Conflicts & Resolutions · War

Guelders Wars

1502–1543 · 16th century

The Guelders Wars were a series of conflicts from 1502 to 1543 between the Duchy of Guelders, led by Duke Charles of Egmond and supported by France, and the Habsburg rulers of the Netherlands. Charles kept Guelders independent for decades, but after his death Emperor Charles V forced Duke William of Cleves to give up the duchy by the Treaty of Venlo (1543), completing the Habsburg Netherlands.

Guelders Wars
Image: William R. Shepherd · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Battles and settlements

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Guelders Wars. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/guelders-wars
MLA
“Guelders Wars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/guelders-wars. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Guelders Wars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/guelders-wars.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Guelders Wars’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/guelders-wars (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