Boker Barbers Corner | BUSA Edition 2019

BÖKER MANUFAKTUR SOLINGEN
11
COUNT OF BERG
Not far from the company
headquarters of the Boker
Manufactory in Solingen, we find
the hallmark of the Bergisches
Land region, the castle Burg
an der Wupper. It is also
one of the largest castles in
western Germany, and the
largest reconstructed castle in
North Rhine-Westphalia. The
famous history of Castle Burg is
inseparably linked to the Duchy
Berg and the Count of Berg
(Haus Berg, 1068-1225). On this
occasion we decided to dedicate
a series of straight razors to
the three counts of Berg, which
symbolizes parts of their lives.
This tribute is reminiscent of
the remarkable property and
influence of the counts with
impressive adornments made
from 24-karat gold.
Adolf II, Count of Berg, built
the new castle ("Novus Mons,"
today known as Castle Burg) at
the Wupper, erected on top of
a preceding fortress from the
10th century. The influence
and wealth of Count Adolf II of
Berg in the Rheinland-Westfalen
region was tremendous. In those
days, it was commonplace to
split the inheritance among the
six sons of Adolf. However,
this represented a problem for
the house of Berg, since this
division would reduce the value
and cost the Berg dynasty its
influence. Since his eldest son
(also Adolf) had already died
in 1148 at Damascus during
the Second Crusade, his sons
Friedrich and Bruno entered into
the clergy, and his youngest
son Adolf was excluded from
the inheritance due to his young
age. In 1160, the Bergish realm
was split between Adolf's sons
Everhard and Engelbert.
EVERHARD, COUNT OF THE MARK
Everhard, older than Engelbert,
received the Westphalian
possessions with the castles
Altena and Hövel, and the abbeys
Werden, Essen, and Cappenberg.
This shows that for Adolf II,
the Rhine-Franconia possessions
were likely of lower value
compared to the Westphalian.
Everhard founded the Altenaer
line - his descendants later called
themselves Counts of the Mark.
ADOLF III, COUNT OF BERG
Engelbert I of Berg received
the Rhine-Franconia inheritance
and continued the name Berg
in his family. The center of
his domain was the castle Burg
an der Wupper, which was
built by his father (Adolf II).
Engelbert I died in 1189 during
the Third Crusade. His oldest
son, Adolf III, succeeded him
as Count of Berg. His reign fell
on a period of warring conflicts,
which led to his participation in
the Crusades. Adolf went to
the Holy Land during the Fifth
Crusade in 1218, and died from
an epidemic on August 7 of
that year, as Commander of the
Rhine and Friesian siege troops
at Damiette in the Nile Delta.
He had no son, therefore the
Altena-Berg branch ceased.
ENGELBERT II, COUNT OF BERG
After the death of Adolf III, the
House of Limburg, into which
Adolf's daughter Irmgard had
married, staked its claim to the
entire Bergish estate. While
the daughter of Adolf III was
entitled to an inheritance even
in that time, Engelbert II, the
brother of Adolf III, claimed
the inheritance for himself.
The resulting dispute was not
settled in a legal process, but by
violence over the course of two
feuds. Engelbert rejected the
Limburg claim through the force
of arms and took over the rule
of the County Berg as Engelbert
II. Engelbert II, Count of Berg,
later called "The Holy," was also
known as Engelbert I, Archbishop
of Cologne. With his murder in
1225, the Bergish counts in this
line came to an end, as the male
line of the Bergish counts ended
with the death of Engelbert II.
As a result, Berg went to House
Limburg, which was thus finally
able to assert its inheritance
claim.