Margaret of Cleves, also spelled ''Margaretha'' or ''Margarethe'' ( – after 1348) was the wife of

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Adolf II of the Marck 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 ...

and mother of

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 139 ...

. She was a daughter of Count Dietrich VIII of Cleves and Margaret of Guelders, who was a daughter of

Reginald I of Guelders Reginald I of Guelders (1255 – October 9, 1326 in Monfort) was Count of Guelders from January 10, 1271 until his death. He was the son of Otto II, Count of Guelders and Philippe of Dammartin. In 1276 he married Irmgard of Limburg, only daug ...

. On 15 March 1332, she married Count

. In 1333, her father issued an inheritance law, which said that after his death, 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 ...

should fall to Margaret and her sisters Elisabeth and Maria. His younger brother

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 ...

objected, and in 1338, this law was repealed. Adolf II, Margaret's husband, died in 1346, before her father died. Her eldest son, Engelbert III succeeded as Count of the Marck. After her father, Count Dietrich VIII of Cleves, died on 7 July 1347, Margaret and her sons Engelbert III and Adolf III tried to secure the Cleves territory. Initisally, they were supported by her cousin,

Reginald III of Guelders Reginald III (french: Rainaud or ''Renaud'', known as "The Fat") (13 May 1333 – 4 December 1371) was Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1343 to 1361, and again in 1371. He was the son of Reginald II of Guelders and of Eleanor of Woodstock ...

. Nevertheless, her uncle, Count John, prevailed. John died in 1368. After his death, the Count of the Marck could finally assert their right to inherit Cleves. Adolf succeeded as Count, her third son Dietrich received most of the holdings on the right bank of the Rhine.

Issue

Adolph and Margaret of Cleves had seven children: * Engelbert III (28 Feb 1333-Wetter 22 Dec 1391), married: *# in 1354 to Richardis of Jülich (d. 1360), a daughter of

William V, Duke of Jülich William V, Duke of Jülich ( – 25/26 February 1361) was a German nobleman. Some authors call him William I, because he was the first ''Duke of Jülich''; the earlier Williams had been ''Count of Jülich''. Other authors call the subject of this ...

*# in 1381 Elisabeth of Sponheim-Sayn (d. 1416), a daughter of Count Simon III of

Vianden Vianden ( lb, Veianen or (locally) ) is a commune with town status in the Oesling, north-eastern Luxembourg, with over 1,800 inhabitants. It is the capital of the canton of Vianden, which is part of the district of Diekirch. Vianden lies on t ...

* Adolf III (1334 - 7 Sep 1394, Cleves), Archbishop of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

1363-1364, later Count of Cleves and Count of the Marck * Dietrich (1336-25 May 1406), bishop of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

1389, from which post he later resigned. * Eberhard (1341-after 1360), priest at Münster. * Margareta (-12 Sep 1409), married

John I, Count of Nassau-Siegen Count John I of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources he is called John I of Nassau(-Dillenburg). His official title was Count of Nassau, but it is incorrect to refer to him as the only reigning Count of Nassau, because the County of Nassau was ...

* Mechtild (-after 18 Oct 1390), married Eberhard of Isenburg-Grenzau. * Elisabeth, married Gumprecht of Heppendorf.

External links

Entry for Margaret at genealogie-mittelalter.de

{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret of Cleves Countesses of Mark 1310s births 14th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain 14th-century German nobility 14th-century German women