Gelre and Gelderland, AD 100–2026

Timeline

Layers

Roman Empire · Batavians (allies inside the Empire) · Free Germania (Frisii, Chamavi, Bructeri …) · Franks · Saxons · Hamaland · Veluwe (gouw) · Betuwe (gouw) · Teisterbant · Duffelgouw · Hettergouw · Maasgouw · Mühlgau · Texandria · Salland · Twente · Drenthe (gouw) · Flethetti · Nifterlake · Frisians → Frisian lands (Friesland, Groningen) · County of East Frisia · Saxon Friesland (1498–1515) · County of Flanders · County of Holland (and Zeeland) · Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht · Duchy of Brabant · Duchy of Limburg · Lordship of Heinsberg · Prince-Bishopric of Liège · Electorate of Cologne · Prince-Bishopric of Münster · Principality of Salm (1802–1810) · Duchy of Jülich (and Berg) · Cleves (Brandenburg-Prussian from 1614) · Grand Duchy of Berg (1806–1813) · Burgundian → Habsburg → Spanish → Austrian Netherlands · France · Dutch Republic → Batavian Republic → Kingdom of the Netherlands · Belgium · Prussia → Germany · Prussian Upper Guelders (Geldern) · States' Upper Guelders (Venlo) · German occupation (1940–45) · Lordships inside Guelders (Culemborg, Buren, Bergh, Borculo …) · Charles of Guelders' conquests (Groningen, Drenthe, Friesland, Utrecht) · Guelders: Upper Quarter (Roermond, Venlo, Geldern) → Spanish, Austrian Guelders · Guelders: County of Zutphen · Guelders: Veluwe (Quarter of Arnhem) · Guelders: Quarter of Nijmegen (Rijk, Betuwe, Maas en Waal, Bommelerwaard) · Gelderland (department → province) · Army of Maarten van Rossum

Events

• 1 Sep 69, Batavian revolt: Julius Civilis led the Batavians and their neighbours against Rome; they besieged the legionary camp of Vetera near Xanten. The revolt ended in AD 70 and Nijmegen had to be rebuilt.
• 1 Jun 690, Battle of Dorestad: Around 690 the Frankish mayor Pepin of Herstal defeats the Frisian king Radbod near Dorestad, the great trading town on the Rhine; the river land passes to the Franks.
• 967, Elten abbey founded: Count Wichman of Hamaland turned his castle on the hill at Elten into a convent for noblewomen and gave it his lands. His daughter Adela fought over the inheritance for decades.
• 29 Jul 1018, Battle of Vlaardingen: Count Dirk III of the West-Frisian (Holland) counts beat an imperial army sent by the bishop of Utrecht and kept his new toll on the Maas.
• 1026, Teisterbant to the bishop: For his help against Count Balderik, Bishop Adelbold of Utrecht received the comital rights of Teisterbant, with Tiel as its centre.
• 1096, Gerard, count of Gelre: Gerard of Wassenberg, of the Flamens family, is named for the first time after his castle at Geldern on the Niers - the start of Gelre.
• 1138, Gelre and Zutphen united: Through Gerard II's marriage to the heiress Ermgard of Zutphen, their son Henry ruled both Gelre and the County of Zutphen; sources give 1127-1138.
• 1182, The Veluwe to Gelre: In a quarrel with the bishop of Utrecht, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa awarded the Veluwe to the count of Gelre; the bishop formally gave it up in 1201.
• 1247, Nijmegen pledged to Gelre: King William II of Holland pledged the imperial city of Nijmegen and its district to Otto II of Gelre. The pledge was never redeemed, and the northern and southern parts of Gelre now joined up.
• 5 Jun 1288, Battle of Worringen: Reinald I of Gelre and the archbishop of Cologne lost to Brabant and its allies; Gelre gave up its claim to Limburg and its southward growth stopped.
• 13 Mar 1339, Gelre becomes a duchy: At the imperial diet in Frankfurt Emperor Louis the Bavarian raised Count Reinald II to Duke of Guelders.
