Reginald II of Guelders (), called "the Black" (c. 1295 – 12 October 1343), was

Count 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 from 1339 onwards Duke of Guelders, and

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th centur ...

, in the Low Countries, from 1326 to 1343. He was the son of

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

and Marguerite of Flanders.

Biography

From 1316, he acted as regent in the county, imprisoned his father in 1318, and governed as "son of the Count". When in 1326 his father died, he styled himself Count of Guelders and Count of Zutphen. In 1339 Guelders was raised to a duchy. He was a law giver, in 1321 on customary law, and in 1335 on dykes and canals. He allied himself against the French with

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, his brother-in-law, warning the English in 1338 of a French fleet gathering in the mouth of the

Zwin The Zwin is a nature reserve at the North Sea coast, on the Belgian– Dutch border. It consists of the entrance area of a former tidal inlet which during the Middle Ages connected the North Sea with the ports of Sluis and Bruges inland. The ...

. He remained Edward's closest ally among the German princes in the first phase of the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a c ...

Family

Reginald's first marriage (

Roermond Roermond (; or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received City rights i ...

, 11 January 1311) was to Sophia Berthout (died 1329), Lady of

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

. Their children were: * Marguerite (1320–1344), Lady of Mechelen * Mathilde (1325–1384), Lady of Mechelen, then Duchess of Guelders (1371–1379), who married: *# in 1336, Godfried van Loon-Heinsberg (d. 1347) *# before 1348, John of Cleves (d. 1368),

Count of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (; ) 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 the towns of Wesel, Kalkar, Xanten, Emmer ...

John II, Count of Blois John II ( – 19 May 1381) was a Franco-Dutch nobleman who ruled lands in both France and the Holy Roman Empire. He was the count of Blois and Dunois from 1372 until 1381, the lord of Avesnes, Schoonhoven, Gouda, Beaumont, Chimay and Waard ...

(d. 1381) * Elisabeth (d. 1376), Abbess of Gravendaal * Marie (d. 1405), Duchess of Guelders (1371–1405), married

William II, Duke of Jülich William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

Widowed, Reginald married, at

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

, May 1332, Eleanor of Woodstock (1318–1355), daughter of

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 ...

. Their children were: * Reginald III of Guelders (1333–1371), Duke of Guelders (1343–1361) * Edward of Guelders (1336–1371), Duke of Guelders (1361–1371) He excluded Eleanor from court in 1338, claiming she had

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

, she later became a nun after his death. Reginald died at

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

after a fall from his horse.

Sources

* * * *

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reginald 02 of Guelders 1290s births 1343 deaths Counts of Guelders Dukes of Guelders House of Wassenberg 14th-century counts in Europe 14th-century dukes in Europe