William IV of Jülich-Berg, Duke

Male 1455 - 1511  (56 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    All

  • Name William IV of Jülich-Berg 
    Suffix Duke 
    Birth 9 Jan 1455 
    Gender Male 
    Death 6 Sep 1511 
    Person ID I6324  Database
    Last Modified 27 Jun 2016 

    Spouse / Partner Sybille of Brandenburg,   b. 31 May 1467   d. 9 Jul 1524 (Age 57 years) 
    Marriage 25 Jul 1481 
    Children 
       1. Female Maria of Jülich-Berg,   b. 1491   d. 1553 (Age 62 years)
       2. Male Johan van Gulik,   b. 1495   d. 1550 (Age 55 years)
    Family ID F2642  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 27 Jun 2016 

  • Notes 
    • William was the son of Gerhard VII, Duke of Jülich-Berg and Sophie of Saxe-Lauenburg. When his father died in 1475, William became Duke of Jülich-Berg.

      He married the rich Countess Elisabeth of Nassau-Saarbrücken in 1472, but she died in 1479. In 1481, William remarried with Sibylle of Brandenburg, daughter of Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg. Neither marriage produced a son, so the succession of the Duchy became a problem.

      William then concluded in 1496 the Klever Union with John II, Duke of Cleves, in which the union of the Duchy of Jülich-Berg and the Duchy of Cleves-Mark was planned. William had only one five-year-old daughter, Maria, who was promised in marriage to John II's six-year-old son John III. They married in 1510.

      William died in 1511, leaving his daughter the final member of the House of Jülich. He is buried in Altenberg Abbey. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, who inherited the Duchy of Cleves-Mark in 1521. John III then became the first ruler of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, which would exist until 1666.