• 1350, Heeckeren and Bronckhorst war: The brothers Reinald III and Edward fought for Gelre, backed by the noble parties of Heeckeren and Bronckhorst.
• 15 May 1361, Battle of Tiel: Edward defeated and captured his brother Reinald III near Tiel; Reinald was held at Rosendael and Nijenbeek until 1371.
• 22 Aug 1371, Battle of Baesweiler: Duke Edward of Gelre and the Duke of Jülich beat Brabant, but Edward died of his wounds two days later.
• 4 Dec 1371, War of the Guelders succession: After Reinald III died, Mechteld (backed by the Bronckhorsts) and the Jülich side (Heeckerens) fought over Gelre; Mechteld gave up on 24 March 1379.
• 1 Jun 1388, War with Brabant at Grave: Duke William I fought Brabant over Grave; the French king marched against Gelre in autumn 1388 but turned back after an apology.
• 25 Jun 1423, Arnold of Egmond duke: When Reinald IV died childless, the estates of Gelre chose his great-nephew Arnold of Egmond; the union with Jülich ended.
• 1 Dec 1472, Gelre pledged to Burgundy: Restored by Charles the Bold, Arnold pledged Guelders to him for 300,000 guilders against the will of the towns.
• 1 Jul 1473, Siege of Nijmegen: Charles the Bold besieged Nijmegen for about three weeks; the town gave in with Cleves as go-between, and the rest of Guelders followed.
• 3 May 1477, Catherine of Guelders regent: Duke Arnold's daughter Catherine landed at Lobith and governed Guelders for her captive brother Adolf, and after his death for his young son Charles.
• 15 Jul 1481, Maximilian subdues Guelders: With Cleves and Jülich as allies, Maximilian of Austria forced the Guelders towns to submit; the Zutphen quarter gave in in July 1481.
• 25 Mar 1492, Charles of Egmond returns: Ransomed from French captivity, the young Charles of Egmond arrived at Roermond on 25 March 1492 and was hailed as duke.
• 23 Jun 1505, Siege of Arnhem: Philip the Fair besieged Arnhem from 23 June to 6 July 1505; Harderwijk, Elburg and Doesburg fell soon after.
• 27 Jul 1505, Charles submits at Rozendaal: Charles knelt before Philip at Rozendaal castle and promised to follow him to Spain, but slipped away at Antwerp. The vooronderzoek dates the treaty 27 July 1505 at Rosmalen.
• 15 Oct 1511, Siege of Venlo: A Habsburg army with English archers besieged Venlo for weeks in autumn 1511 and failed; Charles rewarded the town with toll freedom.
• 21 Mar 1514, Corn wagon of Arnhem: Soldiers hidden in a corn wagon opened Arnhem's Sint-Janspoort, and the town returned to Guelders after nine years.
• 3 Nov 1514, Groningen chooses Charles: Released from its oath to Edzard of East Frisia, the city of Groningen recognised Charles of Guelders as its lord; his troops broke the Saxon siege.
• 15 Oct 1522, Coevorden taken: Johan van Selbach took Coevorden for Charles in the autumn of 1522 and ruled Drenthe as drost from November.
• 5 Apr 1524, Siege of Zwolle: Zwolle had turned against Charles; his 24-day siege breached the walls but failed.
• 8 Mar 1528, Sack of The Hague: Van Rossum's troops, marching under false colours from Utrecht, plundered the unwalled village of The Hague.
• 13 Jun 1528, Siege of Hattem: Floris van Egmond and Schenck broke Hattem's walls with fifty guns; Harderwijk and Elburg were also occupied.
• 3 Oct 1528, Peace of Gorinchem: Charles of Guelders made peace with Charles V and kept Guelders, Groningen and Drenthe; the occupied Veluwe towns were handed back.
• 5 Aug 1536, Battle of Heiligerlee: Schenck van Toutenburg beat Meindert van Ham's Danish and Guelders troops near Heiligerlee.
