Wassenberg (noble family)

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Coat of arms of the Counts of Wassenberg / Counts of Geldern in the Armorial Gelre , approx. 1380 (incompletely colored)

In the High Middle Ages , the Counts of Wassenberg were an aristocratic family from the Lower Rhine who ruled the County of Wassenberg and also provided the Counts and Dukes of Geldern from 1096 to 1371 . Wassenberg went as early as 1129 as the marriage property of Jutta, daughter of Count Gerhard III. von Wassenberg, to whose husband Count Walram I of Limburg and thus to the counts and later dukes of Limburg , and later to the Duchy of Jülich . The Counts of Wassenberg relocated their dominion center to Geldern Castle .

history

Wassenberg in the early 19th century
Wassenberg Castle

Many facts about the origin of this noble family cannot be documented in detail or are disputed. The predecessors of this noble family probably came from St. Anton (Antoing) in the West Flanders county of Hainaut . The brothers Gerhard and Rutger , who were named Flamenses (from Flanders) when they appeared after 1000 on the Lower Rhine after their geographical origin, moved from a resident family there, who were "free landlords" . For "Flamenses" it is assumed that it was derived from "Vlaming", as its origin was in Flanders. According to another assumption, Flamenses could also have been derived from "red-haired". Around 1020, Emperor Heinrich II awarded these two brothers (Flamenses) areas near Wassenberg and areas in the area of ​​Kleve zu Lehen, and as counts they immediately named themselves after these two hilltop castles (of which there are only three on the Lower Rhine) Wassenberg, Counts of Kleve).

Descendants of these two "Flamenses" were related to almost all important aristocratic dynasties in the Maas and Lower Rhine area. Gerhard's successors were the Counts of Wassenberg and then the Counts of Geldern . Rutger's descendants were the Counts of Kleve . In addition to these two counties, which later became duchies, there were other relationships with the lords of Heinsberg and Falkenburg and with the duchies of Jülich and Berg .

The successors of the first Gerhard Flamenses , son "Gerhard II." And grandson "Heinrich" had already expanded the power base beyond Wassenberg with additional fiefs in the Maas area and north of it. Under Count Gerhard III. von Wassenberg, who was also called Count Gerhard I von Geldern, began to move his residence to the county of Geldern and to expand it. The next count also managed to enlarge the area of ​​Geldern. Under Otto II von Geldern, the area of ​​the county of Geldern with the four quarters: Veluwe, Nijmegen, Zutphen and Obergeldern, in which the city of Geldern was located, was largely rounded off by the middle of the 13th century.

In the meantime, after the death of Gerhard III. von Geldern in 1129 his daughter Judith "Wassenberg" bequeathed to the Count of Limburg because she was Walram III. von Limburg had married. The county of Wassenberg was no longer an independent county, as it was now part of other rulers. From the late Middle Ages onwards it became the Wassenberg office .

At the time of the Battle of Worringen in 1288, the then Count Rainald I of Geldern was also briefly Duke of Limburg. Since Rainald I was one of the losers, both Wassenberg and the Duchy of Limburg had to be ceded again. The Wassenberg office then changed its affiliation even more frequently and belonged, for example, to Jülich from 1311, to Heinsberg from 1317 and briefly to the County of Moers from 1421 .

History of the noble family Gerhard Flamenses

Provost church St. Georg, Wassenberg

The first nobleman of Wassenberg from the "Flamenses" family was probably Gerhard Flamenses (or Gerardus Flamens). This is documented in 1033 witness to a contract under Emperor Konrad II. His father, named Dietrich, is believed to have been a count in West Flanders . As already mentioned, the sons Gerhard and Rudger had to leave West Flanders after 1000. In 1021 Gerhard received the Wassenberg area as a thank you for his services from Emperor Heinrich II. As a fief and Gerhard became "Lord of Wassenberg". His son "Count Gerhard II", who can be traced back to 1042, became his successor. In 1053 this became Count of Teisterbant and Betuwe (Betau) and in 1057 Count of Hattuariergau as a fief of Archbishop Hermann II of Cologne .

