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 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-Palati ...

(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 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 di ...

. In 1362 he signed a contract with his uncle Bishop

Engelbert III of the Marck Engelbert III of the Mark (1333–1391) was the Count of Mark from 1347 until 1391. Adolph was the eldest son of Count Adolph II of the Marck and Margaret of Cleves. After his father died in 1347, Engelbert III ruled the County of Mark, mainly ...

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 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, daughter of Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg and had fourteen children, at least five of whom did not survive infancy. * Adolph (1373–1448), his successor in Cleves and later also in Marck. * Dietrich (1374–1398), his successor in Marck. * Gerhard († 1461), ''de facto'' Count of the Marck, but not allowed to use the title. * Margaret (1375–1411), married in 1394 Albert I, Duke of Bavaria († 1404) * Elisabeth (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

died without heirs in 1391, Adolph inherited the Marck too. However, he gave Marck to his son Dietrich in 1393. Adolph died in 1394 and was succeeded in Cleves by another of his sons, Adolph. 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