• 10 Dec 1536, Treaty of Grave: Charles of Guelders gave up Groningen, the Ommelanden and Drenthe to Charles V.
• 30 Jun 1538, Death of Charles of Guelders: Charles of Egmond died in Arnhem; the estates chose William of Cleves, Jülich and Berg as his heir.
• 24 Jul 1542, Battle of Brasschaat: Van Rossum routed René of Chalon's troops at Brasschaat, at the gates of Antwerp.
• 24 Jul 1542, Siege of Antwerp: For four days Van Rossum threatened Antwerp; the walls held and he left on 28 July, burning the suburbs.
• 1 Aug 1542, Attack on Leuven: From his camp at Bethlehem abbey Van Rossum attacked Leuven; students helped beat him off.
• 24 Aug 1543, Sack of Düren: Charles V's 40,000-man army stormed and burnt Düren; Jülich and Roermond fell soon after.
• 7 Sep 1543, Treaty of Venlo: Kneeling before Charles V at Venlo, William of Cleves gave up Guelders and Zutphen and kept Jülich.
• 16 Nov 1572, Massacre of Zutphen: Spanish troops under Don Fadrique retook Zutphen from the rebels and killed many of its citizens. The terror made other towns open their gates.
• 14 Apr 1574, Battle of Mookerheyde: Spanish troops crushed a relief army on the heath by Mook; Louis and Henry of Nassau, brothers of William of Orange, were killed.
• 23 Jan 1579, Union of Utrecht: Gelderland's three lower quarters joined Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht in a union against Spain. Roermond and the south of Upper Guelders stayed with the king.
• 6 Mar 1585, Nijmegen goes over to Spain: The Catholic majority opened Nijmegen's gates to the Spanish; the city stayed royal until 1591.
• 22 Sep 1586, Battle of Zutphen (Warnsveld): English troops of Leicester attacked a Spanish supply convoy outside Zutphen; the poet Philip Sidney was mortally wounded.
• 30 May 1591, Maurice takes Zutphen and Deventer: Maurice of Nassau tricked his way into the Zutphen sconce and took the town after an eleven-day siege, then Deventer on 10 June.
• 21 Oct 1591, Maurice takes Nijmegen: After a short bombardment Nijmegen surrendered to Maurice; the whole Quarter of Nijmegen was Dutch again.
• 28 Sep 1597, Siege of Groenlo (1597): Maurice took Groenlo after a 17-day siege, then Bredevoort (9 Oct), Enschede, Ootmarsum, Oldenzaal and Lingen.
• 14 Aug 1606, Spinola takes Groenlo: Spinola took Lochem and then Groenlo; Maurice's counter-siege in the autumn failed, Lochem alone was regained.
• 12 Nov 1614, Treaty of Xanten: The Juelich-Cleves inheritance was split: Cleves (with Zevenaar and Huissen) to Brandenburg, Juelich and Berg to Neuburg.
• 19 Aug 1627, Siege of Grol: Frederick Henry ringed Groenlo with siege lines and took it in a month: the last Spanish post in the Achterhoek.
• 14 Sep 1629, Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch: Frederick Henry took the great Brabant fortress; a Spanish diversion into the Veluwe failed when the Dutch surprised Wesel (19 Aug).
• 22 Aug 1632, Meuse campaign: Frederick Henry took Venlo, Roermond, Straelen and Sittard in June and Maastricht on 22 August.
• 25 Aug 1637, Venlo retaken: The Cardinal-Infante retook Venlo and, a week later, Roermond; Upper Guelders was Spanish again.
• 15 May 1648, Peace of Muenster: Spain recognised the Dutch Republic. Upper Guelders stayed Spanish; States Brabant and Maastricht became Generality land.
• 12 Jun 1672, Crossing at Tolhuis (Lobith): Louis XIV's army forded the Rhine at the Tolhuis near Lobith, outflanking the Dutch IJssel line.
• 9 Jul 1672, Turenne takes Nijmegen: After a week's siege Nijmegen surrendered to Turenne; Gelderland was almost wholly occupied.
