The Duchy of Jülich (; ; ) comprised a state within the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay west of the
Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
river and was bordered by the
Electorate of Cologne to the east and the
Duchy of Limburg to the west. It had territories on both sides of the river
Rur, around its capital
Jülich – the former
Roman ''Iuliacum'' – in the lower
Rhineland
The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
. The duchy amalgamated with the
County of Berg beyond the Rhine in 1423, and from then on also became known as ''Jülich-Berg''. Later it became part of the
United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg.
Its territory lies in present-day
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
(part of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
) and in the present-day
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
(part of the
Limburg province), its population sharing the same
Limburgish
Limburgish ( or ; ; also Limburgian, Limburgic or Limburgan) refers to a group of South Low Franconian Variety (linguistics), varieties spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands, characterized by their distance to, and limited participation ...
dialect.
History
County
In the 9th century a certain Matfried was count of Jülich (pagus Juliacensis).
The first mention of a count in the
gau of Jülich in
Lower Lorraine, is Gerhard I, in 1003; his grandson Gerhard III began to call himself Count of Jülich in 1081.
William IV, who became count in 1219, significantly enlarged the territory and in 1234 granted Jülich
town privileges. By 1240 his territorial expansion created conflict on the eastern side of his territory with the Archbishop of Cologne
Konrad von Hochstaden, whose troops devastated the city five years later.
William IV's son
Walram (Count from 1278 to 1297) remained a fierce opponent of the Bishopric, supporting Duke
John I of Brabant at the 1288
Battle of Worringen
The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now part of Chorweiler, the northernmost borough (Stadtbezirk) of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succe ...
against Archbishop
Siegfried II of Westerburg. Walram was succeeded by his younger brother
Count Gerhard V who had sided with German king
Adolf of Nassau against his rival
Albert I of Habsburg.Gerhard managed to retain his territories after Adolf of Nassau lost the
Battle of Göllheim in 1298, and in 1314 supported the coronation of
Louis IV of Wittelsbach at the nearby City of
Aachen
Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants.
Aachen is locat ...
, once more against the will of the Cologne bishop.
Duchy
Gerhard died in 1328. His eldest son succeeded him as
Count William V. Gerhard's younger son
Walram became Archbishop of Cologne in 1332. In 1336 Count William received the title of
margrave
Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...
from Emperor Louis IV, and in 1356 Emperor
Charles IV of Luxembourg raised William V to the rank of
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
. His son Duke
William II, however, became entangled in a fierce feud with the Emperor's half-brother
Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, Duke of
Brabant, whom he defeated at the
Battle of Baesweiler in 1371.
Thereafter Jülich's history became closely intertwined with that of its neighbours: the Duchies of
Cleves and
Berg as well as
Guelders and the
County of Mark
The County of Mark (, colloquially known as ) was a county and Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay south of Lippe (river), Lippe river on both sides of the Ruhr river along the Volme a ...
: Duke William II had married Mary, the daughter of Duke
Reginald II of Guelders, and duchess herself after the death of her half-brother
Reginald III of Guelders in 1371. William II settled the conflict with the Imperial
House of Luxembourg and his son William III inherited both duchies, thereby becoming
William I of Guelders and Jülich.
In 1402, Duke William I Guelders and Jülich died without any legitimate offspring. He was succeeded by his younger brother
Reinald IV, Duke of Guelders and Jülich, who also died without heirs in 1423. The Gelderland estates chose
Arnold of Egmond as duke, while Jülich amalgamated with Berg and passed to
Adolf, Duke of Jülich-Berg, who belonged to a younger branch, and who had obtained Berg by virtue of the marriage of one of his ancestors.
[
In 1511 Duke John III of Cleves inherited Jülich and Berg through marriage with Maria of Jülich-Berg, the daughter of the last Duke, William IV. She inherited her father's estates: Jülich and Berg with the County of Ravensberg. From 1521 Jülich-Berg and Cleves formed the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg][ in a personal union under Duke John III.]
