Walram, heer van Valkenburg en Monschau

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walram_de_Rosse

Walram de Rosse (1254 - between August 1 and October 20, 1302), also known as Walram or Waleran van Valkenburg , was a medieval knight from the noble House of Valkenburg-Heinsberg. He was among others lord of Valkenburg and Monschau.

In addition to Valkenburg and Monschau, Walram owned Sittard , Arrancy-sur-Crusne and Marville, among others. Due to the many wars that Walram's father Dirk II van Valkenburg had fought, large debts were outstanding. Because Arrancy and Marville were isolated, these two properties were eligible to be sold in order to get the financial household in order. Walram contacted his uncle Count Hendrik V of Luxembourg for this. However, great difficulties arose around this purchase. For example, Theobald I van Bar, relative of Walram's grandmother (Elisabeth van Bar), was against the sale. On April 2, 1271, Walram was indemnified. He received the areas Sankt Vith, Amel and Neundorf. Around 1280 Walram became bailiff of Aken.

Under Walram, the village of Valkenburg has grown into such a place that it got its own church. It is spoken here of " ecclesia castris ", church of the castle or of the fortification. It is believed that a predecessor of St. Nicholas and Barbara Church was built at the time.

The War of the Limburg Succession , which took place between 1283 and 1288 and affected all lords from Brabant to the Rhine, also largely determined the life of Walram and the future of Valkenburg. Walram was in an unpleasant position in several respects in this battle. For example, he himself was a candidate for the succession because of his Limburg kinship, but did not want to thwart his - more powerful - brother-in-law, Reinoud I van Gelre in his ambitions. In addition, as lord of Valkenburg, Walram was feudal to a number of Brabant fiefs, and the Brabant duke Jan I of Brabant, just like Reinoud, preyed on the duke title. The Counts of Luxembourg also saw Limburg as an important addition to their property.

Walram sided with Reinoud I of Gelre, and in order to fight with Reinoud honorably, Walram did so under the flag of Monschau. On June 5, 1288 the dispute was resolved with the Battle of Woeringen , where the Brabant alliance became the Gelderland alliance. to which Walram belonged. As a result, for Valkenburg, Brabant had taken a strong position in Overmaas and Hertogdom Limburg . This increased the pressure of Brabant's expansion policy on Valkenburg. Because Reinoud I of Guelders had been taken prisoner at the Battle of Woeringen, Walram ruled Guelders during the imprisonment for Guy of Flanders, who had loaned Guelders from Reinoud.

Walram was one of the most pugnacious knights in his day. For example, historian Jan van Heelu praises the deeds and bravery in the Battle of Woeringen. This is also how his actions at the siege of Vendôme are spoken of. Here Walram would have tried to capture the Duke of Vendôme in case of a sortie by putting him on his horse in front of him and fleeing. When it turned out that with the extra burden (the duke), Walram could not get away from the French troops quickly enough, he threw the duke into the city moat, where he drowned.

Walram died between August 1 and October 20, 1302. According to tradition, he is buried in the large church in Sittard .

Marriage and children

Walram was married before May 30, 1275 to Phillipa van Gelre, sister of Count Reinoud I of Gelre . Reinoud gives Walram and Phillipa Susteren ( Limburgish : Zöstere ) is a town in the municipality of Echt-Susteren , province of Limburg, with Diederen as a wedding present.

Walram married Philippa van Gelre in 1276, daughter of Otto II van Gelre and Filippa de Dammartin. Walram and Philippa had 4 children:

Dirk III of Valkenburg

Reinoud van Valkenburg

Jan van Valkenburg and Born , Lord of Born

Elisabeth, who married Simon van Sponheim