Individual Details

Catherine of Cleves

(25 May 1417 - 10 Feb 1479)

According to Wikipedia:

Catherine of Cleves (25 May 1417 - 10 February 1479) was Duchess of Guelders by marriage to Arnold, Duke of Guelders. She acted as regent of Guelders during the absence of her spouse in 1450. The Hours of Catherine of Cleves was commissioned for her.

Life
Catherine was the daughter of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves and Marie of Burgundy. She was a niece of Philip the Good.[1]

Duchess and regent
Catherine lived with her parents until 1431, despite already having been married the year before. She had close ties with Philip of Burgundy, who was mistrusted by her husband. Catherine had her daughter Mary raised at the Burgundian court. When her husband punished Driel, he lost support in his duchy. Catherine acted as intermediate between her husband and the Estates of the realm. In 1450, Duke Arnold went on a pilgrimage to Rome and Palestine. During his absence, Catherine acted as regent.[2]

She supported her son Adolf when he took over power from his father. Charles, Duke of Burgundy had Adolf taken capture in 1470, when he proved an unreliable ally to Burgundy.[3] Catherine spent her last years in Lobith, where she died in 1476.

Book of Hours
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves was commissioned for her when she married Arnold, Duke of Guelders, on 26 January 1430. It shows her lineage, as well as herself in prayer. The hours had been lost for four hundred years before resurfacing in 1856. It is one of the most richly decorated books of its kind that is preserved.

Issue
[4]

Mary (c. 1431-1463), who became Queen of Scotland by marriage to James II
William (born c. 1434), died young
Margaret (c. 1436-1486, Simmern), married on 16 August 1454 to Frederick I, Count of Palatine-Simmern.
Adolf (1438-1477)
Catherine (1439 - 1496), Regent of Guelders in 1477-1481.
Footnotes
Marshall, Rosalind K. (2003). Scottish Queens, 1034-1714. Tuckwell Press. p. 57.
Kloek, Els (2013). 1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse Geschiedenis. Vantilt. p. 71.
Kloek, Els (2013). 1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse Geschiedenis. Vantilt. p. 71.
Pedigree Katharina van Kleve

Events

Birth25 May 1417Schwanenburg Castle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Marriage26 Jan 1430Kleve, Dithmarschen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany - Arnold, Duke of Guelders
Death10 Feb 1479Lobith, Rijnwaarden, Gelderland, Netherlands

Families

SpouseArnold, Duke of Guelders (1410 - 1473)
ChildMary of Guelders (1434 - 1463)
FatherAldolph I, Duke of Cleves (1373 - 1448)
MotherMary of Burgundy (1393 - 1466)