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BÖKER MANUFAKTUR SOLINGEN
15
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. Thus, 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.