William of Jülich

For other uses, see William of Jülich (disambiguation).
Warm reception in Bruges of William of Jülich (May 1302)

William of Jülich, called the Younger (Dutch: Willem van Gulik de Jongere; died August 18, 1304), was one of the Flemish noblemen that opposed the annexation policies of the French king Philip IV, together with Pieter de Coninck.

He was also archdeacon of the prince-bishopric of Liège. William was the son of William the Elder and grandson of William IV, Count of Jülich, and of Maria, a daughter of Guy of Dampierre, Count of Flanders and Matilda of Bethune. His connection to the Flemish count and his wish to avenge the imprisoning of his uncles Robert III of Bethune and William of Dendermonde [nl] by the French king presumably explains his support for the Flemish resistance. An extra incentive for this support could have been the murder of his uncle Walram, Count of Jülich by the French after the Battle of Bulskamp in 1297. The Flemish resistance led to the unexpected victory over the French during the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. William of Jülich gained another victory against the French in the Battle of Arques (1303).

In 1304 however, the French king returned with an army and defeated the Flemings during the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle. William died during this battle.[1]

References

  1. ^ Bachrach, Bernard S.; Rogers, Clifford J.; DeVries, Kelly (2004). The Journal of Medieval Military History. Boydell Press. p. 7-10. ISBN 9781843830405.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William of Jülich.


Stub icon

This biographical article of a European noble is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.