Adolph III of the Marck (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Adolf III von der Mark''; – 1394) was the Prince-Bishop of Münster (as Adolph) from 1357 to 1363, the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (as Adolph II) in 1363, the Count of Cleves (as Adolph I) from 1368 to 1394, and the Count of Mark (as Adolph III) from 1391 to 1393.

Life

Origins

Adolph was the second son of Count Adolph II of the Marck and Margaret of Cleves.

Reign

On 16 November 1357

Pope Innocent VI Pope Innocent VI ( la, Innocentius VI; 1282 or 1295 – 12 September 1362), born Étienne Aubert, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 December 1352 to his death in September 1362. He was the fifth Avignon pope ...

appointed him the Bishop of

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state d ...

. In 1362 he signed a contract with his uncle Bishop Engelbert III of the Marck of Liège whereby he would inherit Cleves in the likely event Count John of Cleves died childless. On 13 June 1363 he was appointed the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Pala ...

against the favourite John of Virneburg, but by the end of the year had resigned from the position to focus on the County of Cleves, despite the fact that his short tenure was scandalous and ridden with controversy. In 1368 he succeeded his uncle John of Cleves and could maintain his rule there through the support of Liège.

Marriage and issue

In 1369 he married

Margaret of Jülich Margaret of Jülich ( – 10 October 1425) was a daughter of Duke Gerhard VI of Jülich and his wife, Margaret of Ravensberg (1315-1389). In 1369, she married Adolf III of the Marck. She had fourteen children with him, at least five of who ...

, daughter of

Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg ( – 18 May 1360) was the son of William V, Duke of Jülich and Joanna of Hainaut.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1922, reprint Verlag ...

and had fourteen children, at least five of whom did not survive infancy. *

Adolph Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...

(1373–1448), his successor in Cleves and later also in Marck. *

Dietrich Dietrich () is an ancient German name meaning "Ruler of the People.” Also "keeper of the keys" or a "lockpick" either the tool or the profession. Given name * Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg (c. 1398 – 1440) * Thierry of Alsace (german: Dietr ...

(1374–1398), his successor in Marck. *

Gerhard Gerhard is a name of Germanic origin and may refer to: Given name * Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate * Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark * Gerhard Barkhorn (1919– ...

(† 1461), ''de facto'' Count of the Marck, but not allowed to use the title. *

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

(1375–1411), married in 1394

Albert I, Duke of Bavaria Albert I, Duke of Lower Bavaria (german: Albrecht; 25 July 1336 – 13 December 1404), was a feudal ruler of the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Low Countries. Additionally, he held a portion of the Bavarian province of Stra ...

(† 1404) *

Elisabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

(1378–1439), married Reinold of Valkenburg († 1396) and

Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria Stephen III (1337 – 26 September 1413), called the Magnificent or the Fop (''Stephan der Kneißl''), was the Duke of Bavaria-Ingolstadt from 1375. He was the eldest son of Stephen II and Elizabeth of Sicily. Family His maternal grandparents ...

* Engelberta († 1458), married Friedrich IV of Moers.

Later life and death

After his brother Engelbert III of the Marck died without heirs in 1391, Adolph inherited the Marck too. However, he gave Marck to his son

in 1393. Adolph died in 1394 and was succeeded in Cleves by another of his sons,

. Cleves and Marck were reunited again four years later, when Dietrich died and was succeeded by Adolph IV.

References

* Harleß, Woldemar (1875)
"Adolf I. (Graf von Kleve)"
In Liliencron, Rochus von (ed.). '' Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie''. Vol. 1. Duncker & Humblot: Munich & Leipzig. pp. 98–100. {{DEFAULTSORT:Adolph 03 of the Marck Adolf 2 Adolf 02 14th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire Adolf 01 Counts of the Mark Adolf 3 1330s births Year of birth uncertain Place of birth unknown 1394 deaths 14th-century German Roman Catholic bishops