Adolf I of Berg
Adolf I of Berg, count of Berg from 1077 until 1082, Vogt of Werden, Deutz, Berg and Gerresheim( died 1086).
He was the son of Adolf II of Lotharingia count of Keldachgau, Vogt of Deutz( 1002 – 1041).
The dynasty can be traced back to Adolf I at the beginning of the eleventh century especially by following the succession of the advocates of Deutz monastery across the Rhine, opposite Cologne.
From that point forth the succession of the counts of Berg is well enough documented.
Adolf I of Berg left one son:
Adolf III of Berg
Adolf III of Berg( 1080 – 12 October 1152) was count of Berg from 1093 until 1132, and count of Hövel from 1090 until 1106, and Vogt of Werden.
He was the son of Adolf II of Berg- Hövel, count of Berg, and Adelaide of Lauffen.
He married Adelheid of Cleves( von Kleve), a daughter of Dietrich II count of Cleves( died 1118).
They had issue:
Hubba bint Hulail
Hubba bint Hulail was the grandmother of Hashim ibn' Abd Manaf, thus the great- great- great- grandmother of the Islamic" Nabī"( Prophet) Muhammad ibn Abdullah.
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.
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.
In 1247, Adolf succeeded his father as Count of Berg while his brother Waleran succeeded as Duke of Limburg.
Adolf stood with his brother-in-law, Conrad of Hochstaden, Archbishop of Cologne, in the anti-Hohenstaufen camp, supporting King William II of Holland and received significant Imperial fiefs, including Kaiserswerth, Remagen, Rath, Mettmann and the Duisberg district of the national forest.
In 1234, Adolf participated in the Crusade against the Stedinger.
In 1255, he laid the foundation of the gothic Cathedral at Altena along with his brother Waleran.
He died on 22 April 1259 as a result of wounds received during a tournament at Neuss.
Hannah Arnold
Hannah Arnold, also known as Hannah Waterman King, was the grandmother of Benedict Arnolds children.
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.
Adolf IV, Count of Berg
Adolf IV of Berg count of Berg from 1132 until 1160 and of Altena( died after 1161), son of Adolf III of Berg count of Berg and Hövel.
He married( 1st) Adelheid von Arnsberg, a daughter of Heinrich count von Rietberg; then( 2nd) Irmgard von Schwarzenberg, a daughter of Engelbert von Schwarzenberg.
He built the Schloss Altena, and built Altenberg Abbey( 1133) where he enters in 1160.
He has issue from his first marriage: and from his second marriage:
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.
In 1259, Adolf succeeded his father as Count of Berg.
King Rudolph I of Germany allowed Adolf to move his mint to Wipperfürth in 1275.
In 1276 Adolf granted city rights to Ratingen and in 1282 to Wipperfürth.
Adolf tried in vain to have his brother Conrad, Provost of Cologne, installed as Archbishop of Cologne after the death of Engelbert II of Falkenstein in 1274, but Siegfried II of Westerburg was chosen instead.
In 1279 Adolf's uncle Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg died leaving one daughter, Ermengarde, wife of Reginald I, Count of Guelders.
When she died in 1280 without issue, her husband claimed the Duchy of Limburg even though Adolf also had a claim to Limburg as Waleran's eldest nephew.
Adolf tried unsuccessfully to assert his claim and in 1283 he sold his right to Duke John I of Brabant.
The counter-claims of Duke John and
Reginald I ultimately led to the Battle of Worringen in 1288 in which Adolf supported the victorious Brabant.
Archbishop Siegfried was captured and imprisoned by Adolf in Schloss Burg for 13 months.
As a result of the victory, Adolf was also able to elevate Düsseldorf to the level of city.
Through trickery, Archbishop Siegfried was able to capture Adolf in 1292 and held him in prison until he died on 28 September 1296.
In 1249, Adolf was betrothed to Elisabeth of Guelders, daughter of Otto II, Count of Guelders and half-sister of Reginald I, his rival to the Duchy of Limburg.
Elisabeth died 31 March 1315 and is buried with her husband in the Church of Solingen-Gräfrath.
As Adolf and Elisabeth had no issue, Adolf's brother William I of Berg succeeded him as Count of Berg.
William I of Berg
William I of Berg( c. 1242 – 16 April 1308) was the son of Count Adolf VII of Berg and of Margaret of Hochstaden.
Upon the death of his brother, Count Adolf VIII of Berg, William succeeded as Count of Berg.
Formerly serving as a monk, he was absolved of his religious vows by the pope in order to take the position.
His tenure was notable due to increased and constant conflict with the Archbishop of Cologne.
In 1300 he supported King Albert I of Germany 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) and Gräfrath.
He was also served as the benefactor of the citizens of Hückeswagen.
William married Irmgard of Cleves(? –11 May 1319), widow of Conrad I of Saffenburg and daughter of Dietrich VI, Count of Cleves.
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, son of his brother Henry of Berg, Lord of Windeck succeeded him as Count of Berg.

Question: Who is Adolf Viii Of Berg's paternal grandmother?
Answer: Irmgard of Berg