Borgholzhausen

Turn of the era 1346

In the middle of the 14th century, in 1346 to be precise, the male line of the Counts of Ravensberg died out. Count Bernhard von Ravensberg, originally intended by his parents for a career as an intellectual dignitary, was the last male representative of his family to die. His niece Margarethe, the only daughter of his brother Otto IV, Bernhard's early deceased predecessor as sovereign, was married to Gerhard of Jülich. Margarethe inherited the county of Ravensberg and brought the territory into the marriage. In this way, rule over the County of Ravensberg initially passed to the Dukes of Jülich, who later called themselves the Dukes of Jülich-Kleve-Berg - for the County of Ravensberg, this was a turning point in several respects.

The dukes resided in their ancestral lands on the Lower Rhine, primarily in Düsseldorf. Their county of Ravensberg was far removed from this, separated by other lands and territories. This situation naturally made it difficult to exercise sovereignty. The dukes therefore developed a special system: they transferred their sovereign powers and, above all, their castles in the county of Ravensberg to so-called pledge lords. These paid a certain amount of money, whereas they were allowed to exercise their rule relatively independently. However, some lords of pledge exceeded their powers; they ruled and managed as they pleased. Occasionally, they also sold off sovereign property without first obtaining permission from the dukes.

Borgholzhausen

Turn of the era 1346

Bernhard von Ravensberg, the last Count of Ravensberg

bernhard von Ravensberg, the last male representative of his family, died in 1346. Rule over the county passed to the Dukes of Jülich, who resided on the Lower Rhine. Initially, it was never intended that Bernhard would ever be Count of Ravensberg. But things turned out differently than planned.