The War of the Limburg Succession, was a series of conflicts between 1283 and 1289 for the succession in the

Duchy of Limburg The Duchy of Limburg or Limbourg was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire. Much of the area of the duchy is today located within Liège Province of Belgium, with a small portion in the municipality of Voeren, an Enclave and exclave, excla ...

. The cause of the War of the Limburg Succession was the death of

Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg Waleran IV (or Walram IV) (died 1279) was the duke of Limburg from 1247 to his death. He was the son and successor of Henry IV and Ermengarde, countess of Berg. He played a great part in the politics of the Great Interregnum in Germany. He lef ...

in 1280, and his only daughter

Ermengarde of Limburg Ermengarde (died 1283) was the ruling suo jure Duchess of Limburg from 1279 to 1283. She was the daughter of Judith of Kleve and Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg. She was named after her paternal grandmother. It is possible she was the only child of he ...

in 1283. Waleran IV had no sons and Ermengarde had no children. Ermergarde had married

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 daughte ...

, who now claimed the Duchy of Limburg. However, Waleran's nephew

Adolf VIII of Berg 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, 19 ...

, son of his elder brother

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 ...

, also claimed the Duchy. Unable to assert his claims, he sold them in 1283 to the mighty

John I, Duke 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 ...

. Between 1283 and 1288, several smaller confrontations occurred between both sides, none of them decisive. Meanwhile, most of the other local powers chose sides.

Siegfried II of Westerburg Siegfried (or Sigfrid) II of Westerburg (before 1260 – 7 April 1297, in Bonn) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1275 to 1297. Siegfried was the second son of Siegfried IV, Count of Runkel in Westerburg (died 1266). His older brother was Henry (''He ...

, the Archbishop of Cologne and ruler of the

Electorate of Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (german: Kurfürstentum Köln), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (german: Kurköln, links=no), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. ...

, traditional enemy of the Duke of Brabant, forged an alliance with Reginald I, joined by

Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg Henry VI ( – 5 June 1288) was Count of Luxembourg and Arlon from the death of his father, Henry V of Luxembourg, Henry V the Blond, in 1281 until his own death at the battle of Worringen, seven years later, when he was succeeded by his son, ...

, and his brother

Waleran I of Luxembourg, Lord of Ligny Waleran I of Luxembourg (died 5 June 1288 in the Battle of Worringen) was Lord of Ligny and La Roche around 1281. He was the second son of Henry V, Count of Luxembourg and Margaret of Bar. While is older brother Henry VI became Count of Luxemb ...

, as well as by

Adolf, King of Germany Adolf (c. 1255 – 2 July 1298) was the count of Nassau from about 1276 and the elected king of Germany from 1292 until his deposition by the prince-electors in 1298. He was never crowned by the pope, which would have secured him the imperial ...

. On the other side the Counts of Mark took the chance to affirm their independence from the Archbishop of Cologne and together with the Counts of

Loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gavi ...

Tecklenburg Tecklenburg () is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its name comes from the ruined castle around which it was built. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg hiking trail. The coat of arms shows an anchor a ...

, and Waldeck allied with Brabant and Berg. The citizens of the

City of Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

, eager to emancipate themselves from the Archbishop's rule, also joined this alliance. After the decisive

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 o ...

in 1288, won by Duke John I of Brabant and his allies, the Duchy of Limburg came in the possession of the Duke of Brabant. The City of Cologne gained its independence from the Archbishopric and finally the status of an Imperial city in 1475.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:War of the Limburg Succession 1280s conflicts 13th century in the Netherlands History of North Rhine-Westphalia Limburg Succession Duchy of Limburg

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

1280s in Europe 1283 in Europe