William IV, Count of Jülich (c. 1210 – 16 March 1278) was the son and heir of William III of Jülich and Mathilde of Limburg, daughter of Waleran III, Duke of Limburg.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1922, reprint Verlag Degener & Co., 1995), Vol. 1, page 14. William's father joined the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

in 1217 and died in the Siege of Damietta in 1218. William succeeded his father as Count of Jülich under the guardianship of his uncle, Eberhard of Hengenbach. In the 1220s and early 1230s William greatly expanded his territory. In 1234 he fought in the battle of Altenesch in the

Stedinger Crusade The Stedinger Crusade (1233–1234) was a Papally sanctioned war against the rebellious peasants of Stedingen. The Stedinger were free farmers and subjects of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. Grievances over taxes and property rights turned i ...

and was made imperial administrator of Konzen and

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 ...

, guardian of Kornelimünster and over the possessions of Essen Abbey on the left bank 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. He also won the imperial fiefdoms of Sinzig, Hengenbach- Heimbach, Merzenich, Thürnich,

Düren 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 ...

and Bardenberg, thus doubling the possessions of the Counts of Jülich. By 1240 William's territorial expansion created conflict on the eastern side of his territory with the Archbishop of Cologne. William was a loyal supporter of the

House of Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

which made him a rugged opponent of Cologne Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, under whose rule more disputes with William broke out. As a result of the Hochstander inheritance, William gained parts of Münstereifel, which moved him even closer to his opponent. In 1242 in the battle of Lövenich, William captured Konrad and forced him to renew all of William's Cologne fiefs. In 1262 William and Engelbert I, Count of the Mark, came to the assistance of the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

during the Siege of Königsberg. In the battle of Zülpich in 1267, William captured Engelbert II of Falkenburg, Archbishop of Cologne, and held him captive in the castle of Nideggen until 1270/71, again forcing the Archbishop to recognize all of William's Cologne fiefs. As a result of this action, William was excommunicated by

Pope Clement IV Pope Clement IV (; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois (; or ') and also known as Guy le Gros ( French for "Guy the Fat"; ), was bishop of Le Puy (1257–1260), archbishop of Narbonne (1259–1261), cardinal of Sabina ( ...

from 1268 to 1270. William supported

Richard of Cornwall Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of ...

King of the Romans King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...

and Richard confirmed all of William's imperial fiefs. William also supported the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

against King

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...

in 1267/77. He stood against

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 ...

Cleves Kleve (; traditional ; ; ; ; ; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Cleves was capital of a county and later a duchy ...

and Heinsberg because of their similar interests. On the night of 16 March 1278, which has become known as Gertrudisnacht (Night of St. Gertrude), William, along with his sons William and Roland (and according to some sources, a third son), entered the town of Aachen to collect taxes for King

Rudolph I of Germany Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which had begun after the death of the Hohenstaufen Emperor ...

. There was a riot and William and his sons were killed. The city of Aachen was later ordered to pay a high compensation to William's widow Richardis on account of his murder.

Family and children

By contract on 12 March 1237, William was betrothed to Margaret of Guelders, daughter of Gerard III, Count of Guelders and Margaret of Brabant. Most sources accept Margaret as the mother of William's elder children but there is no evidence that this marriage was ever consummated. Further, William is known to have married Margaret's sister, Richardis of Guelders (c. 1215 – 1293/98), prior to January 1250 but there is no evidence of a papal dispensation which would have been required for William to marry the sister of his first wife. Thus, it's possible that Richardis was the mother of all of William's children. William had eleven children, as well as a natural son Roland (and possibly a second natural son) who died with him in the riot at Aachen. # Matilda (c. 1238 – bef. 1279), married 1258

John I, Count of Looz John I (Jean) (d. 1278 or 1279), Count of Looz and Count of Chiny, eldest son of Arnold IV, Count of Looz and Chiny, and Jeanne, Countess of Chiny. He succeeded his father in 1272 or 1273, as the Count of Looz and Chiny. Virtually nothing is kn ...

# Margaret (c. 1240 – 12 October 1292/93), married 1261 Dieter III, Count of Katzenelnbogen # William (c. 1240 – 16 March 1278), died with his father in the riot at Aachen. Married Marie of Flanders, daughter of

Guy, Count of Flanders Guy of Dampierre (; ) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and List of rulers of Namur, Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when his Flemings defeated the latter at the Battle of ...

and Matilda of Bethune. They had one son, William the younger. # Richardis (c. 1243 – after 1291), married before 1265 William, Count of Salm #

Walram Waleran, Galeran, or Walram is a Germanic first name, common in the Middle Ages, that may refer to: People *Waleran I of Limburg (died 1082) * Waleran the Hunter (fl. 1086) * Walram (bishop of Naumburg) (r. 1091–1111) * Waleran of Le Puiset (died ...

(1240/45 – 1297) # Otto (c. 1245 – after 1283), Archdeacon at Liege from 1282 # Gerhard (before 1250 – 1328) # Catharine (c. 1250 – after 1287), married before 1273 John of Arberg # Petronilla (c. 1255 – after 1300), married before 1276 Ludwig, Count of Arnsberg # Blancheflor (c. 1255 – after 1330), married before 1277 Henry, Count of Sponheim # Mechtild (c. 1255 – aft. 1287)

References

External links

Genealogie-Mittelalter.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:William Iv, Count Of Julich 1278 deaths 13th-century German nobility Counts of Jülich Christians of the Prussian Crusade Year of birth uncertain