Reinald IV, Duke of Guelders and Jülich
Reinald IV, Duke of Guelders and Jülich aka Reginald IV( – 25 June 1423) was the son of William II, Duke of Jülich and Maria of Guelders, daughter of Reinald II, Duke of Guelders.
Reinald IV became the second Duke of Guelders and Jülich upon his brother William's death in 1402 without heirs.
Reinald, in conjunction with the Wittelsbach Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland, tried in vain to slow the emergence of Burgundy in the Netherlands area and in 1406 was unable to enforce old claims against Burgundy to Brabant- Limburg.
He allied himself with Rupert, King of Germany, supporting his coronation in Aachen and remained closely connected with the House of Orléans.
In 1407, Reinald supported his brother- in- law, John of Arkel, against the Dutch and in 1409 received the city of Gorinchem from John.
This started a new feud with Holland which ended in 1412 when Reinald ceded Gorinchem for a large sum of money.
He also conceded the city of Emmerich as a result of an earlier promise to the Duke of Cleves.
Reinald led the traditional feuds of his House, particularly those against the Bishops of Utrecht and against Holland and Friesland.
He occupied Arkel, but in 1422 he was forced to seek peace and return all of his conquests.
Reinald also stood against the House of Cleves in the Niederrhein area and maintained a lot of influence over Guelders.
On 5 May 1405, Reinald married Marie of Harcourt, daughter of John VI, Count of Harcourt.
Reinald died near Arnhem on 25 June 1423 and was buried at Kloster Monkhuizen.
As Reinald died without legitimate issue, the Duchy of Jülich descended to Adolf, Duke of Berg, son of Reinald's cousin William VII of Jülich, 1st Duke of Berg.
In 1426, Reinald's widow married Adolf's son Rupert, but he died in 1431 without heirs and the Duchy of Jülich- Berg then descended to Adolf's nephew Gerhard.
The Duchy of Guelders descended to Reinald's great- nephew, Arnold of Egmond, although the House of Jülich fought unsuccessfully against the House of Egmond for this title.
William VIII of Jülich, Count of Ravensberg
William VIII of Jülich, Count of Ravensberg( – 22 November 1428) was the youngest son of William VII of Jülich, 1st Duke of Berg and Anna of the Palatinate.
Along with his brother, Adolf, William rebelled against his father but surrendered in 1404 and received his father's title as Count of Ravensberg which he held until his death in 1428.
In 1401, William was appointed Bishop of Paderborn by Pope Boniface IX through the influence of his uncle, Rupert, King of Germany.
William's elder brother Rupert had held the same post from 1389 – 1394.
Like his uncle, King Rupert, William was a follower of the Roman Popes.
As Prince- Bishop, William aroused heavy unrest with his ecclesiastical reform effort and quarreled with Waldeck and Lippe, compelling acknowledgement of Paderborn's sovereignty over parts of Lippe.
Despite territorial policy successes, he faced opposition and renounced Paderborn in 1414.
He attempted to become Archbishop of Cologne but failed against Dietrich of Moers who also replaced William as Bishop of Paderborn.
William then married Dietrich's niece, Adelheid of Tecklenburg, and became the father of the new line of the Dukes of Jülich- Berg and Counts of Ravensberg, when his brother Adolf died without an heir.
William and Adelheid are buried in the Stiftskirche in Bielefeld.
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.
In 1308, Adolf succeeded as Count of Berg upon the death of his uncle William I of Berg who had no children.
Adolf was an important and loyal supporter of Ludwig IV of Bavaria, helping him since 1314 in the war of succession.
As a result of Adolf's 1312 marriage to Agnes of Cleves, he received the Rhine customs of Duisberg as a dowry and these were confirmed as an imperial fief by Emperor Louis in 1314.
He continued the constant feuds between the House of Berg and the Archbishops of Cologne.
In 1327/ 28, he joined Louis on his trip to Rome where he was crowned as Emperor.
Adolf received the privilege to mint silver which he did at Wipperfürth.
In 1337 Adolf joined the English- German Alliance which caused the start of the Hundred Years' War.
