Duke of Guelders
William
(5 March 1364 – 16 February 1402,
Arnhem
) was
Duke of Guelders
, as William I, from 1377 and
Duke of Julich
, as William III, from 1393. William was known for his military activities, participating in the
Prussian crusade
five times and battling with neighbors in
France
and
Brabant
throughout his rule. His allies included Holy Roman Emperors,
Charles IV
and
Wenceslaus
,
Richard II of England
, and
Conrad Zollner von Rothenstein
, the
Grand Master
of the
Teutonic Knights
. During his reign the duchies of Guelders and Julich were temporarily unified.
Childhood and accession
[
edit
]
William was the eldest son of
William II, Duke of Julich
and
Maria of Guelders
, half-sister of
Reginald III, Duke of Guelders
and
Edward, Duke of Guelders
. The brothers Edward and Reginald disputed the Duchy, with Edward taking control in 1361, imprisoning his brother. In 1366, Edward violated a peace made with
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
and
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg
(who was Duke of Brabant by marriage to
Joanna, Duchess of Brabant
) by not protecting Brabant merchants in the land between the Rhine and the Meuse who were under threat by armed men involved in the English-French wars. Wenceslaus's army then invaded and engaged in the
Battle of Baesweiler
in August 1371. Duke Edward, who was about to marry
Katherine of Bavaria
, daughter of
Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
, joined the battle and captured Duke Wenceslaus, but was wounded by an arrow and died. Reginald was immediately released, but died of ill health in three months, neither leaving heirs. This led to internal dissent over succession. Edward and Reginald were the only children of
Reginald II, Duke of Guelders
and
Eleanor of Woodstock
, daughter of
Edward II of England
, and Reginald's only male heirs. Reginald II's first marriage was to Sophia Berthout, Lady of
Mechelen
, which led to four daughters. Two daughters, Maria and Mathilde, then made claim to the title. Mathilde's claim was based on her position as eldest daughter. Maria based her claim on William, who was seven at the time, being the only male representative of the blood of Guelders. Mathilde quickly married
John II, Count of Blois
, and this grievance precipitated into the
War of the Succession of Guelders
. William's father, William II, Duke of Julich, was granted the right to administer the duchy by Emperor Charles IV during his son's
minority
. At this time a marriage was arranged between the young William and
Katherine of Bavaria
, who had been betrothed to his uncle Edward. However, as part of the reconciliation between the houses of Blois and Julich, some of Guelders remained under the control of Mathilde, and the upper district was under control of Julich.
In 1377, upon the boys majority,
Emperor Charles IV
granted Guelders and
Zutphen
to William, the son of William II, but it took two more years to consolidate his authority over the entire duchy. He immediately received
homage
from Arnhem, Nijmegen, and the upper district. However, William did not recognize all of the municipal privileges granted by his half-uncle, Duke Reginald. His rule was opposed by some areas, notably Betuwe and Veluwe, and by nobles led by
Frederik van Heeckeren van der Eze
, who had supported Mathilde (and Reginald) in comparison to nobles led by Gijsbert V van Bronckhorst, Heer van Bronckhorst who had supported Edward and Maria. William consolidated control after besieging a number of castles of Hekeren nobles. His father accompanied him in a victory over the lord of Voorst near Gennep and Reginald van Brederede van Gennep, the chief leader of the Hekerens. With this, Mathilde and John of Blois renounced all claim to Guelders and Zutphen on 24 March 1379. That fall William married Catherine.
Wars and rule
[
edit
]
William's rule is cited as an example of the
chivalry
of that time in France and the Netherlands.
[1]
He put on many
tournaments
and sports at arms, and has been called an ideal knight. He participated in
crusades
against the
Lithuanians
in
East Prussia
in the territories of the
Teutonic Order
with
William of Holland
, first in 1383, and later in 1388?89 and 1393. He was an ally of the English in the
Hundred Years' War
. And continuing the enmity from the War of the Succession of Guelders, he fought successfully in 1386?1388 with his father against the
Duchy of Brabant
, which was allied with France and Burgundy. William's army advanced far into Brabant, although his army was stalled in a battle near
Grave, North Brabant
in July 1388. His actions and alliance with England have been seen as reckless, and raised the ire of
Charles VI of France
, who advanced on Guelders with an army of 100,000. William narrowly escaped disaster with an apology, but his stand against the French made him famous throughout Europe.
[1]
Capture in Pomerania
[
edit
]
Shortly after his campaigns in Brabant, William departed again for Prussia with a large army. He was quite successful in this crusade, but was taken prisoner near Stolpe in
Pomerania
, the land of
Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania
. He was taken to the castle of Falkenburg, where he stayed for six months.
Conrad Zollner von Rothenstein
, the grand master of the
Teutonic Order
, won his freedom. William demanded that his freedom be formally declared, but the Pomeranian was embarrassed by his defeat. In fear of the citizens, the Pomeranian nobleman hid in a tree on one side of a brook and shouted his declaration of William's freedom to William and the Teutonic Knights who were on the other side. William then returned to Guelders by way of
Bohemia
, where he visited his brother-in-law,
Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
.