• 16 Apr 1674, French leave Gelderland: After the fall of Bonn the French evacuated Utrecht and Gelderland; Muenster and Cologne made peace in April-May 1674.
• 10 Aug 1678, Peace of Nijmegen: France and the Republic made peace at Nijmegen; Maastricht was given back.
• 23 Sep 1702, Siege of Venlo (1702): Marlborough's allies stormed Fort Sint-Michiel and took Venlo, then Stevensweert and Roermond in early October.
• 17 Dec 1703, Prussians take Geldern: After a long blockade and bombardment the French garrison of Geldern surrendered to Prussia.
• 11 Apr 1713, Peace of Utrecht: Upper Guelders was split: the north with Geldern to Prussia, Venlo and Montfort to the States, Roermond to Austria, Erkelenz to Juelich.
• 15 Nov 1715, Barrier Treaty: Austria and the Dutch fixed the line between States and Austrian Guelders; the States handed Roermond over in March 1716.
• 8 Nov 1794, Siege of Nijmegen (1794): French revolutionary troops took Nijmegen; Venlo, Roermond and Maastricht had fallen weeks before.
• 19 Jan 1795, Batavian Revolution: The French crossed the frozen rivers; Arnhem fell on 17 January and the Batavian Republic was proclaimed. The quarters of Gelderland ended.
• 11 Nov 1807, Treaty of Fontainebleau: Napoleon gave the Cleves enclaves Zevenaar, Huissen and Malburgen to the Kingdom of Holland, which took them over in April 1808.
• 9 Jul 1810, Holland annexed: Napoleon annexed the Kingdom of Holland; Gelderland north of the Waal became the department Yssel-Superieur with Arnhem as capital.
• 30 Nov 1813, Storming of Arnhem: Prussian troops under Buelow stormed Arnhem; the French left Gelderland, holding out in Nijmegen until January 1814.
• 9 Jun 1815, Congress of Vienna: Geldern and the Rhineland went to Prussia; Venlo, Roermond and the left bank of the Maas to the new Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• 7 Oct 1816, Treaty of Kleve: The Netherlands and Prussia fix the border on the Lower Rhine. Zevenaar, Huissen and Malburgen stay Dutch; Geldern and the rest of Prussian Guelders stay Prussian.
• 19 Apr 1839, Belgium recognised (Treaty of London): The Netherlands accepts Belgian independence; Limburg is split and its eastern half, with Venlo and Roermond, stays Dutch.
• 13 May 1940, Battle of the Grebbeberg: 11–13 May 1940: the Dutch army's main defence line on the Gelderland–Utrecht border breaks after three days of fighting. The Netherlands capitulates on 15 May.
• 17 Sep 1944, Battle of Arnhem: Operation Market Garden: British paratroopers hold the north end of the Rhine bridge for four days, but the relief force cannot get through. About 2,400 survivors are evacuated across the Rhine on 25–26 September.
• 20 Sep 1944, Waal crossing at Nijmegen: American paratroopers cross the Waal in canvas boats under fire; the Nijmegen road bridge is taken intact the same evening.
• 14 Apr 1945, Liberation of Arnhem: Operation Anger: Canadian troops cross the IJssel and take Arnhem on 14 April 1945. Apeldoorn follows on 17 April.
• 5 May 1945, German surrender at Wageningen: In Hotel De Wereld, General Blaskowitz agrees to the surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands; the text is signed there on 6 May.
• 23 Apr 1949, Elten annexed: As compensation for war damage the Netherlands annexes Elten, the Duivelsberg, Selfkant and other small areas, 69 km² in all.
• 1 Aug 1963, 'Butter night': Elten returned: Elten goes back to Germany for 280 million marks. Lorries full of butter and coffee parked in Elten that night and became German without import duty. The Duivelsberg stays Dutch.
• 1986, Asperen and Heukelum join Gelderland: The new municipality of Vuren (Lingewaal from 1987) takes in Asperen and Heukelum, which move from South Holland to Gelderland; Dalem goes to Gorinchem.