Duchy of Berg

Berg was founded in the 11th century as a county based in Altenberg (now part of Odenthal). In 1348, Berg entered into a personal union with the County of Jülich (which itself had entered into a personal union with the County of Ravensburg two years earlier). In 1380, the combined county of Jülich-Berg (but not Ravensburg) was elevated to a duchy and the seat was moved to Düsseldorf.

 

In 1521, the Jülich line died out and Jülich-Berg (and Ravensburg) entered into a personal union with the Duchy of Cleves, which itself had entered into a personal union with the County of Mark in 1362, making the combined entity part of Markian Germany. I start the database at that point.

 

In 1609, the Markian line died out and a succession dispute followed. In 1614, it was agreed that the Duchy of Jülich-Berg would enter into a personal union with the Principality of Palatinate-Neuburg and become part of Wittelsbachian Germany. (Cleves and Mark joined Hohenzollern Germany and later, the Kingdom of Prussia. The partition underwent a variety of adjustments—which I ignore—until 1666, when it was finally stabilized.) Because the principality was of lower rank than the duchy, I do not note the personal union in the full country name–I simply call it the Duchy of Berg. However, the Neuburg branch of the Wittelsbachs inherited the Palatinate Electorate in 1690 and Bavaria in 1777. Those entities outranked the duchy, so I note the personal unions in the full country names—e.g., the Duchy of Berg (in personal union with the Palatinate Electorate). Nevertheless, in all cases I treat each entity as a separate country, going all the way back to the 1348 combination of Jülich and Berg. In other words, within Wittelsbachian Germany, I do not use hyphenated names to signal personal unions.

 

From the time I start the database in 1521, the Duchy of Berg underwent only one significant boundary adjustment. That came in 1604, when a long-standing dispute between Amt Windeck of Berg and Herrschaft Homburg of the County of Sayn-Wittgenstein was resolved. Documentation of the boundary before that date does not permit me to assign villages to one country or the other, so for those two areas, I start the database then (actually the following year, when the Wittgenstein lands were partitioned).

 

The list of subdivisions below includes only those that were both under Berg sovereignty and administration. Subdivisions that were administered by entities not subject to the Berg dukes or that were administered by Berg but not under its sovereignty can be found here.

 

Subdivisions of the Duchy of Berg
  • Amt Angermund
    • Hauptstadt Ratingen 1521 - 1806
    • Landgericht Angermund 1521 - 1806
    • Landgericht Homberg 1521 - 1806
    • Landgericht in den Brüggen 1521 - 1806
    • Landgericht Kreuzberg 1521 - 1806
    • Unteramt Landsberg 1521 - 1710
    • Landgericht Mintard 1710 - 1806
  • Amt Beyenburg
    • Hauptgericht Mosblech zu Beyenburg 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Barmen 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Lüttringhauen 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Ronsdorf 1746 - 1806
    • Gericht Rade vorm Wald 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Remlingrade 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Blankenberg
    • Gericht Blankenberg 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Eitorf 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Geistingen 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Neunkirchen 1521 - 1806
    • Vogtei Siegburg 1676 - 1806
  • Amt Bornefeld
    • Stadt Lennep 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Wermelskirchen 1521 - 1806
  • Stadt Düsseldorf 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Düsseldorf
    • Kirchspiel Bilk 1521 - 1806
    • Kirchspiel Derendorf 1521 - 1806
    • Kirchspiel Hamm 1521 - 1806
    • Kirchspiel Volmerswerth 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Elberfeld 1521 - 1806
  • -
  • Herrschaft Hardenberg 1521 - 1806
  • -
  • Amt Hückeswagen 1521 - 1806
  • -
  • Amt Löwenburg
    • Hauptgericht Honnef 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Botamt Dollendorf 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Kirchspiel Küdinghoven 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Rheidt 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Rodenkirchen 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Sieglar 1521 - 1806
  • Freiheit Niederwesseling 1521 - 1635
  • Amt Lülsdorf
    • Freiheit Niederwesseling 1767 - 1794
    • Gericht Lülsdorf 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Bergheim 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Rösrath 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Mettmann
    • Stadtgericht and Landgericht Mettmann 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Gerresheim 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Miselohe 1521 - 1806
  • -
  • Pfandherrschaft Richrath 1666 - 1803
  • Amt Monheim
    • Gericht Richrath 1521 - 1666
    • ___and later 1803 - 1806
    • Gericht Monheim 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Porz
    • Hauptgericht Porz 1521 - 1806
    • Obergericht Bensburg 1521 - 1806
    • Freiheit Mülheim 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Rösrath 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Odenthal 1521 - 1631
  • Amt Solingen
    • Gericht Solingen 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Hilden u. Haan 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Wald 1521 - 1806
    • Herrschaft Schöller 1689 - 1806
    • Freiheit Burg and der Wupper 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Steinbach
    • Stadt and Landgericht Wipperfürth 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Keppel 1521 - 1806
    • Gericht Kürten 1521 - 1806
  • Amt Windeck
    • Hohes Gericht Windeck 1605 - 1806
    • Untergericht Kirchspiel Eckenhagen 1605 - 1806
    • Untergericht Kirchspiel Morsbach 1605 - 1806
    • Untergericht Kirchspiel Much 1605 - 1806

 

Master list of countries and subdivisions in the Berg region