Background
William V was the eldest son of Gerhard V of Jülich and Elisabeth of Brabant-Aarschot, daughter of Godfrey of Brabant.
William V was the eldest son of Gerhard V of Jülich and Elisabeth of Brabant-Aarschot, daughter of Godfrey of Brabant.
Some authors call him William I, because he was the first Duke of Jülich. The earlier Williams had been Count of Jülich. Other authors call the subject of this article "William VI".
They count the son and co-ruler of William IV as William V. In 1337 he was crucially involved in the German-English alliance which caused the start of the Hundred Years" War.
William was an important supporter of Emperor Ludwig and for a time, he supported the Habsburgs against the House of Luxembourg in the Carinthian war of succession. Upon the collapse of the German-English alliance and the death of his brother-in-law, William switched his allegiance to Emperor Charles IV. In 1352 he initiated an inheritance tax on Heinsberg-Valkenburg/Monschau.
Upon his father"s death in 1328, William became Count of Jülich. In 1336 William was appointed Margrave by his brother-in-law, Emperor Ludwig IV, and in 1356/57 he was raised to the level of Duke by Emperor Charles IV, thus becoming the first Duke of Jülich.
He seems to have held the title of Earl of Cambridge from 1340 to his death.
