War of the Guelderian Succession
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The War of the Guelderian Succession was a battle for the throne of the Duchy of Guelders that raged between 1371 and 1379.
The war originated when Duke Rainald III died without issue in 1371. His brother, Edward, who had been killed in the Battle of Baesweiler earlier that same year also left no offspring. The pretenders to the ducal throne were the two daughters of Duke Rainald II: Machteld, who was married to John II, Count of Blois, and Mary, wife of William II of Jülich and mother to William I of Guelders and Jülich, on whose behalf she claimed the throne of Guelders.
14th-century Guelders was divided in two factions:
- The Heeckerens supported Machteld of Guelders, and were led by Frederik van Heeckeren van der Eze (1320-1386).
- The Bronckhorsters supported William of Guelders, and were led by Gijsbert V van Bronckhorst (1328-1356).
The war lasted eight years, with Mary and her supporters emerging victorious, and Mary's son William becoming Duke of Guelders.
