War of the Jülich Succession

The War of the Jülich Succession was a dispute over the succession of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, which occurred in 1609. This conflict was strategically important as the duchies controlled a key territory on the lower Rhine River.

The succession crisis arose when the Catholic ruler of Jülich-Cleves-Berg died without an heir. Two Protestant claimants occupied the lands, supported by the German Protestant Union, France, and England. However, they faced strong opposition from Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor. The situation was defused in 1610 when Henry IV of France, who was preparing to invade in support of the Protestant claimants, was assassinated. This event temporarily averted a wider conflict, though the underlying religious and political tensions in the Holy Roman Empire would soon erupt into the Thirty Years' War.123