In 1312 Adolf was married to Agnes of Cleves( c. 1295 – aft. 1361), daughter of Dietrich VII, Count of Cleves and Margaret of Habsburg- Kiburg.
He died on 3 April 1348 without children and was succeeded by his only surviving niece, Margaret of Ravensberg by right of her mother, and her husband Gerhard VI of Jülich as Count and Countess of Berg.
Thus, the Counties of Berg and Ravensburg came in 1348 under the house of Jülich, and were in 1437 united with the County of Jülich.
In 1511 all three passed into the house of Cleves.
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.
He was the younger brother of Adolf VIII of Berg and William I of Berg. From 1271- 1281
Henry served as a governor for his brother Adolf who became Count of Berg in 1259.
Henry and his brother Adolf supported John I, Duke of Brabant in his succession war for the Duchy of Limburg, which culminated in the Battle of Worringen in 1288.
Henry resided at Windeck castle, probably as an official of his brother.
Windeck was one of the four main Berg castles, which had come into the possession of Berg by 1247.
Henry is buried with other members of the house of Berg at Altenberg Cathedral.
Irmgard of Berg
Irmgard of Berg, heiress of Berg( died 1248 – 1249), was the child of Adolf VI count of Berg( 1185–1218) and Berta von Sayn.
She married in 1217 Henry IV, Duke of Limburg( since 1226), who became count of Berg in 1225.
Henry IV of Limburg- Berg died on 25 Feb 1246; their descendants were counts of Berg, the county of Berg leaving the descendance of the Ezzonen.
Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg
Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg (– 18 May 1360) was the son of William V, Duke of Jülich and Joanna of Hainaut.
Gerhard was betrothed in 1333 (renewed 1342) to Margaret of Guelders, daughter of Rainald II of Guelders and Sophia Betrout.
However, this marriage was never consummated, likely due either to Rainald's death in 1343 or Margaret's death in 1344.<br>
Gerhard was subsequently married about 1344 to Margaret of Ravensberg, heiress of Berg and Ravensberg (died 13/19 February 1389), daughter of Otto IV, Count of Ravensberg and Margaret of Berg.
Margaret's father Otto had no sons so at his death in 1328, the County of Ravensberg went to his brother Bernhard.
However, when Bernhard died in 1346 without issue, Margaret became the heir of Ravensberg, her elder sister Hedwig having died in 1336.<br>
Then, when Margaret's uncle, Count Adolf IX of Berg, died in 1348 without issue, Margaret also inherited Berg by right of her mother.
Thus, the titles to Berg and Ravensberg came into the house of Jülich where they remained until 1511 when they passed into the house of Cleves.
Gerhard completed several ineffective protective alliances and stood against the Archbishop of Cologne.
He won Hardenberg, Neviges, Langenberg, Remangen and Kaiserswerth, among others.
Gerhard died 18 May 1360 in a tournament in Düsseldorf and is buried with his wife in the Altenberg Abbey.
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz- James( 21 August 1670 – 12 June 1734) was an Anglo- French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough.
Berwick was a successful general in the pay of Louis XIV of France.
William V, Duke of Jülich
William V, Duke of Jülich( – 25/26 February 1361) was a German nobleman.
Some authors call him William I, because he was the first" Duke of Jülich"; the earlier Williams had been" Count of Jülich".
Other authors call the subject of this article" William VI"; they count the son and co-ruler of William IV as William V. William V was the eldest son of Gerhard V of Jülich and Elisabeth of Brabant- Aarschot, daughter of Godfrey of Brabant.
William V was a key political figure of his time, being a brother- in- law to both Edward III of England and Emperor Ludwig IV.
He spent enormous sums of money to have his brother Walram of Jülich appointed as Archbishop of Cologne over Adolph II of the Marck.
In 1337 he was crucially involved in the German- English alliance which caused the start of the Hundred Years' War. William was an important supporter of Emperor Ludwig and for a time, he supported the Habsburgs against the House of Luxembourg in the Carinthian war of succession.
Upon the collapse of the German- English alliance and the death of his brother- in- law, William switched his allegiance to Emperor Charles IV.
