The core county between Kleve and Kalkar, with the Schwanenburg at Kleve and the castle of Monterberg near Kalkar, and Wesel on the right bank of the Rhine, brought in by Arnold I's marriage to Ida of Brabant.
The advocacies of St Victor at Xanten, Zyfflich and Fürstenberg give the counts a hand in the Cologne lands. The old castle of the Tomburg near Rheinbach is drawn on its own record.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned: the boy Dietrich (born about 1185), with his uncle Arnold as governor if still alive
- Title
- Count of Cleves
- Since
- See Cleves
- Born
- About 1185
- Family
- See Cleves
- Confidence
- low
de.wikipedia Grafschaft Kleve; NDB Kleve
Overlord
The king; Cologne for the Tomburg and for advocacies
What it holds
- Kleve (the Schwanenburg)
- Monterberg near Kalkar
- Wesel (from the twelfth century, via Ida of Brabant)
- Advocacy of St Victor at Xanten (1122-1299)
- Advocacy of Zyfflich (from 1117) and of Fürstenberg (from 1119)
- The Tomburg near Rheinbach, held of Cologne (Tomburg)
How it was acquired
Inheritance; Wesel by marriage in the first half of the twelfth century.
Allies and rivals
Holland and Heinsberg by marriage; Cologne as overlord; Guelders as rival on the lower Rhine.
How things stand that morning
Held for the boy count; allegiance not pinned (Welf lean by fiefs and marriage).
Wealth
Market of Wesel, the Rhine meadows, the Xanten advocacy. No figures.
Military
Kleve, Monterberg.
Threats
- Minority or regency
Places of note
- Monterberg: Castle near Kalkar
Where the sources disagree
- See Cleves on the muddled generations.
Evidence: The extent of the county in 1200 is inferred from its twelfth-century core.
On the map: Rough; Kranenburg, Uedem, Sonsbeck and Dinslaken came to Cleves later.
Primary sources for Cleves
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Royal Chronicle of Cologne (in stages from about 1175 to about 1250; the section on 1198 to 1220 written soon after the events). The fullest German narrative of the throne war from the Welf and Cologne side. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.