This eventually led to the formation of a coalition against Archbishop Engelbert, which was likely led by the Duke of Limburg and the Count of Isenberg. In 1225 Isenberg and his men intercepted Engelberg. It is likely that they wanted to capture the Archbishop in order to force concessions but Engelbert, being 1,80 m tall and a battle proven knight, fought back despite being outnumbered. Eventually he was slain but this was a severe blow for the cause of Isenberg - he essentially became the fall guy for the plot and thus tried to save his neck. Firstly he tried to bury the dead Engelberg in the city of Schwelm but the local clerics denied this request. He then tried to bury the dead Archbishop in his ancestral castel but here too Isenberg was denied. Still with the dead body in his luggage, Isenberg was finally able to bury Engelbert at the Cistercian Monestary of Altenberg. But the cat was out of the bag - travelling with a dead Archbishop as part of ones retinue isn't exactly stealthy. In 1226 Isenberg was captured and broken on the wheel in Cologne. His castle was slighted by the Count of Mark (a relative of Engelbert) and his subjects were relocated. Still, the power of the Archdiocese of Cologne from that point onwards would decline slowly but steadily. And the County of Berg? It still fell towards the Limburg who raised it into a Duchy and eventually it eclipsed the Archdiocese in power too.
3/3

This eventually led to the formation of a coalition against Archbishop Engelbert, which was likely led by the Duke of Limburg and the Count of Isenberg. In 1225 Isenberg and his men intercepted Engelberg. It is likely that they wanted to capture the Archbishop in order to force concessions but Engelbert, being 1,80 m tall and a battle proven knight, fought back despite being outnumbered. Eventually he was slain but this was a severe blow for the cause of Isenberg - he essentially became the fall guy for the plot and thus tried to save his neck. Firstly he tried to bury the dead Engelberg in the city of Schwelm but the local clerics denied this request. He then tried to bury the dead Archbishop in his ancestral castel but here too Isenberg was denied. Still with the dead body in his luggage, Isenberg was finally able to bury Engelbert at the Cistercian Monestary of Altenberg. But the cat was out of the bag - travelling with a dead Archbishop as part of ones retinue isn't exactly stealthy. In 1226 Isenberg was captured and broken on the wheel in Cologne. His castle was slighted by the Count of Mark (a relative of Engelbert) and his subjects were relocated. Still, the power of the Archdiocese of Cologne from that point onwards would decline slowly but steadily. And the County of Berg? It still fell towards the Limburg who raised it into a Duchy and eventually it eclipsed the Archdiocese in power too.
3/3