Wilhelm (Jülich-Geldern)

Wilhelm von Jülich KG (* March 5, 1364 ; † February 16, 1402 in Arnhem ) was since 1371/77 as Wilhelm I Duke of Geldern and since 1393 as Wilhelm III. Duke of Jülich .

Life

Wilhelm was the eldest son of Duke Wilhelm II of Jülich and Maria von Geldern , half-sister of the last Duke of the Gelderian ruling house, Rainald III.

When Rainald von Geldern died in 1371, Wilhelm's father raised inheritance claims for him to the duchy, which led to the First War of the Geldrian Succession against Mechtild von Geldern and her third husband, Johann II. Von Blois . Wilhelm received the enfeoffment of funds from the German Emperor Karl IV. In 1377 , but was only able to enforce his claim in 1379 and was recognized as a duke in the whole of Geldern Land.

Wilhelm took part in crusades to East Prussia in 1383, 1388/89 and 1393 (so-called Prussian trips ) and fought the Duchy of Brabant together with his father quite successfully from 1386 to 1388 . In 1393, after his death, he also inherited the Duchy of Jülich.

In 1397 he fought at the side of his cousin Duke Wilhelm II von Berg in the Battle of Kleverhamm against Count Dietrich von der Mark and his brother Count Adolf von Kleve . Kleve and Mark won. Wilhelm was captured and only released against a promise of a large ransom. He was forced to pledge the Geldrian Emmerich continuously to the enemy in order to be able to raise the required amount. As a late consequence, the city finally fell to Kleve in 1402, as the pledge could not be redeemed.

Wilhelm interfered both in the Hundred Years War on the side of England against France and in imperial politics: As Duke of Jülich he was able to control the coronation route Frankfurt - Aachen , he prevented the coronation of Ruprecht of the Palatinate in 1400 .

For the Duchy of Geldern he won the city of Cuijk in 1400 , for the Duchy of Jülich he won Born , Euskirchen , Sittard , Boslar and Aldenhoven as well as Grave , Millen , Waldfeucht and Gangelt .

Wilhelm married Katharina von Straubing-Holland (* 1360; † 1402) in 1379 . His brother Rainald succeeded him in Geldern and Jülich. In 1390 Wilhelm was accepted as a knight in the Order of the Garter .

literature

• Pieter Lodewijk Muller :  Wilhelm, Duke of Geldern and Jülich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 43, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1898, pp. 79-81.
• Obreen: Willem van Gulik . In: PC Molhuysen and PJ Blok (eds.): Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek . Deel 3. AW Sijthoff, Leiden 1914, col. 1426.
• Abraham Jacob van der Aa : Biographical woordenboek der Nederlanden. Deel 20. JJ van Brederode, Haarlem 1877, pp. 237-239.
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=lorenfamily&id=I57869 Wilhelm von Jülich Genealogie NL

predecessor	Office	successor
Rainald III.	Duke of Geldern, Count of Zutphen 1379–1402	Rainald IV./I.
Wilhelm II.	Duke of Jülich 1393–1402	Rainald IV./I.