After the enfeoffment, Count Gerhard III founded in 1118. in Wassenberg the St. Georg monastery as the burial place of the first counts. The next counts were buried in the Cistercian monasteries Kamp and Roermond. After the family seat was relocated to Geldern, the Cistercian monastery was founded in Graefenthal near Goch under Otto II von Geldern in 1248 . The burial place of the counts and the first dukes of Geldern was then moved to this monastery until 1337.

There is no clear documentary evidence of the reign and the year of the death of the first Gerhard, Herr zu Wassenberg. Gerhard Flamenses' son Gerhard was succeeded as Count Gerhard II von Wassenberg, who continued this noble family. He had three sons: Heinrich, Gerhard and Dietrich. While Heinrich continued the dynasty in Wassenberg as an elder, Gerhard became count in Hamaland in 1082 and count in Westfalengau in 1085. Dietrich, on the other hand, was named "Herr zu Heinsberg and Falkenberg", the first verifiable progenitor of this noble family. He is a witness in a Utrecht document in 1058, was count in Veluwe in 1056 and count in Teisterbant in 1058.

Gerhard II von Wassenberg was enfeoffed in 1076 with the county "Maasgau", which also included areas of the Bailiwick of Geldern. In 1079 the bailiwick becomes the county of Geldern. His son Heinrich followed from 1082 to 1085 as Count Heinrich von Wassenberg. Count Heinrich had two sons, Gerhard and Heinrich. The latter was "Graf von Krickenbeck" from 1096 to 1118.

The older son and successor Gerhard III. From 1096 von Wassenberg was the first to use the title of Count Gerhard I von Geldern . He was married to Clementia of Poitou . During his reign the fortifications of Wassenberg were strengthened and in 1107 the "Castrum Wassenbergha" was expanded. Furthermore, the building of the Colligiatskirche zu Wassenberg in 1118 was also under Count Gerhard III. completed by Wassenberg. At that time, Wassenberg, along with Heinsberg and Sittard, was one of the only parishes on the Lower Rhine that lay east of the Maas and that belonged to the Diocesan Association of Liège and not to the Archdiocese of Cologne. The church was consecrated in 1118 by Bishop Otbert von Liège .

After his father's death around 1129, his son Gerhard succeeded him as Count Gerhard II von Geldern . He was the last member of the family who also held the title of incumbent "Count of Wassenberg". Only Rainald I. von Geldern was later again briefly acting Count von Wassenberg. Gerhard II married Ermgard von Zutphen (in German: Zütphen), who was the heir to Count Otto II von Zutphen . After Otto II's death, the county of Zütphen became part of the rulership of Geldern through his wife. He ruled only from 1129 to 1131. His daughter Judith (* 1074 or 1090, † 1151) married Walram III. from Limburg and was the heiress of the County of Wassenberg.

He was succeeded by the son Heinrich, who ruled as Count Heinrich I of Geldern and Zütphen until 1182. The area of ​​the county of Geldern already comprised many areas between Roer and Maas to the Zuidersee and was one of the largest counties in Lower Lorraine . Due to the free float in Friesland and Westphalia from the Zutphen inheritance, the count had many disputes with the bishops of Liège, Münster and Paderborn. Since he had good relations with Emperor Barbarossa , he was able to secure his property to a large extent.

Map of the Duchy of Geldern around 1350

Heinrich I was followed by Otto I from 1182 to 1207 as Count of Geldern and Zütphen, who received the Veluwe area from Emperor Friedrich I in addition to fiefs. From 1207 to 1229 Gerhard III./IV followed. The next Count of Geldern was Otto II from 1229 to 1271 , also known as Otto with the horse's foot. On October 8, 1247, Wilhelm von Holland , who was briefly a German rival king, received the royal domain of Nijmegen as a pledge. Since the deposit was not released, Nijmegen belonged to Geldern from that time on.

His son Rainald I , who ruled from 1271 to 1318, married Ermengard von Limburg, the daughter of Duke Walram V of Limburg . After his death, Reinald I was also Duke of Limburg from 1280 to 1288. Since Reinald I fought on the side of Kurköln in the Battle of Worringen against the Duke of Brabant and was defeated, he had to forego the Duchy of Limburg again. Count Reinald I, wounded and captured in the battle, became mentally ill afterwards. In Geldern there was an uprising under his son Reinald from 1316. From 1318 the son took over power as Count Rainald II by force and locked his father in prison from 1320 until his death in 1326.

