Edward (12 March 1336 – 24 August 1371) was the

duke of Guelders Guelders is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Counts House of Wassenberg * before 1096–about 1129: Gerard I * about 1129–about 1131: Gerard II, son of Gerard I * about 1131–11 ...

and

count of Zutphen The title of Count of Zutphen historically belonged to the ruler of the Dutch province of Gelderland (Zutphen being one of the major cities in the province during the medieval period). The lordship was a vassal title before it eventually became a ...

from 1361 until 1371. Upon his brother Reginald becoming Duke of Guelders, Edward led a civil war culminating in the battle at Tiel, capturing his brother in 1361. Edward became Duke of Guelders, but in a dispute with Wenceslaus I of Luxembourg was killed at the battle of Baesweiler in 1371. His brother Reginald inherited the duchy from him.

Life

Edward was the youngest son of Duke Reginald II of Guelders and his second wife, Eleanor of Woodstock, daughter of King

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

. In 1350, with encouragement from his mother, Edward began a devastating civil war against his brother Reginald III for control of the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) 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 present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...

. Edward led the Bronkhorster (civil) faction which in 1361 in a battle at Tiel defeated the Heekeren (aristocratic) faction, led by Edward's incapable brother who was captured and imprisoned. Edward governed well and powerfully, despite the conditions against him. He allied himself with the bishops of Lüttich and with Jülich and Kleve. In 1371, his brother-in-law and supporter, Duke William II of Jülich, got into a dispute with Duke

Wenceslaus I of Luxembourg Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are , , , , , , among others. It originated as a Latin spelling for Czech rulers. It ...

. The dispute culminated in the

Battle of Baesweiler The Battle of Baesweiler (22 August 1371) was a conflict between the duke of Luxembourg- Brabant and the Duke of Jülich. Background Attacks on Brabant's commercial interests in the territory of the Duke of Jülich had almost caused war in Nov ...

in which William defeated Wenceslaus, but Edward was mortally wounded in the battle and died on 24 August 1371. He is buried in the Kloster Graefenthal. Upon Edward's death, his brother Reginald III regained the Duchy of Guelders but died shortly afterwards, on 4 December 1371. Edward was betrothed in 1368 to Katherine of Bavaria, daughter of

Albert I, Duke of Bavaria Albert I, Duke of Lower Bavaria (; 25 July 1336 – 13 December 1404), was a feudal ruler of the counties of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in the Low Countries. Additionally, he held a portion of the Bavarian province of Straubing, his Bavari ...

and Margaret of Brieg. Edward died when Katharine was only 10 years old and she subsequently married in 1379 to Edward's nephew, William of Jülich. As neither Edward nor Reginald had children, another war of succession for Guelders began, with the Bronkhorster faction supporting Edward and Reginald's half-sister Maria, wife of William II of Jülich, and the Heerkeren faction supporting their half-sister Mathilde, wife of Count John II of Blois. In 1377,

Emperor Charles IV Charles IV (; ; ; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (, ), was H ...

awarded the Duchy of Guelders and the County of Zutphen to Maria's son William of Jülich. After her total defeat in the Battle of Hönnepel on 24 March 1379, Mathilde renounced her claim to Guelders and Zutphen.

References

Sources

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External links

Genealogie-Mittelalter.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edward of Guelders Dukes of Guelders Counts of Zutphen 1336 births 1371 deaths House of Wassenberg 14th-century dukes in Europe