Catherine of Kleve (Geldern)

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Katharina von Kleve (born  May 25, 1417 at the Schwanenburg in Kleve , † February 10, 1476 in Lobith ) was Duchess of Geldern and Countess of Zutphen . Her parents were Duke Adolf II of Kleve (1373–1448) and Maria of Burgundy (1394–1463), daughter of Duke John Fearless of Burgundy.

family

Katharina von Kleve was married to Duke Arnold von Egmond , Duke of Geldern and Count of Zutphen (1410–1473) and had six children:

  • Maria (1432–1463) ⚭ 1449 with Jacob II. (1430–1460)
  • Eduard (1434, died as a small child)
  • Wilhelm (1435, died as a small child)
  • Margarete (born August 11, 1436; † November 2, 1486) ⚭ 1454 with Count Palatine Friedrich I of Palatinate-Simmern (1417–1480).
  • Adolf (1438–1477) ⚭ 1463 with his cousin Catherine de Bourbon (around 1441–1469). He was considered Katharina's favorite son.
  • Katharina (1439–1497), secretly ⚭ with the bishop of Liège, Ludwig von Bourbon (1438–1482 / 86). The marriage produced three sons.

Life

Katharina is described as a very self-confident woman because, as a woman, she interfered in the political circumstances of the Duchy of Geldern .

She was engaged to Arnold von Egmond at the age of seven and married to him six years later in 1430. The marriage was so unhappy that Katharina separated from her husband around 1440 to live in Nijmegen or Lobith.

Double page from the book of hours of Katharina von Kleve

As a patron of the arts, she had a book of hours ( Morgan Library & Museum , New York) made with 157 miniatures for her personal use , the illuminator of which is only known as the master of Catherine of Cleves .

When her husband went on a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem in 1449/50, Katharina took over the business of government on their behalf. After his return, the marriage remained tense and the conflicts were carried over to his son Adolf, who wanted to depose his father, who often lived extravagantly and illegally, as a duke. During this confrontation, Katharina stood as a mother between the father and his son, whereby she ultimately supported her son. She even received support from her opponents, who also complained about the unspeakable conditions in the Duchy of Geldern. At the time, countless attacks, looting and kidnappings, tolerated by the duke, took place on the streets and paths of the duchy.

In 1465, Katharina's husband was taken prisoner at Büren Castle by a conspiracy led by her son Adolf. Husband Arnold was only released on December 7, 1472 after he pledged his duchy for 300,000 (another source speaks of 92,000) gold guilders to his Burgundian liberator, Duke Charles the Bold . Since then, Katharina has led a secluded life in Lobith, a family estate of the Egmonds. In 1473 she was informed of her husband's death there. After her death on February 10, 1479, she was buried next to her father, Adolf II. Von Kleve, in the Carthusian monastery on Marieninsel near Wesel .

literature

  • Anne Margreet W. As-Vijvers: The book of hours of Katharina von Kleve . Ed .: Rob Dückers. 1st edition. Belser Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-7630-2542-8 .
  • 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.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Family tree of Katharina von Kleve
personal data
SURNAME Kleve, Katharina von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Duchess of Geldern and Countess of Zutphen
DATE OF BIRTH May 25, 1417
PLACE OF BIRTH Kleve
DATE OF DEATH February 10, 1476
Place of death Lobith