Under Rainald II, who ruled from 1318 to 1343, the county of Geldern was raised to a duchy on March 13, 1339 by Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian . After his death, his eldest son Rainald III. Successor. After an argument with his younger brother Eduard, Rainald III was. Defeated in the Battle of Tiel in 1361 . Rainald had to give up his office in favor of his younger brother, who was Duke Eduard von Geldern from 1361 to 1371 . After his death in 1371 Reinald III was briefly. Duke of Geldern reigning for a few months, but died in the same year. Since both Reinald III. Just as Eduard were childless , the noble family founded by Gerard Flamenses in the male line died out with them . For the succession in the Duchy of Geldern it came to the First War of the Geldr Succession after 1371 .

Tribe list

Note →

  1. Gerhard I. Flamens (* at the latest 985 - † after 1033), around 1021 the Flemish nobleman "Gerhard Flamens" was enfeoffed by Emperor Heinrich II with Wassenberg; Son Gerhard became
    1. Gerhard II. Von Wassenberg , (* around 1010 - † 1082), Count von Wassenberg, 1053 Count in the Betau (Betuve) and Teisterbant, 1057 Count in the Ruhrgau, is documented in 1067 as Count in Hattuariergau , around 1080 Gerhard II. the county of Maasgau, ⚭ with?; Sons: a) Heinrich, b) Gerhard and c) Dietrich
      1. Heinrich von Wassenberg (* around 1035: † before 1085) Count von Wassenberg, married to Adelheid von Geldern, daughter of Bailiff Wichard III. von Geldern from the house of the Lords of Pont, sons: Gerhard and Heinrich
      2. "Gerhard" (*? - †?), 1082 Graf in Hamaland and 1085 Graf in Westfalengau
      3. "Dietrich" (* around 1035; † around October 19, 1082), progenitor of Lords von Heinsberg and Lords von Falkenburg , 1058 witness of a Utrecht document, 1076 count in the Veluwe, 1078 count in Teisterbant; ⚭ Hedwig von Montaigu ?; Sons: Gerhard von Heinsberg and Goswin I. von Heinsberg
        1. Gerhard III. von Wassenberg (* around 1060; † around 1129), Count von Wassenberg, Count Gerhard I von Geldern, ⚭ first wife?, ⚭ second wife after 1086: Clementia von Poitou, daughter of the Count of Poitou and Ermensinde von Longwy, Clementia was Widow of Count Conrad of Luxembourg; Children: from first marriage: a) Jolante, from second marriage: b) daughter Judith (or Jutta) and c) son Gerhard
        2. "Heinrich" 1096 to 1118 Count von Krieckenbeck
          1. Gerhard IV. Von Wassenberg , "the Tall One", (* around 1090/95, † around 1131), Count von Wassenberg, Count Gerhard II. Von Geldern, ⚭ with Ermgard von Zutphen, heir to the County of IJssel from Count Otto von Zutphen and Judith of Supplinburg; Children: Heinrich and Adelheid
          2. Jolante, (* around 1090; †?), ⚭ first marriage: Count Baldwin II of Hainaut, ⚭ second marriage: Gottfried Graf von Valenciennes
          3. Judith, (* around 1090; † June 24, 1151), heiress of Wassenberg, married to Walram I. von Arlon and Limburg;
            1. Heinrich I von Geldern (* around 1117; † September 10, 1182), Count of Geldern from October 24, 1131 to 1182, from around 1138 also Count of Zutphen, ⚭ around 1035 with the daughter Agnes of Count Ekbert von Tecklenburg and Udihildis from ?; Children: a) Gerhard, b) Otto, c) Agnes d) Adelheid e) Margareta and? d) Alberich, whose ancestry is controversial
            2. Adelheid, (* after 1050 - †?), ⚭ 1150 Count Heinrich von Tecklenburg
              1. Gerhard III. von Geldern (* around 1140 - † shortly before 1182), co-regent of his father, who died shortly after the death of his eldest son, ⚭ 1181 the widow Ida of Bologne, daughter of Matthew of Flanders and Count of Boulogne and Maria of Boulogne
              2. Otto I von Geldern (* around 1150 - † after April 30, 1207), Count von Geldern from 1182 to 1207, ⚭ Richardis von Scheyern-Wittelsbach, daughter of Duke Otto I of Bavaria and Agnes von Looz; Children: a) Heinrich around † 1198, b) Gerhard, c) Otto, d) Ludwig, e) Adelheid, f) Margareta (*? † after 1264), g) Irmgard (*? - † after 1230) and h) Mechtild (*? After 1230)
              3. Agnes, (*? - †?), ⚭ 1168 Count Heinrich of Namur and Luxembourg
              4. Adelheid, (*? - † February 4, 1218), ⚭ 1179 Count Gerhard II. Von Looz and Rienek
              5. Margareta, (*? - †?), ⚭ 1157 Count Engelberg von Berg
                1. Gerhard IV. (* Around 1185 - † October 22, 1229), Count von Geldern from 1207 to 1229, ⚭ Margaretha von Brabant (1192–1231), daughter of Heinrich I von Brabant ; Children: a) Otto, b) Heinrich, c) Margareta and d) Ricarda
                2. Heinrich, † around 1198
                3. Otto (around 1194/95; † after September 1, 1215), provost of Xanten, 1213 to 1215 bishop of Utrecht
