<b>Guelders (~1100-1543)<b>

There was no duchy of Guelders until, in the 12th century, a Flemish nobleman settled there and became the lord of Wassenberg. The family went on to claim large tracts of land through marriage and conquest. The combined lands were known as the county of Guelders from about 1096 onwards. The territory consisted of four parts: the quarters of Zutphen, Arnhem, Nijmegen and Roermond, also referred to as the upper-quarter.

The lands of Guelders were fertile, and large parts of it were used for farming. Because of this, a comparatively large part of the lower class was free rather than a serf/tenant. Trade prospered because of the many great rivers (including the Rhine and Ruhr) passing through Guelders, and several cities were part of the German Hansa, a trading organisation of cities from the North Sea to the Baltic. With wealth came prestige, and soon the counts of Guelders were allying themselves with other powerful men in the area, like the count of Luxembourg and the archbishop of Cologne. These were relatively far away and thus had no interests at risk. Closer to home the position was more unstable, with the territories of Holland, Flanders, Brabant and Cleves all being hostile at one point or another.

The duchy of Brabant was the real rival of Guelders: located south of Guelders, the rivers Rhine and Meuse were hotly contested by the two. Brabant managed to usurp the territory of Limburg in 1288, after a battlefield triumph at Worringen, but Guelders captured the city of Tiel and held on to it. In 1339, as a reward for loyal service, the County of Guelders was promoted to a duchy by the emperor, a further boost. And with Brabant involved in the Hundred Years War - to her own detriment - the dukes of Guelders were able to set up a considerable network of allies and semi-vassals, expanding her influence as far as possible.

The inhabitants of Guelders were a warlike people: a 16th century Dutch song names the various talents of each area, with the Brabanders apparently knowing how to cook a rabbit, while the Zeelanders serve fine fish; the Gelderlanders, on the other hand, are very well armed - and quick to deal out a punch or two! Not just outsiders would suffer from this, but locals too; the 14th century saw many years of bloody civil war, when two brothers, Reinald and Eduard, fought for control of the Duchy, supported by rivaling factions. Eduard, the younger, was eventually successful while Reinald was confined to a prison tower. When Eduard was killed in battle against Brabant, Reinald was released, but apparently had grown so corpulent the doorway had to be broadened to allow his exit.

The 15th century started the slow decline of Guelders: Brabant and Holland, now incorporated into the Burgundian realm, were governed more efficiently and saw a huge boost to their economies. Both Brabant and Holland were strong traders, and where Antwerp became the most important harbour and trading centre north of Paris, Holland went to war with the German Hansa League and came out victoriously, basically monopolising the Baltic trade; the cities of Guelders part of the Hansa suffered accordingly. On the plus side, the dukes of Guelders were still much respected and became vassals of Philip the Good of Burgundy. They fought alongside him in some of his campaigns, were present at his banquets and became Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

But again, Guelders' own unrest caused its downfall, when father and son quarreled over the duchy. Charles the Bold of Burgundy saw this as a good enough reason for intervention and occupied the lands, naming himself heir of the duke - who died soon after - and thus becoming duke of Guelders himself in 1473. A decade later, Guelders had rewon its independence under Karel van Egmond (grandson of the last duke of Guelders) who much expanded the lands. Making a union of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel and his own Guelders, he defied imperial Habsburg power and brought fire and sword to their lands, until, by 1530, his new lands deserted him. Upon the death of his successor in 1543 the duchy, as last of the Dutch lands, was incorporated into the Habsburg realm.
