Walram of Jülich (German: Walram von Jülich) (1304 - 1349) was the Archbishop of Cologne from 1332 until 1349.
Early life[]
Walram was a younger son of Duke Gerard VI of Jülich. From 1316 until 1330 Walram studied in Paris and Orléans. He was made a provost in Maastricht and a member of the cathedral of Cologne in 1327. Walram's brother, Count William V of Jülich, lent him vast sums of money, which Walram could not pay off in the remaining years of his life.
Archbishop of Cologne[]
Walram was elected the Archbishop of Cologne on 27 January 1332, after the cathedral chapter had postulated the idea of electing the France-friendly Bishop of Liège Adolph II of the Marck. At the time of his election Walram still lived in France so it was clear to contemporaries that he was elected due to his powerful family with which the Archbishopric had long been a rival of. During Walram's reign, the relationship between the two Lower Rhenish powers was calmed.
Relations with the Counts of the Marck were still heated and fierce. Walram was allowed to move armies through the Duchy of Jülich when warfare started with Marck in 1345. Despite the support of Jülich the war soon spread across Westphalia due to the family connections across the Lower Rhine, and peace could only be achieved threough peace treaties in 1347 and 1349. The substantial armament during the war exhausted the finances of the archbishopric which led to Walram decreasing the absolute power he wielded, and he left control of the finances of the archdiocese to the Knight Reinard of Schönau.
Walram's reign was not a complete disaster, however. In electing Charles IV of Luxembourg the King of Germany, he acquired money which he used to purchase and secure surrounding lands of the archbishopric. Walram died in Paris in 1349, after he travelled with few attendants to seek aid in relieving the financial burden. He was buried in Cologne where his successor, William of Gennep, built an elaborate tomb for him.
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Preceded by: |
Walram of Jülich |
Succeeded by: |
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| Henry II of Virneburg | Archbishop of Cologne 1332 - 1349 |
William of Gennep |