OTD 28 July 1516 William of Jülich Cleves Berg brother of Anne of Cleves
On 28 July 1516 William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was born at Düsseldorf, then a part of the Duchy of Berg, nowadays a part of Germany. Family William was the only son of John III, Duke of Cleves and Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg. He was thus a brother of Anne of Cleves, who was for 6 months the 4th wife of King Henry VIII of England. William is the ancestor of Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Love and Marriage William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was married to Jeanne d'Albret, the heiress of Navarra. This wedding took place in 1541, when she was just 13 years old. However this political marriage was annuled four years later. On 18 July 1546, William married Maria of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. They would have 7 children together and a lot of royal descendants. Duty In 1539 William took over the rule over the Duchy of Cleves and the County of Mark. He also became Duke of Berg and Jülich and Count of R