                4. Ludwig (*? - † June 21, 1217), Provost of Utrecht
                5. Adelheid (* around 1187 - † after February 4, 1218), ⚭ 1237 Count Wilhelm of Holland
                6. Margareta (*? - † after 1264), ⚭ 1216 Count Lothar II of Are-Hochstaden
                7. Irmgard (*? - † after 1230), ⚭ 1210 Count Adolf I. von Altena and von der Mark
                8. Mechtild (*? - † after 1230), ⚭ 1221 Count Heinrich II of Nassau
  3. Otto II. Von Geldern , “the Lame”, (* around 1215 - † January 10, 1271), Count von Geldern from 1229 to 1271, ⚭ first marriage: 1240 Margareta von Kleve, daughter of Count Dietrich V. von Kleve and Mechthild von Dinslaken, ⚭ second marriage: 1253 Philippa de Dammartin, daughter of the Count of Ponthieu and Marie von Aumale; Children: from first marriage: a) Elisabeth and b) Margareta; from second marriage: c) Rainald, d) Philippa and e) Margareta
  4. Heinrich, (*? - † April 23, 1285), Provost of the Cathedral of Utrecht, 1247 to 1274 Bishop of Liège, Abbot of Stablo afterwards Lord of Montfort
  5. Margareta, (*? - † before 1251), betrothed to Count Wilhelm IV of Jülich in 1237
  6. Ricarda, (*? - † 1293/98), ⚭ before 1251 the widower of her sister Count Wilhelm IV of Jülich
    1. Rainald I. von Geldern , "the arguable", (* around 1255 - † October 9, 1326), Count von Geldern from 1271 to 1326, 1317 brief elevation to the imperial princehood by the antagonist Frederick the Fair of Austria, Duke of Limburg from 1280 to 1288, deposed as Count of Geldern by his son in 1318, ⚭ first marriage in 1276 to Ermgard of Limburg, daughter of Duke Walram VI. von Limburg and Jutta von Kleve, ⚭ second marriage in 1286 to Margareta von Flandern, daughter of Guido de Dampierre, Count of Flanders and Namur and Isabella of Luxembourg; Children: from the first marriage: none, from the second: a) Rainald, b) Guido, c) Philipp, d) Elisabeth, e) Philippa and f) Margareta
    2. Elisabeth ⚭ 1249 Count Adolf VII. Von Berg, † 1313
    3. Margareta ⚭ 1262 Count Enguerrand IV. Von Coucy and Oisy, † 1282/87
    4. Philippa, ⚭ 1275 Walram den Roten, Lord of Falkenburg, Monschau and Sittard, † 1294
    5. Margareta, ⚭ Count Dietrich VIII. Von Kleve, † after 1293
      1. Rainald II of Geldern , "the Red / Black", (* around 1295 - † October 12, 1343), count of Geldern in office from 1318, and from March 19, 1339 elevated to the rank of imperial prince as Duke of Geldern and Count of Zutphen ; ⚭ first marriage in 1311 with Sophia Berthout, daughter of Floris de Berthout, lord of Mechelen and Mathilde von Mecheln, ⚭ second marriage in 1331 with Eleanor of England, daughter of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France; Children: from first marriage: a) Margareta, b) Mechthild c) Elisabeth / Isabella and d) Maria; from second marriage: e) Rainald and f) Eduard
      2. Guido († after 1315 Arnhem),
      3. Philipp († young),
      4. Elisabeth, abbess of St. Klara Monastery in Cologne, † 1354
      5. Philippa, nun in the monastery of St. Klara in Cologne, † August 23, 1352
      6. Margareta, (* before 1305 - † 1331/33), ⚭ Count Dietrich IX. from Kleve
        1. Rainald III. von Geldern , (* May 13, 1333 - † December 4, 1371), "the fat one", Duke of Geldern and Count of Zutphen from October 12, 1343 to May 25, 1361 and then to August 24, 1371 in captivity, ⚭ 1347 Maria von Brabant, daughter of Duke Johann III. von Brabant and Maria von Evreux, children: none
        2. Margareta, (* around 1320 - † October 4, 1344), ⚭ 1342 with Count Gerhard von Jülich; In 1333 Margareta sold the rule and bailiwick of Mechelen to the county of Flanders
        3. Mechthild, (* around 1325 - † September 21, 1384), ⚭ 1336 first marriage to Count Gottfried von Looz and Chiney, ⚭ 1348 second marriage to Count Johann I von Kleve and ⚭ 14 February 1372 third marriage to Count Jean de Chatillon von Blois and during the First War of the Geldr Succession from February 24, 1372 to March 24, 1379, Duke of Geldern
        4. Elisabeth, Abbess of Graefenthal Monastery, † December 10, 1376
        5. Maria, (*? - † Nov. 1397), ⚭ 1362 with Duke Wilhelm II./IV. from Jülich,
          1. Eduard von Geldern , (* March 12, 1336 - † August 24, 1371), Duke of Geldern and Count of Zutphen from May 23, 1361 to August 24, 1371, in 1361 Eduard defeated his brother and Duke Rainald III in a battle, forced him to abdicate and became a duke himself until his death
            1. Rainald III. von Geldern , from August 24, 1371 to December 4, 1371 again Duke of Geldern; after his death in 1371 the aristocratic house "Wassenberg / Flamenses" died out in the male line in Geldern and the First War of the Geldrian Succession took place between the daughters Mechthild and Maria von Rainald II. von Geldern

