Adolph III, Count of Waldeck facts for kids

Adolph III, Count of Waldeck (born 1362, died April 19, 1431) was an important leader in the Waldeck region. He was the Count of Waldeck-Landau from 1397 until he passed away. He also started the older branch of the Waldeck-Landau family.

About Adolph III

Early Life and Family

Adolph III was the son of Count Henry VI. His mother was Elisabeth of Berg. He had an older brother named Henry VII. Henry VII was the Count of Waldeck-Waldeck.

In 1387, Adolph married Agnes. She was the daughter of Count Gottfried VIII. Her family came from the County of Ziegenhain. Adolph and Agnes had a son named Otto III. Otto later became Count after his father.

Adolph and his family lived at Landau Castle. His father had given him this castle. They stayed there even after the Waldeck region was split. It was divided into Waldeck-Landau and Waldeck-Waldeck in 1397. This happened after his father's death.

Conflicts with His Brother

Adolph's time as Count was often difficult. He had many disagreements with his brother, Henry VII. One big problem happened in 1400. Henry attacked the area near Kassel. This action broke an important friendship. Waldeck had been allies with the Landgraviate of Hesse.

Hesse was a powerful neighboring region. They responded by sending their army into Waldeck. Adolph tried hard to fix things with Hesse. He wanted to make peace again.

In 1406, Henry listed many complaints about Adolph. He suggested that mayors and town leaders should help them. These leaders were from Korbach and Niederwildungen. Adolph also had complaints about Henry. He accused Henry of selling land called Schartenberg. Henry sold it to the Archbishop of Cologne without asking Adolph. Many attempts were made to help the brothers agree. But these efforts did not work.

Reaching a Compromise

It took a long time for the brothers to find peace. In 1421, Adolph's brother-in-law stepped in. This was Count John II of Ziegenhain. He helped them reach an agreement. The compromise included Adolph and Henry's sons too. Their sons were Otto III and Wolrad.

The agreement confirmed that the Waldeck region would stay divided. But they also agreed on new rules. No land could be sold or used as a loan without everyone knowing. Both family branches had to agree. Important papers about either half of Waldeck were kept together. They were stored at Waldeck Castle.

If someone stopped using land given to them (called a fief), it would return to joint ownership. Any future arguments would be looked into. Local knights (burgmannen) and councils would help solve them. This agreement was later made stronger and clearer.