Catherine of Guelders (ca. 1440 – Guelders, January 25, 1497), was regent of the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

between 1477 and 1492. First for her brother during his absence, and then for her nephew.

Life

Catherine of Guelders was the fourth and youngest child of

Arnold, Duke of Guelders Arnold of Egmond (14 July 1410 – 23 February 1473) was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen. Life Arnold was born in Egmond-Binnen, North Holland, the son of John II of Egmond and Maria van Arkel. On 11 July 1423, Arnold, still a boy, succ ...

(1410-1473) and

Catherine of Cleves (1417–1479) Catherine of Cleves (25 May 1417 – 10 February 1479) was Duchess of Guelders by marriage to Arnold, Duke of Guelders. She acted as regent of Guelders during the absence of her spouse in 1450. The Hours of Catherine of Cleves was commissione ...

.
Until 1477, she led an inconspicuous life, in the shadow of her brother

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 ...

, at war with his father, and her sisters

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, married to King

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

and Margaret, married to

Frederick I, Count Palatine of Simmern Frederick I, the Hunsrücker (German: Friedrich I.; 19 November 1417 – 29 November 1480) was the Count Palatine of Simmern from 1459 until 1480. Frederick was born in 1417 to Stephen, Count Palatine of Simmern-Zweibrücken and his wife, Anna of ...

.
Despite efforts by her father, no suitable husband was found for Catherine.
17th century theories that she was secretly married with

Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liège Louis de Bourbon (1438 – 30 August 1482 in Liège) was Prince-Bishop of Liège from 1456 until his death. Family He was the son of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon, and Agnes of Burgundy. His own sister Isabella was the second wife of Charles ...

, are now believed to be false.

Regency

Everything changed for Catherine in 1477, when

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

was killed in the

Battle of Nancy The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, against René II, Duke of Lorraine, and the Swiss Confederacy. René's ...

. Guelders had been under control of Charles the Bold since 1473, and now saw the chance to regain its independence. As her brother Adolf was in Flanders, the States of Guelders convinced him to appoint his sister Catherine as regent, pending his return. Catherine reluctantly agreed. The regency lasted much longer than expected, because Adolf was killed in battle on June 27, 1477. She continued to rule as regent for his son Charles II, who was held with his sister

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of ''Philippa of Guelders'' ...

by the Burgundians. Catherine became involved in the Guelderian War of Independence with Maximilian of Austria. In 1482, she was forced to conclude peace with Maximilian and to retire from politics. In 1492, she witnessed the regained independence of Guelders under her nephew

Charles II, Duke of Guelders Charles II (9 November 1467 – 30 June 1538) was a member of the House of Egmond who ruled as Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1492 until his death. He was the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catharine of Bourbon. He had a principal role ...

.
Catherine died in 1497 and was buried in the church of

Geldern Geldern ( nl, Gelderen, archaic English: ''Guelder(s)'') is a city in the federal German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is part of the district of Kleve, which is part of the Düsseldorf administrative region. Geography Location Geldern l ...

, where her grave can still be seen.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catherine of Guelders 1497 deaths House of Egmond Dukes of Guelders 15th-century women rulers Year of birth uncertain Medieval Dutch women 15th-century women of the Holy Roman Empire