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Gaál-Grasmann, in: Neue deutsche Biographie , 1964, Volume 6, p. 171. Online version
  2. ^ Anton Fahne , in: Die Dynasten, Freiherren und Grafen von Bocholtz , p. [285] 277. Online version
  3. ↑ Anton Fahne lists in: Die Dynasten, Freiherren und Grafen von Bocholtz , p. [284] 276 a family table for Heinsberg, Valkenstein, Wassenberg, Kleve and Geldern. Online version
  4. ^ Hermann Terhalle, in: From the territorial border to the state border , online version.
  5. ↑ Wilhelm von Mirbach Harrf in: For territorial history of the Duchy of Jülich , 1874, p [27] 25th Online version
  6. ^ Wilhelm von Mirbach-Harff, in: Zur Territorialgeschichte des Herzogthums Jülich , 1874, p. [24] 22. Online version
  7. ^ Wilhelm Janssen , in: History of Geldern bis zum Traktat von Venlo (1543) , 2001, edited by Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath, part 1, p. 13
  8. ↑ Ralf G. Jahn, in: Geschichte Geldern bis zum Traktat von Venlo (1543) , 2001, edited by Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath, part 1, p. 31
  9. ^ Heinrich Neu , in: NDB / Geldern, Counts and Dukes of. , 1964, Volume 6, p. 171. Online version [1]
  10. ↑ Theodor Joseph Lacomblet , in: Document book for the history of the Lower Rhine or the Archbishopric of Cologne, document 289 , 1840, volume 1, 779 to 1200, p. [205] 189.
  11. ^ In: Online version of the Graefenthal Monastery .
  12. ^ Wilhelm Janssen, in: History of Geldern bis zum Traktat von Venlo (1543) , 2001, edited by Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath, part 1, p. 15
  13. ↑ a b Ralf G. Jahn, in: Geschichte Geldern bis zum Traktat von Venlo (1543) , 2001, edited by Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath, part 1, p. 32
  14. ↑ Wilhelm Janssen, in: History of Gelderns up to the tract of Venlo (1543) / in a document from 1096 from Countess Ida von Boulogne , 2001, edited by Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath, part 1, p. 15
  15. ↑ 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff, in: Urkundenbuch der Grafschaft Gelre en Wassenberg , 1872, p. [241] 210. Online version
  16. ^ Anton Fahne, in: Chronicles and document books of outstanding families, donors and monasteries , p. [232] 211. Online version
  17. ^ Anton Joseph Binterim , Joseph Hubert Mooren , in: Die Erzdiocese Köln bis zur Französische Staatsumwälzung , 1892, p. [25]. Online version
  18. ↑ Ralf G. Jahn, in: Chronik der Grafschaft und des Herzogtums Geldern , 2001, edited by Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath, part 1, p. 491.
  19. ↑ Joh. Real. in: Chronicle of the city and surroundings of Geldern , 1897, I. Section 812 to 1543, p. [8] 6. Online version
  20. ↑ Ralf G. Jahn, in: Genealogie der Vögte, Graf und Herzöge von Geldern , 2001, edited by Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath, part 1, p. 32

