War of the Limburg Succession
The Limburger succession dispute was a political conflict in the years 1283 to 1289, who influenced the further development of the Rhineland and Westphalia.
Starting position
When Duke Walram V of Limburg, a brother of Count Adolf IV of Berg, died in 1280 without male issue, was about his daughter Irmgard whose husband Count Rainald I. successor of funds. This Lehnsübergang like a Kunkellehen was confirmed by the German King Rudolf of Habsburg. As Irmgard died in 1283 before her husband, rose Adolf V of Berg despite the confirmation of the fief of Rainald of funds objection to this inheritance. For his part, he made hereditary claims to the Duchy of Limburg. However, there was with Count Heinrich VI. of Luxembourg and Walram Valkenburg additional relatives from the house of Limburg, which could also provide inheritance rights.
Basics of the conflict
Formally, it went in the conflict over the inheritance of the Duchy of Limburg. However, the case concerned basically the territorial order in Lower Lorraine the Rhineland and Westphalia. 953 was given by Otto the Great in both the Archbishopric of Cologne as well as the Duchy of Lorraine to his brother Brun. Since that time the Archbishop of Cologne was also the worldly representative of the German king in the areas Kurkölns basically. He forgave individual fiefs of his vassals. Conrad III. extended the episcopal rights " Ducatus Coloniensis " 1151, among other rights to the attachment right from villages in the sphere of the Electorate of Cologne. In the 12th and 13th centuries tried some of his Lehnsnehmer to move away from the supremacy of the Archbishop of Cologne. Additionally, in this time period, the original strong imperial power of the German kings was significantly weaker. Thus, the support of ecclesiastical Dukes by the king in disputes was lower. This situation did both the Counts of Berg in the Rhineland as well as the counts on the Mark in Westphalia exploit to increase their power and independence from the archbishop.
John I of Brabant, in turn, was anxious to expand his sphere of influence to the east with the Duchy of Limburg, and areas along the river Meuse. These areas were characterized by their economic development with a high tax receipts of interest. This resulted especially with the Bishop of Liege at constant disputes, as the Duke claimed benefice in the territory of the diocese of Liege for themselves. He therefore took the efforts of Berger for his goals and bought Adolf V. his rights of succession from 1283. In addition, it succeeded with great diplomatic skills to win the Bishop of Liege as advocates for the rights to Limburg, although this was actually his opponent. On 20 October 1283 a corresponding treaty of alliance between the Duke and the Bishop was closed.
Since the Electorate of Cologne was against an increase in power for the county of mountain - the expansion of its own supremacy in the Rhineland has been hampered by - raised the archbishop of Cologne objection to the heirs. It originated from the Limburg Succession dispute over the Duchy of Limburg. Adolf V. saw no way to successfully enforce these claims. He therefore sold his inheritance rights to Duke John I of Brabant. The claim by Brabant was rejected by the Electorate of Cologne for the same reasons as for the mountain. There were two groups in this dispute, with the following main parties: [note 1]
On the side Kurkölns Archbishop Siegfried of Westerburg with allies Count I. Reinald of funds, Count Heinrich VI. of Luxembourg, Count Adolf of Nassau and Count Dietrich von Altena - Isenberg.
On the opposite side were Duke John I of Brabant and Count Adolf V of Berg, Count Eberhard I von der Mark, Count Walram of Jülich and the citizens of Cologne and nobles who wanted to achieve a separation from the electorate, and Bergische farmers. [ Note 2]
Course
The martial turmoil that broke out now, especially in the Duchy of Limburg after 1283, ended with the Battle of Worringen 1288 north of Cologne. It was one of the biggest battles of medieval knights in the field of Lower Lorraine and the Rhineland with about 4500-6100 knights plus a variety of non- combatants on horseback. Electorate of Cologne was hit with its allies and captured the Archbishop. Only after signing the contract atonement of 19 May 1289 the payment of a high ransom to Count Adolf V of Berg, the archbishop was released again.
Results
In an agreement dated October 15, 1289 Reinald renounced funds to Limburg. After a further clashes with Walram from Valkenburg to the Duchy of this was combined with the Lehnsbeleihung 1292 by King Adolf of Nassau binding from the Duchy of Brabant. It remained then to 1406 under the suzerainty of Brabant.
This defeat Kurkölns and its allies led to many other changes in Lower Lorraine, the Rhineland and Westphalia. Some examples:
- I. Eberhart and thus the "Mark " was independent of the Electorate of Cologne, the renounced his responsibility for Lehnsvergabe
- Adolf V. strengthened and expanded the power of the Counts of Berg in the Rhineland and there limited the power of the Electorate of Cologne; the fortifications of some left-bank Electoral Cologne castles were demolished
- Cologne became a Free Imperial City, if this was also formally confirmed until 1476 by the German king; the archbishop had his residence in the city to give up and this was no longer legally to the electorate of Cologne.