168996679_c59cad15-205f-48a9-9083-920ff010ff79

von Kleve, Catherine 1 2a

Birth Name von Kleve, Catherine
Gender female
Age at Death 61 years, 8 months, 16 days

Narrative

Catherine of Cleves (25 May 1417-10 February 1479) was Duchess of Guelders by marriage to Arnold, Duke of Guelders. She acted as regent of Guelders during the absence of her spouse in 1450. The Hours of Catherine of Cleves was commissioned for her.

Life
Catherine was the daughter of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves and Marie of Burgundy. She was a niece of Philip the Good.

Duchess and Regent
Catherine lived with her parents until 1431, despite already having been married the year before. She had close ties with Philip of Burgundy, who was mistrusted by her husband. Catherine had her daughter Mary raised at the Burgundian court. When her husband punished Driel, he lost support in his duchy. Catherine acted as intermediate between her husband and the Estates of the realm. In 1450, Duke Arnold went on a pilgrimage to Rome and Palestine. During his absence, Catherine acted as regent.

She supported her son Adolf when he took over power from his father. Charles, Duke of Burgundy had Adolf taken capture in 1470, when he proved an unreliable ally to Burgundy. Catherine spent her last years in Lobith, where she died in 1476.

Book of Hours
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves was commissioned for her when she married Arnold, Duke of Guelders, on 26 January 1430. It shows her lineage, as well as herself in prayer. The hours had been lost for four hundred years before resurfacing in 1856. It is one of the most richly decorated books of its kind that is preserved.

Issue
1.) Mary (c. 1431-1463), who became Queen of Scotland by marriage to James II

2.) William (born c. 1434), died young

3.) Margaret (c. 1436-1486, Simmern), married on 16 August 1454 to Frederick I, Count of Palatine-Simmern.

4.) Adolf (1438-1477)

5.) Catherine (1439-1496), Regent of Guelders in 1477-1481

Events

Event Date Place Description Sources
Birth 1417-05-25 Kleve, Rheinland, Prussia   1
Death 1479-02-10 Slot, North Brabant, Netherlands   2

Age: 61y 8m 16d

Burial   Stadtpfarrkirche Sankt Maria Himmelfahrt, Wesel, Kreis Wesel, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Burial 3a

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father of Kleve, Adolf I1379
Mother de Bourgogne, Maria13931463-10-30
    Sister     of Kleve, Margarethe 1416-02-23
         von Kleve, Catherine 1417-05-25 1479-02-10
    Brother     of Kleve, Johann I 1419-02-16
    Sister     of Kleve, Elisabeth 1420-10-01
    Sister     of Kleve, Agnes 1422-02-24
    Sister     of Kleve, Helene 1423-08-18
    Brother     of Kleve, Adolf 1425-06-28

Families

Family of von Geldern, Arnold von Egmond Herzog and von Kleve, Catherine
Married Husband von Geldern, Arnold von Egmond Herzog ( * 1409 + 1473-02-23 )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Marriage 1430 Kleve, Rheinland, Prussia   1
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
of Guelders, Mary1431-01-171463-11-15
D'Egmont, Wijhelm1434
von Egmond, Margaretha1436-08-111486-11-02
D'Egmont, Adolphe14381477
D'Egmont, Catherine14391496

Source References

  1. Errol Bevan: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=bevangenealogy&id=I32528&style=TABLE @ RootsWeb Ancestries of Errol S. BEVAN and Hollie C. ATKINSON BEVAN to ADAM and EVE including REINHARDT and BLOCKER Cousins and more
  2. LB19-5C1 FamilySearch.org
      • Source text:

        Name: Catherine von Cleves
        Gender: f (Female)
        Birth Date: 25 mei 1417 (25 May 1417)
        Birth Place: Kleve, Rhine, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
        Death Date: 10 feb 1479
        Death Place: Slot, Grave, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
        Death Age: 61
        Father:
        Duke Adolph of Cleves (2nd Count, 4th Count of Mark)/ I
        Mother:
        Duchess Marie of Burgundy (De Bourgogne)
        Spouse:
        Arnold Egmond, Duke of Guelders
        Children:
        Queen Marie Von Guelders of Scotland
        URL: https://www.genealogieonline.nl/en/holloway-family-tree/P1511.php

      • Citation:

        https://search.ancestry.com/collections/9289/records/33015019

  3. Catherine von Kleve van Egmond, "Find A Grave Index"
      • Source text:

        Name Katharina von Kleve van Egmond
        Death Date 10 Feb 1476
        Birth Date 25 May 1417
        Event Type Burial
        Event Place Wesel, Kreis Wesel, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
        Cemetery Stadtpfarrkirche Sankt Mariä Himmelfahrt
        Photograph Included N
        Note Contains Biography

        ---

        Nobility. Duchess of Guelders and Countess of Zutphen. She was the second of the ten children of Adolf von Kleve and Margaret of Burgundy. In 1430 she married Arnold of Egmond, Count of Guelders. In the following ten years she bore six children. The marriage was very unhappy and after 1440 she choose to live mostly in Nijwegen or Lobith. During her husbands pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem (1449/50) she administered the duchy. She supported her sons revolt against the father in 1472. Afterwards she and retired to Lobith and where she lived a secluded life. After her death she was buried beside her father in the Carthusian monastery near Wesel. In 1590 the graves of the Kleve-family were opened and the bodies reburied in the Dominican church in Wesel.

      • Citation:

        "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2WB-HB79 : 23 November 2022), Katharina von Kleve van Egmond, ; Burial, Wesel, Kreis Wesel, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, Stadtpfarrkirche Sankt Mariä Himmelfahrt; citing record ID 168996679, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

        https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168996679/katharina-van_egmond