Adolph I, Duke of Cleves

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Adolph I, Duke of Cleves
Adolph III, Count of Mark
MotherMargaret of Jülich

Adolph I of Cleves (

Count of Mark
.

Life

He was the son of

Adolph III, Count of Mark, and Margaret of Jülich (and thus the brother of Margaret of Cleves
).

After his father's death in 1394, he became

William VII of Jülich, 1st Duke of Berg in the battle of Kleverhamm and became Lord of Ravenstein
.

When his brother

Count of Mark. Adolph further expanded his influence by marrying a daughter of the Duke of Burgundy. As a result, Cleves was raised to a Duchy by the Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund
, in 1417.

From 1409 onwards he faced opposition from his younger brother Gerhard, who claimed the County of Mark. By 1423, their dispute resulted in an armed conflict, with Gerhard allying himself with the Archbishop of Cologne.

A peace was signed between the two brothers in 1430 and confirmed in 1437. As a result, Gerhard ruled the largest part of Mark, but was to be succeeded by his nephew John. He was not allowed to call himself Count of Mark, but has to use the title Count zur Mark. After Gerhard's death in 1461, the County of Mark and the Duchy of Cleves were reunited again.

coat-of-arms of La Mark
coat-of-arms of Cleves

Marriage and children

Shortly before the year 1400 he married Agnes, daughter of

Rupert of Germany and Elisabeth of Nuremberg
. Agnes died a year later with no issue.
In 1406 Adolf married
They had the following issue:

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ a b c Boulton 2000, p. 577.

Sources

  • Boulton, D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre (2000). The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later. The Boyell Press.
Adolph I, Duke of Cleves
Born: 2 August 1373 Died: 23 September 1448
Preceded by
Count of Mark

1398–1448/ de facto 1430
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Adolf III, Count of Cleves
Count of Cleves

1394–1417
Raised to Duchy
New creation
Duke of Cleves

1417–1448
Succeeded by