Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/97

 BAVARIA.

THE KNIGHTLY ORDER OF ST. HUBERT.

Duke Reinhold IV. of Liege and Guelderland having died in 1423 without issue, his duchy, Gueldern, fell to Arnold of Egmont, while Adolph of Berg became possessor of the Duchy of Liege. But Arnold, believing that Adolph had taken the lion's share in the inheritance, attempted at first to right himself by force of arms. He consented, however, afterwards to acompromise, and a truce of ten years. But, when after the death of Adolph in 1437, his cousin, Gerhard V., Count of Ravensberg, inherited the Duchies of Liege and Berg, Arnold re-appeared with his old claims, and entered with an army into the territory of Liege. In confidence of his right, Gerhard gave him battle (38rd November, 1444) near Ravensberg in Westphalia, in which he was victorious, and completely routed his foe. In commemoration of that happy event, which took place on the feast of St. Hubert, (8rd November), Gerhard founded an Order which he placed under the patronage of that saint, and gave it originally the name of the Order of the Horn, the Knights being used to wear a golden chain composed of bugle-horns.

The Order flourished until 1609, when the male dynasty of the Liege house became extinct at the death of John William. Since then, the Order was forgotten for nearly