Return to Europe
[
edit
]
In the spring of 1390 William went to England and was made a
Knight of the Garter
by
Richard II of England
- and was the first continental nobleman to be honored in this way. The next year he made a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land
, and in the summer of 1391 he joined a French fleet to fight
Moorish pirates
of the coast of
Barbary
. He returned to the crusades in
Prussia
in the winter of 1392 and 1393, and inherited the Duchy of Julich (as William III) in 1393 upon the death of his father. This involved him in new difficulties with neighbors in Cologne, Berg, Cleves, and Mark. In 1399, further hostilities with Brabant resulted finally in cession of Grave to Guelders. He also participated in a fourth campaign against the Prussians in 1399, and then a fifth crusade.
As part of his involvement in the
Hundred Years' War
, he played an important role as he was in control of the coronation road between
Frankfurt
and
Aachen
, which passed through his territory. He was thus able to prevent the coronation of
Rupert of Germany
in 1400. In the fall of 1401 William was intending to prepare to join his brother in law, John van Arkel, in his war against Duke Albert in Holland. However, he took sick, and died 16 February 1402.
Legacy
[
edit
]
Had William lived longer, it is likely that he would have continued to resist Burgundian influence in the Netherlands, and his legacy was heavily tied with his external wars.
[1]
Although these wars came at a cost for the people of Guelders and Julich, his activity did allow for his counties to thrive economically and to unite against an external enemy. As evidence the political parties of the Heeckeren and the Bronckhorstens were reconciled.
[1]
After his death, his only brother Reginald IV succeeded him as duke of a united Julich and Guelders-Zutphen.
[2]
Reginald was less warlike, although tensions continued with Cleves over Lymers and Zevenaar, and the town of Emmerich was ceded to Cleves. Upon the death of Reginald, also without issue, the Duchy of Julich went to
Adolf, Duke of Julich-Berg
, son of
William VII of Julich, 1st Duke of Berg
, and grandson of
Gerhard VI of Julich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg
, brother of William's father. The Duchy of Guelders-Zutphen went to
Arnold of Egmond
, son of
Maria van Arkel
, daughter of William's sister, Joanna, and
John V, Lord of Arkel
.
[2]
Personal retinue
[
edit
]
The court of Guelders at the end of the 14th century and beginning of the 15th century was quite celebrated, including numerous physicians, barbers, falconers and cooks. Among his retinue, William kept head cooks Evarardus Bolte, Crumken, and Elbertus van Eijll (who continued as master cook for William's successor, Reginald IV). Elbertus may have been the grandson of Evarardus Bolte, and a genealogie of Elbertus' grandson in about 1440 claimed that Elbertus married a bastard daughter of Duke William named Margaret.
[3]
In 1396, during a visit to the English king, the cooks entered a cooking contest against their English counterparts led by then head cook, Crumken.
[4]
William kept many physicians. In 1388/89, three physicians are mentioned: Arnt van Auwel, Clais, and Peter, as well as a healer of wounds, Jan van Asperen. Later, Peter van Orten and Giesbert van Berg were separately brought into William's household after serving as professors of Medicine at the
University of Cologne
. Giesbert managed to work as a physician to Duchess Johanna and
Antoine, Duke of Brabant
, enemies of Guelders. When sick in 1401 and 1402, other doctors were called: Derich Distel, Volpart, Evert vander Eze, and an English physician, Thomas.
[4]
William had many assistants who administered his lands while he was on campaigns. In 1388 during campaigns in Prussia, William left Henry of Steenbergen to administer Julich and Guelders. In 1390 while visiting the King of England, he left Johann von der Velde called Honselaerr, who had fought with Duke William against Brabant in Grave.
His musicians included Claes Heynenzoon, called Herald Gelre, also famous for his Wapenboek Gelre (
Gelre Armorial
), a book containing drawings of the coats of arms of many famous nobles, an artist called Middelen, and Henric the Bohemian.
Wife and children
[
edit
]
William married in 1379
Catharina of Bavaria
(1361 ? 11 November 1400), daughter of
Albert I, Duke of Bavaria
, who had been betrothed to his uncle
Edward, Duke of Guelders
. The marriage remained childless, and Katherine died in
Hattem
on 11 November 1400. Upon his death in 1402, William was buried next to his wife at Monnikhuizen monastery near Arnhem.
William had illegitimate children including:
- Margaret, aforementioned wife of Elbert van Eijll
- Johanna of Guelders-Julich, married Johan VI of Kuyk
[5]
- Johan of Guelders, son of Mechtild van Brackel, married Hadewig van Sinderen
[6]
- Maria of Julich, married Johan van Buren, and had issue.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Chisholm, Hugh. The Encyclopædia britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information, Volume 11, The Encyclopædia Britannica Company, 1910
- ^
a
b
Blok, Petrus Johannes. History of the People of the Netherlands: From the beginning of the fifteenth century to 1559, G. P. Putnam's sons, 1899
- ^
Fahne, Anton. Chroniken und urkundenbucher hervorragender geschlechter: stifter und kloster, Volumes 3?4. JM Herberle (H. Lempertz) 1874
- ^
a
b
Nijsten, Gerard. In the shadow of Burgundy: the court of Guelders in the late Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 2004
- ^
Coldeweij, Jacobus Albertus. De heren van Kuyc, 1096-1400, Stichting Zuidelijk Historisch Contact, 1981
- ^
De Nederlandsche leeuw, Volume 87, Koninklijk Nederlandsch Genootschap voor Geslacht- en Wapenkunde, 1970
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
People
| |
---|