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 Adolf VII of Berg (also referred to as Adolf IV, especially in the Netherlands and in Germany) (c. 1220 – 22 April 1259) was the eldest son of Henry IV, Duke of Limburg and Irmgard of Berg.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlec ...
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 whic ...
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, 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), Duke of Lothier, Lothier and Duchy of Limburg, Limburg (1288–1294). During the 13th century, John I was venerated as a folk hero. He has ...
. The counter-claims of Duke John and Reginald I ultimately led to the
Battle of Worringen
The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succession, fought for the possession ...
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
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...
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
Otto II, Count of Guelders (c. 1215 – 1 January 1271) was a nobleman from the 13th century. He was the son of Gerard III, Count of Guelders and Margaretha of Brabant.
Life
After Count William II (1227–1256) was slain in 1256 by Frisians h ...
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 William I of Berg (c. 1242 – 16 April 1308) was the son of Count Adolf VII of Berg and of Margaret of Hochstaden.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1922, reprint Verlag Degener & Co., 19 ...
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