transferred to Brussels and buried in the church of the Dominican monastery there in October . His second wife Anna was buried at his side after her death. However, the tomb of the two is no longer preserved because it was destroyed by French troops of King Louis XIV in 1695 .
Marriages and offspring
In his first marriage, Adolf married Beatrix of Portugal (1435–1462) on May 6, 1453. This marriage had two children:
- Philipp (* 1456; † 1528), Lord of Ravenstein
- Louise (* 1457; † 1458)
On June 21, 1470, Adolf had a second marriage to Anna of Burgundy († 1507). This connection remained childless.
literature
- Willem P. Blockmans: Kleve, Adolf von . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 5, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-7608-8905-0 , Sp. 1214.
- Jules de Chestret de Haneffe: Histoire de la Maison de la Marck y compris les Cléves de la seconde race . D. Cormaux, Lüttich 1898, p. 47ff.
- Jozef van Damme: Adolf van Kleef en van der Mark, heer van Ravenstein, in the service of van de Bourgondische politiek . 2 volumes. KU Leuven 1967.
- Henny Grüneisen: Adolf von Kleve and von der Mark. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1953, ISBN 3-428-00182-6 , p. 82 ( digitized version ).
- Karl Leopold Strauven: Adolf von Kleve and von der Mark . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, p. 329 f.
- Raphaël de Smedt (ed.): Les chevaliers de l'ordre de la Toison d'or au XVe siècle. Notices bio-bibliographiques (= Kiel work pieces . Series D, No. 3). 2nd edition, Peter Lang, Frankfurt 2000, ISBN 3-631-36017-7 , pp. 131-134.
- Malcolm Vale: A Burgundian Funeral Ceremony: Olivier de la Marche and the Obsequies of Adolf of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein . In: The English Historical Review . No. 443, September 1996, ISSN 0013-8266 , pp. 920-938.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ H. Grüneisen: Adolf von Kleve and von der Mark , p. 82.
- ^ M. Vale: A Burgundian Funeral Ceremony , p. 922.
- ^ M. Vale: A Burgundian Funeral Ceremony , p. 926.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Johann I. |
Lord of Ravenstein and Wynendael 1450–1492 |
Phillip |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Adolf von Kleve |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Adolf von der Mark; Adolf von Kleve and the Mark |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Governor General of the Burgundian Netherlands and Regent for Philip the Fair, Lord of Ravenstein and Wynendael |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 28, 1425 |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 18, 1492 |
| Place of death | Oostburg , Zeeland |