Arnold van Egmont (1410-1473)

{{Showfacts person Arnold of Egmond (14 July 1410, Egmond-Binnen – 23 February 1473, Grave) was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen. He was son of John II of Egmond and Maria van Arkel.
 * given_name=Arnold
 * middle_name=of
 * surname=Egmond
 * sex=M
 * father=John II of Egmond, Count of Egmond (c1385-1451)
 * mother=Maria van Arkel (c1385-1415)
 * joined_with=Catherine of Cleves (1417-1479)
 * ifmarried-g1=true
 * short_name=Arnold, Duke of Gelderland
 * notes={{Unreferenced|date=December 2009}}

In 1423, Arnold of Egmond, who was still a boy in years, succeeded Duke Reinoud IV. Arnold descends from Reinoud’s sister, Marguerite. Although the Emperor Sigismund had invested the Duke of Berg with the duchy of Gelders, Arnold retained the confidence of the Estates by enlarging their privileges, and enjoyed the support of Duke Philip of Burgundy. Arnold was betrothed, and afterwards united in marriage to Catherine of Cleves née Valois, a niece of Philip of Burgundy. Subsequently, however, Duke Arnold fell out with his ally as to the succession to the see of Utrecht; whereupon Philip joined with the four chief towns of Guelders in the successful attempt of Arnold's son Adolf to substitute his own for his father's authority. When Charles the Bold became Duke of Burgundy in 1467, after rejecting a compromise, Adolph was thrown into prison. Arnold, against the will of the towns and the law of the land, pledged his duchy to Charles for 300,000 Rhenish florins (1471). Upon Arnold's death two years later, Charles took possession of the duchy.

Family and children
He was married in Cleves on 26 January 1430 to Catherine of Cleves (1417-1479), daughter of Adolph IV, Duke of Cleves and Marie of Burgundy. Their children were:
 * Mary, married July 3, 1449 to James II, King of Scots
 * William (c1434), died young
 * Margaret (c1436-1486, Simmern), married on 16 August 1454 to Frederick I, Count of Palatine-Simmern.
 * Adolph (1438–1477)
 * Catherine (1439 – 1496), Regent of Geldern in 1477–1481. She was married secretly in 1464 to Louis of Bourbon, Bishop of Liège.

He also had numerous illegitimate children.

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 * contributors=Robin Patterson
 * birth_year=1410
 * birth_month=7
 * birth_day=14
 * birth_locality=Egmond-Binnen
 * birth_nation=Netherlands
 * death_year=1473
 * death_month=2
 * death_day=23
 * death_locality=Grave
 * death_nation=Netherlands
 * wedding1_year=1430
 * wedding1_month=1
 * wedding1_day=26
 * wedding1_locality=Cleves
 * globals=