Katharina von Geldern

Katharina von Geldern , also Catherine d'Egmont , (* around 1440 in Grave ; † January 25, 1497 in Geldern ) was an Hereditary Duchess of Geldern from the House of Egmond . She ruled the duchy between 1477 and 1483.

Life

Katharina was the youngest of six children from Arnold von Egmond's first marriage to Katharina von Kleve (1417–1479).

Little is known about her childhood and youth. She stood in the shadow of her brother Adolf von Egmond . She also remained unmarried for the time being. Their celibacy is probably due to a secret liaison with Louis von Bourbon (1438–1482), the Prince-Bishop of Liège . From this union three illegitimate sons were born.

After the death of her brother Adolf, the actual Duke of Geldern, in 1477, Katharina took over the government of the duchy. Ultimately, however, she was unable to prevail against Maximilian I of Habsburg , who later became Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire . Due to his marriage to Mary of Burgundy (1457–1482), he had claims to the Duchy of Geldern, which he exercised from 1483.

Her grave was rediscovered in 1952 in the church of St. Maria Magdalena during construction work. Today's parish church was the monastery church of the Carmelite monastery in Geldern during Katharina's lifetime . The representation of the sleeping duchess has been engraved on the grave cover made of three solid brass plates.

family

siblings

• Maria (1432–1463) ⚭ 1449 with James II of Scotland , Queen of Scotland
• Eduard (1434 - died as a child)
• Wilhelm (1435 - died as a child)
• Margarete (1436–1486) ⚭ 1454 with Friedrich I. von Pfalz-Simmern (1417–1480).
• Adolf (1438–1477) ⚭ 1463 with Catherine de Bourbon (around 1441–1469).

Descendants

Three sons of Ludwig von Bourbon.

• Pierre de Bourbon (1464–1529), Baron von Busset and Chamberlain of Louis XII. ⚭1498 with Marguerite de Tourzel D'Alegre

• Louis de Bourbon (1465 - died as a child)

• Jacques de Bourbon (1466-1537), Jesuit

Individual evidence

1. ↑ website Chateu Busset.

literature

• Stefan Frankewitz (ed.): The Geldrische chronicle of Willem van Berchen over the years 1343 to 1481. According to the Hamburg manuscript. Edited by AJ de Mooy, translated by Paul Heßler. Geldrisches Archiv 8. Boss Druck und Medien GmbH, Goch 2007. ISBN 978-3-933969-72-9 .
• Ralf G. Jahn : The genealogy, the bailiffs, counts and dukes of money. In: Johannes Stinner, Karl-Heinz Tekath (ed.): Gelre - Geldern - Gelderland. History and culture of the Duchy of Geldern (= Duchy of Geldern. Vol. 1 = Publications of the State Archives of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Series D: Exhibition catalogs of the State Archives. Vol. 30). Verlag des Historisches Verein für Geldern and the surrounding area, Geldern 2001, ISBN 3-9805419-4-0 , pp. 29–50.
• Claudia Rotthoff-Kraus: Geldern and Habsburg at the time of Maximilian I as Duke of Burgundy (1477-1492). In: Gelre-Geldern-Gelderland. History and culture of the Duchy of Geldern. Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen, Geldern 2001. pp. 139–144.