When the last duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg died without direct heirs in 1609, the War of the Jülich Succession
The War of the Jülich Succession, also known as the Jülich War or the Jülich-Cleves Succession Crises (German language, German: ''Jülich-Klevischer Erbfolgestreit''), was a war of succession in the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. The fi ...
broke out. It ended with the 1614 Treaty of Xanten, which divided the separate duchies between Palatinate-Neuburg and the Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...
. Jülich and Berg fell to Count Palatine Wolfgang William of Neuburg and after the last duke of Palatinate-Neuburg (also Elector of the Palatinate from 1685) Charles III Philip had died without issue in 1742, Count Charles Theodore of Palatinate-Sulzbach (after 1777 also Duke of Bavaria
The following is a list of monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...
) inherited Jülich and Berg.
In 1794 Revolutionary France occupied the Duchy of Jülich (Duché de Juliers), which became part of the French département of the Roer. The Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville (or Peace of Lunéville) was signed in the Treaty House of Lunéville on 9 February 1801. The signatory parties were the French Republic and Emperor Francis II, who signed on his own behalf as ruler of the hereditary do ...
in 1801 officially acknowledged the cession of Jülich to France. In 1815, following the defeat of Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, the duchy became part of the Prussian[ Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (after 1822 part of the Prussian ]Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...
), except for the cities Sittard and Tegelen, which became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...
.
Rulers
Counts of Jülich
* 1003–1029 Gerhard I, Count in the Jülichgau
* 1029–1081 Gerhard II
* 1081–1128 Gerhard III, Count of Jülich
* 1128–1142 Gerhard IV
* 1142–1176 William I
* 1176–1207 William II
* 1207–1219 William III
* 1219–1278 William IV
* 1278–1297 Walram
* 1297–1328 Gerhard V
* 1328–1356 William V William V may refer to:
* William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030)
* William V of Montpellier (1075–1121)
* William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191)
* William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181)
* William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361)
* Will ...
, margrave from 1336, duke from 1356 as William I
Dukes
— ''1393–1423 in Union with Guelders'', ''from 1423 with Berg'', ''from 1437 with Ravensberg'' —
* 1356–1361 William I (previously Count of Jülich)
* 1362–1393 William II
* 1393–1402 William III, also Duke of Guelders since 1377
* 1402–1423 Reinald
* 1423–1437 Adolf
* 1437–1475 Gerhard
* 1475–1511 William IV
House of La Marck, Dukes
– ''from 1521 a part of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg'' –
* 1511–1539 John
* 1539–1592 William V William V may refer to:
* William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030)
* William V of Montpellier (1075–1121)
* William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191)
* William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181)
* William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361)
* Will ...
* 1592–1609 John William I
House of Wittelsbach, Dukes
– ''in union with Berg and Palatinate-Neuburg, after 1690 also with the Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...
, from 1777 also with Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
–
* 1614–1653 Wolfgang William
* 1653–1679 Philip William
* 1679–1716 John William II
* 1716–1742 Charles Philip
* 1742–1794 Charles Theodore
Cities
Several cities and municipalities belonged to the Duchy of Jülich: -
JülichDüren
Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne, on the river Rur (river), Rur.
History
Roman era
The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the ter ...
MünstereifelEuskirchen
Euskirchen (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Öskerche'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Euskirchen (district), district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating ba ...
Nideggen Bergheim Kaster GrevenbroichMönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Netherlands, Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, th ...
Dahlen Dülken Linnich Randerath Brüggen Süchteln Aldenhoven Heimbach Monschau Wassenberg HeinsbergGangelt
Gangelt is a municipality in the Heinsberg (district), district of Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the border with the Netherlands and about 10 km east of Sittard and 10 km south-west of Heinsberg.
Its most well ...
Geilenkirchen Waldfeucht Sittard Susteren Sinzig TegelenRemagen
Remagen () is a town in Germany in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler (district), Ahrweiler. It is about a one-hour drive from Cologne, just south of Bonn, the former West Germany, West German seat of government. It i ...
.
