Reinald IV, Duke of Guelders and Jülich

Reinald IV, Duke of Guelders and Jülich aka Reginald IV (c. 1365 – 25 June 1423) was the son of William II, Duke of Jülich and Maria of Guelders, daughter of Reinald II, Duke of Guelders.^[1]

Reinald IV became the second Duke of Guelders and Jülich upon his brother William's death in 1402 without heirs. Reinald tried in vain with Wittelsbach-Holland 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 remainded 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 Gronninchen from John. This started a new feud with Holland which ended in 1412 when Reinald ceded Gronninchen 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.

Ancestry

References

External links

• Genealogie-Mittelalter.de
• Lower Rhine Nobility