56 - Trying to Geld Guelders

56 - Trying to Geld Guelders

From History of the Netherlands by Republic of Amsterdam Radio

January 14, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

This episode explores the struggles of the Duchy of Guelders against Habsburg domination and the interconnected conflicts with Friesland during the late 15th century.

Around the same time that Friesland succumbed to the rule of a foreign prince in 1498, the Duchy of Guelders was also engulfed by a struggle against Habsburg domination. Charles of Egmont and Emperor Maximilian both continued to lay claim to the title of Duke of Guelders and over the next half a century, the conflicts in both Friesland and Guelders would become inextricably linked in a series of on-again, off-again wars. To begin this episode, we will take an unexpected but delightful detour to a part of Europe that doesn’t naturally come to mind when you think of Guelders… Italy! There we will see Maximilian fail to impose his authority on a conflict between Pisa and Florence. Bentornati al podcast sulla storia dei Paesi Bassi. After that we will see Maximilian enlist the help of two German princes, the Dukes of Julich and Cleves, to try and bring Guelder to heel and carve it up between them. In this, Maximilian will also fail to impose his will, this time facing resistance not only from Charles of Egmont, but also his own son, Philip the Handsome. Finally, we will see how Charles of Egmont benefited from a bit of French mediation in the war between Guelders, Julich and Cleves…

Topics covered

  • Duchy of Guelders
  • Habsburg domination
  • Charles of Egmont
  • Emperor Maximilian
  • Friesland
  • Italian conflict
  • Dukes of Julich and Cleves
  • French mediation
  • siege of Huissen

Keywords

  • history
  • Netherlands
  • wars
  • Europe
  • Maximilian
  • Charles of Egmont

Sponsors

friesekerken.nl

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Friesland, the Duchy of Guelders, Egmont, Guelders, Europe, Italy, Florence, Huissen

More episodes of History of the Netherlands

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the History of the Netherlands podcast page.