Wassenberg

Who he is

Name

Henry of Limburg, eldest son of Duke Henry III

Title

Lord of Wassenberg

Since

1178 (de.wikipedia: lord of Wassenberg 1178-1215)

Born

About 1165; dies 1214

Family

House of Limburg; his brother Gerard (died 1225) follows him at Wassenberg

Confidence

medium

de.wikipedia Heinrich III. (Limburg); NDB family article

Overlord

The archbishop of Cologne (Wassenberg made the Limburg dukes vassals of Cologne)

What it holds

• Wassenberg castle and its district on the Rur

How it was acquired

By marriage, early 12th century.

Allies and rivals

Heinsberg and Jülich (lrh) as neighbours; Cologne as overlord, on Otto's side.

How things stand that morning

Held by the duke's eldest son Henry under Cologne's lordship; the Limburg house backs Philip while its overlord for Wassenberg, Archbishop Adolf, backs Otto.

Wealth

Rur valley land.

Military

Castle.

Threats

• Cologne's displeasure
• Jülich

Where the sources disagree

• The NDB dates the Wassenberg marriage to Waleran II in 1118; de.wikipedia's genealogy credits a Waleran III with Jutta as heiress. The numbering is inconsistent between the sources.

Evidence: de.wikipedia gives Henry as lord from 1178; the dates of the Limburg acquisition differ between sources.

On the map: Castle and its immediate district only.

Primary sources for Limburg

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.

• Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. Read online
• 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