Notable people from the Duchy of Jülich
*Rabbi Isaac ben Meir of Duren, rabbi
A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
, author of ''Shaarei Dura'' (13th century)
* Carl Joseph Begas, painter, father of German sculptor Reinhold Begas
Reinhold Begas (15 July 1831 – 3 August 1911) was a German sculptor.
Biography
Begas was born in Berlin, son of the painter Carl Joseph Begas. He received his early education (1846–1851) studying under Christian Daniel Rauch and Ludwig Wi ...
(1794–1854)
* Gottfried Ludolf Camphausen, banker and politician, Prime Minister of Prussia (1803–1890)
*Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves (; 28 June or 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the Wives of Henry VIII, fourth wife of Henry VIII. Little is known about Anne before 1527, ...
, noblewoman, Queen of England, fourth wife of Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
(1515–1557)
*Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet
Johann Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet (; ; 13 February 1805 – 5 May 1859) was a German mathematician. In number theory, he proved special cases of Fermat's last theorem and created analytic number theory. In analysis, he advanced the theory o ...
, mathematician (1805–1859)
* Statius von Düren, terracotta
Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...
sculptor (1520–1570)
* Hendrick Goltzius, printmaker, draftsman, and painter (1558–1617)
* Hermann Heinrich Gossen, economist (1810–1858)
* Herman op den Graeff, Mennonite
Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
community leader (1585–1642)
* Friedrich Joseph Haass, physician, "holy doctor of Moscow" (1780–1853)
* Arnold von Harff, traveller and writer (1471–1505)
* Karl Heinzen, revolutionary author (1809–1880)
* Henriette Jügel, painter (1778–1850)
* Maria of Jülich-Berg, noblewoman, Duchess of Jülich-Berg, mother of Sibylle, Anne and Amalia (1491–1543)
* Hermann Löher, author (1595–1678)
* Nikolaus von Maillot de la Treille, military man holding the rank of Lieutenant General, Minister of War of the Kingdom of Bavaria (1774–1834)
* Heinrich von der Mark, military man holding the rank of Lieutenant General, Minister of War of the Kingdom of Bavaria (1782–1865)
* Jacob Masen, Jesuit priest, historian, dramatist and theologian (1606–1681)
*Gerardus Mercator
Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a Flemish people, Flemish geographer, cosmographer and Cartography, cartographer. He is most renowned for creating the Mercator 1569 world map, 1569 world map based on a new Mercator pr ...
, geographer, cosmographer and cartographer, whose parents were originally from Gangelt
Gangelt is a municipality in the Heinsberg (district), district of Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the border with the Netherlands and about 10 km east of Sittard and 10 km south-west of Heinsberg.
Its most well ...
in the Duchy of Jülich (1512–1594)
* Jean-François Oeben, cabinetmaker, one of the most famous '' ébénistes'', author of the '' Bureau du Roi'' and maternal grandfather of Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...
* Goschwin Nickel, Jesuit priest, the tenth Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (1582–1664)
* Saint Irmgardis, saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
(1000–1065 or 1082/1089)
* Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, painter (1807–1863)
* Carl Caspar von Siebold, anatomist, surgeon, obstetrician and professor, considered the founder of modern academic surgery (1736–1807)
* Friedrich Spee, Jesuit priest, professor, and poet (1591–1635)
* Peter Stumpp, farmer and alleged serial killer accused of werewolfery (c. 1535–1589)
* Chrétien Urhan, violinist, violist, organist and composer (1790–1845)
* Johann von Werth, general of cavalry in the Thirty Years' War (1591–1652)
* Johann Weyer, physician and occultist (1515–1588)
* William I of Guelders and Jülich, Duke of Guelders and Jülich, known for his military activities and bellicose attitude (1364–1402)
References
External links
Edicts of Jülich, Cleves, Berg, Grand Duchy Berg, 1475–1815
(Coll. Scotti) online
Settlement of Dortmund between Brandenburg and Palatinate-Neuburg and the conflict of succession in Jülich
full text
{{DEFAULTSORT:Julich
History of the Rhineland
Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle
States and territories disestablished in 1815
States and territories established in 1356
Former states and territories of Rhineland-Palatinate
Duchies of the Holy Roman Empire
Former states in the Low Countries