In 1352 he initiated an inheritance tax on Heinsberg- Valkenburg/ Monschau.
William won important positions through his Archbishop brother and also served for a time as a field captain for Flanders in the Hundred Years' War.
His sons fought against him during an uprising of part of the Jülich knighthood which opposed inclusion in the increasing territorial state, and he was imprisoned by them in 1349, but released in 1351 due to public pressure.
Upon his father's death in 1328, William became Count of Jülich.
In 1336 William was appointed Margrave by his brother- in- law, Emperor Ludwig IV, and in 1356/ 57 he was raised to the level of Duke by Emperor Charles IV, thus becoming the first Duke of Jülich.
His skillful marriage policy, especially the marriage of his son Gerhard to Margaret of Ravensberg, heiress of Berg and Ravensberg, enabled him to add territory to the house of Jülich.
Upon William's death in 1361, the Duchy of Jülich passed to his second son, William, his eldest son having predeceased.
William and his wife are buried in Nideggen.
He seems to have held the title of Earl of Cambridge from 1340 to his death.
William VII of Jülich, 1st Duke of Berg
William VII of Jülich, 1st Duke of Berg (– 25 June 1408) was born in Jülich, as the son of Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg, and Margaret, daughter and heiress of Otto IV, Count of Ravensberg, and Margaret of Berg.
Upon his father's death in 1360, William became Count of Berg and Ravensberg, a title that his father had gained by marrying the heiress of Berg and Ravensberg.
In 1380, King Wenzel elevated him to the rank of Duke, thus becoming the first Duke of Berg.
William fought the counties of Mark and Cleves to prevent them from combining but in 1397 he was taken prisoner in the battle of Kleverhamm.
He lost Remagen, Kaiserwerth and Sinzig to his nephew Adolf IV, Count of Kleve-Mark and due to these losses, his sons turned against him and imprisoned him in 1403/04.
He ultimately forced them to submit and later supported his brother-in-law Rupert, King of Germany against Guelders-Jülich and won the county of Blankenburg.
William died on 25 June 1408 and is buried in the Abteikirche in Altenberg.
Adolf, Duke of Jülich-Berg
Adolf, Duke of Jülich- Berg( c. 1370 – 14 July 1437), was the first Duke of the combined duchies of Jülich and Berg.
He was the son of William VII of Jülich, 1st Duke of Berg and Anna of the Palatinate.
In 1397, Adolf rebelled against his father along with his brother William, ravaged Düsseldorf and imprisoned his father.
He was outlawed and was subsequently subdued in 1405.
Upon his father's death in 1408, Adolf became the 2nd Duke of Berg.
Adolf fought against Lorraine and other pretenders for Bar but surrendered after his capture in 1417.
His father's cousin, Reginald, Duke of Jülich and Guelders, had no heirs and upon his death in 1423, Adolf succeeded him in three- fourths of the Duchy, the fourth quarter( called" Jülicher Quart") was inherited by John II of Loon, Lord of Heinsberg and Löwenberg, grandson of the first duke of Jülich, William V.
The dukedom of Jülich passed to Adolf, thus becoming the first duke of the combined duchies of Jülich and Berg. John II. of Loon- Heinsberg was than also called Lord of Jülich.
Adolf also began a year- long hereditary war against the House of Egmond for the dukedom of Guelders but could not win even with financial support from Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, who supported Adolf in this fight despite Adolf's opposition to Sigismund's coronation at Aachen in 1414.
Adolf supported the Roman candidate in the Council of Constance which ended the Western Schism.
He traditionally fought against the Archbishop of Cologne.
He later secured Monschau- Montjoie and in 1428 he seized Lievandal- Wevelinghoven.
Adolf had only one son who died before him so after Adolf's death in 1437, the dukedom of Jülich- Berg passed to his nephew Gerhard, son of his brother William.
Adolf died in Cologne on 14 July 1437 and is buried at Great St. Martin Church, Cologne.

Question: What is the date of death of William Vii Of Jülich, 1St Duke Of Berg's father?
Answer: 18 May 1360