Remarks

  1. ↑ Lt. According to the Latin texts Gerhard and Rutger, the flag could also have been nephew and uncle instead of brothers. In: Anton Fahne: The dynasts, barons and counts of Bocholtz. S. [284] 276.
  2. ↑ In the "New German Biography" 1057 is given as the year of death, while Ralf G. Jahn mentions after 1033.
  3. ↑ Since the "Gerhards" first became Counts of Wassenberg and only later also Counts of Geldern, the counting of the Counts for Wassenberg and Geldern is inevitably different, which makes it difficult to correctly assign Wassenberg and Geldern in old documents and writings. This is especially true for many dates of the counts up to the mid-12th century. Historians assume both three and four generations for these first counts. In the opinion of older historians, Gerhard I von Wassenberg was followed by Count Heinrich I, but is now regarded as the son of Gerhard II. who held office after his father's death from 1082 to 1085. In some cases there are still gaps, for example, there is still no clear evidence of the ruling count for funds from 1131 to 1138.
  4. ↑ According to the information provided by Gaál and Gresmann, Wassenberg's male line no longer belonged to the Flamenses family after 1118, while Fahne still later mentions Counts von Wassenberg from the Flamenses family. Except for the year that Gerhard II died in 1131, the statement that none of the Flamenses family held office in Wassenberg from the beginning of the 12th century should be correct.
  5. ↑ This Gerhard is called Count Gerhard III. or IV. designated by funds. There are different opinions among historians for the number of “Gerhards”, as the documents for this are not clear.
  6. ↑ The basis of the new root list is the "Chronicle of the County and the Duchy of Geldern by Ralf G. Jahn from History and Culture of the Duchy of Geldern , Part 1, 2001, publisher: Johannes Stinner and Karl-Heinz Tekath". The listed list has not yet been secured for the first generations due to the lack of documentary evidence. According to the evidence known so far, there could have been three “or” four generations before “Gerhard I. von Geldern”.

literature

  • Ralf G. Jahn: The genealogy of the bailiffs, counts and dukes of Geldern . In: Johannes Stinner, Karl-Heinz Tekath (ed.): Gelre - Geldern - Gelderland. History and culture of the Duchy of Geldern . Geldern 2001.

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