Wilhelm I. (mountain)

Wilhelm I von Berg (* before 1296; † April 21 or May 11, 1308 ) was Count von Berg from 1296 to 1308 .

Wilhelm was the brother of the childless Adolf V and let the Pope divorce him from the spiritual status of the cathedral provost. He married Irmgard von Kleve , called the beautiful , a daughter of Count Dietrich VI. from Dinslaken . However, the marriage remained without children.

His term of office was marked by various conflicts with the Archbishops of Cologne. In 1300 he supported King Albrecht I of Habsburg against the Rhenish electors and thus expanded his position against Kurköln.

He established foundations for monasteries and churches, for example at the Kreuzbruderkloster in Beyenburg and the women's monastery in Gräfrath . For the citizens of Hückeswagen , he was considered a benefactor, as he raised them from the strict self-ownership of the fully debtor to the higher level of the interest rate.

Wilhelm died in 1308 and was buried in the family crypt in Altenberg Cathedral . His wife, who died on May 12, 1319, rests next to him. The tomb is a special work of old German art. The top is made of black marble , the portrait of the princely couple is inlaid in white marble, which is partially painted.

literature

• Axel Kolodziej : Duke Wilhelm I von Berg 1380–1408 (= Bergische Forschungen , XXIX). Verlagdruckerei Schmidt, Neustadt an der Aisch 2005.
• Hansjörg Laute: The Lords of Berg. On the trail of the history of the Bergisches Land (1101–1806). 2nd edition, Solingen 1989.
• Karl vom Berg, Wilhelm fullness: Bergische princes and homeland pictures. Düsseldorf and Essen 1928.

Web links

• City Archives Düsseldorf (16 April 1308 is given as the date of death)

predecessor	Office	successor
Adolf V.	Count of Berg 1296–1308	Adolf VI.