William I of Berg (c. 1242 – 16 April 1308) was the son of Count

Adolf VII of Berg Adolf VII of Berg (also referred to as Adolf IV, especially in the Netherlands and in Germany) (c. 1220 – 22 April 1259) was the eldest son of Henry IV, Duke of Limburg and Irmgard of Berg.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlec ...

and of Margaret of Hochstaden.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1922, reprint Verlag Degener & Co., 1995), Vol. 3, page 211. Upon the death of his brother, Count

Adolf VIII of Berg Adolf VIII of Berg (also referred to as Adolf V) (c. 1240 – 28 September 1296) was the eldest son of Count Adolf VII of Berg and Margaret of Hochstaden.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 19 ...

, William succeeded as Count of Berg. Formerly serving as a monk, he was absolved of his

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

by the pope in order to take the position. His tenure was notable due to increased and constant conflict with the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

. In 1300 he supported King

Albert I of Germany Albert I of Habsburg (german: Albrecht I.) (July 12551 May 1308) was a Duke of Austria and Styria from 1282 and King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of King Rudolf I of Germany and his first wife Gertrude o ...

against the Rhenish electors which further strengthened his position against the archbishop. During his life he started foundations for monasteries and churches, including those in Beyenburg (now part of

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and to ...

) and

Gräfrath Gräfrath or Graefrath is a district of Solingen in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, about east of Düsseldorf. History There was an abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the ...

. He was also served as the benefactor of the citizens of

Hückeswagen Hückeswagen ) is a town in the north of Oberbergischen Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the governmental district of Cologne. Geography Hückeswagen is situated on the river Wupper. Two dams, Bevertal dam and Wuppertal ...

. William married Irmgard of

Cleves Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; 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 ...

(?–11 May 1319), widow of Conrad I of Saffenburg and daughter of

Dietrich VI, Count of Cleves Dietrich VI (also known as Dietrich of Meissen), was Count of Cleves from 1260 through 1275. He was born in 1226 as the son of Dietrich V, Count of Cleves and Hedwig of Meissen. The County of Cleves (german: Grafschaft Kleve; nl, Graafschap Kl ...

. William and Irmgard are buried in the Berg family vault of the Altenberg Cathedral. As William had no children, his nephew

Adolf IX of Berg Adolf IX of Berg (also referred to as Adolf VI) (c. 1280 – 3 April 1348) was the eldest son of Henry of Berg, Lord of Windeck and Agnes of the Mark.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1922, ...

, son of his brother

Henry of Berg, Lord of Windeck Henry of Berg, Lord of Windeck (bef. 1247 – 8 March 1290/96) was the son of Adolf VII of Berg and Margaret of Hochstaden.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 1922, reprint Verlag Degener & ...

succeeded him as Count of Berg.

References

External links

Lower Rhine Nobility
* Wikipedia.de {{Authority control German Christian monks Former members of Catholic religious institutes Counts of Berg 1242 births 1308 deaths Year of birth uncertain Burials in North Rhine-Westphalia House of Limburg