Gerhard, Count zur Mark (1378–1461) was the de facto ruler of the
County of Mark
The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr Rive ...
between 1430 and 1461.
Dietrich was the third son of Count
Adolf III of the Marck
Adolph III of the Marck ( German: ''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 1 ...
and
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 whom ...
.
His father had acquired the
County of Cleves
The Duchy of Cleves (german: Herzogtum Kleve; nl, Hertogdom Kleef) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and ...
in 1368 and given this title to his eldest son
Adolf
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 ...
. The second son
Dietrich received the title of
Count of Mark
The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...
.
When Dietrich fell in battle in 1398, he was succeeded as Count of Mark by his elder brother Adolf. The ambitious Gerhard claimed a part of his father's territories for himself. In 1423, it came to an armed conflict between Adolf and Gerhard, who had allied himself with the
Archbishop of Cologne.
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
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
.
Gerhard died in 1461 without children and the County of Mark and Duchy of Cleves were reunited again in a personal union under John I.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerhard of Marck
Counts of the Mark
1378 births
1461 deaths