Adolf VIII of Berg (also referred to as Adolf V) (c. 1240 – 28 September 1296) was the eldest son of Count
Adolf VII of Berg and Margaret of Hochstaden.
[Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1922, reprint Verlag Degener & Co., 1995), Vol. 3, page 211.]
In 1259, Adolf succeeded his father as Count of Berg. King
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death.
Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...
allowed Adolf to move his mint to Wipperfürth in 1275. In 1276 Adolf granted city rights to Ratingen and in 1282 to Wipperfürth. Adolf tried in vain to have his brother Conrad, Provost of Cologne, installed as Archbishop of Cologne after the death of
Engelbert II of Falkenstein in 1274, but
Siegfried II of Westerburg was chosen instead.
In 1279 Adolf's uncle
Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg died leaving one daughter,
Ermengarde Ermengarde or Ermengard or Ermingarde or Irmingard or Irmgard is a feminine given name of Germanic origin derived from the Germanic words "ermen/irmin," meaning "whole, universal" and "gard" meaning "enclosure, protection". Armgarð is a Faroese ver ...
, wife of
Reginald I, Count of Guelders. When she died in 1280 without issue, her husband claimed the Duchy of Limburg even though Adolf also had a claim to Limburg as Waleran's eldest nephew. Adolf tried unsuccessfully to assert his claim and in 1283 he sold his right to Duke
John I of Brabant
John I of Brabant, also called John the Victorious (1252/12533 May 1294) was Duke of Brabant (1267–1294), Lothier and Limburg (1288–1294). During the 13th century, John I was venerated as a folk hero. He has been painted as the perfect model o ...
. The counter-claims of Duke John and Reginald I ultimately led to the
Battle of Worringen in 1288 in which Adolf supported the victorious Brabant. Archbishop Siegfried was captured and imprisoned by Adolf in
Schloss Burg for 13 months. As a result of the victory, Adolf was also able to elevate
Düsseldorf to the level of city. Through trickery, Archbishop Siegfried was able to capture Adolf in 1292 and held him in prison until he died on 28 September 1296.
In 1249, Adolf was betrothed to Elisabeth of Guelders, daughter of
Otto II, Count of Guelders and half-sister of Reginald I, his rival to the Duchy of Limburg. Elisabeth died 31 March 1315 and is buried with her husband in the Church of Solingen-Gräfrath. As Adolf and Elisabeth had no issue, Adolf's brother
William I of Berg succeeded him as Count of Berg.
References
External links
Lower Rhine Nobility*
Wikipedia.de
{{Authority control
Counts of Berg
1240 births
1296 deaths
House of Limburg
Marshals of Westphalia