Wichman III of Vreden (between 970 and 980 - Upladen, 5 Oct 1016), Count of the Padergouw, ruled shortly after the year 1000 about an area around the city of Vreden.
He was a son of Egbert Enoog and an unknown woman. When Egberts older brother Wichman II receives the Young only daughters and dies already in 967, Egbert calls his son Wichman. Thus he asserts that the male line of Billungen lives through him.
Wichman III was opponent of Countess Adela of Hamaland and her second husband Count Balderik, his western neighbors, in the struggle for the prefecture. He is mostly known by the rumor of murder that he was killed by Adela and Balderik.
Adela and Balderik made an effort to expand their territory to the Lower Rhine around the year 1000, including Hamaland, the core area of her gender. Part of Hamaland was donated by her father Wichman IV to Elten, with her sister Liutgard as the first abdis. The rest came to Adela's inheritance to her and her first husband, Immed van Kleef, and after his death to Diederik's son.
After the death of Liutgard about the year 996, Wichman van Vreden had the actual power in the Pentecost Elten. The conduct and outcome of the conflict between Wichman III and Countess Adela with her husband Balderik are described by Metz's chronicler Alpertus. In addition, it must be borne in mind that Adela has been able to withstand the donation for the years by hand and tooth. This led to the fact that church writers placed her in a very unfavorable daylight.
After the battle between Balderik and Wichman van Vreden, they had been dismayed in form 1015 or 1016 of Emperor Hendrik II formally to reconcile. Wichman was invited by Balderik for a peace meal in his castle, Upladen. However, he made an ambush. On the way back, his people Wichman van Vreden died on 5 October 1016 in this ambush.
The murder inflated a lot of dust and led Balderik and Adela to abduct their possessions. Parts of this were forgiven to the brothers Diederik and Gerard van Antoing (Flamens), the ancestors of the houses Kleef and Gelre respectively.
Wichman III left a minor son who came under custody of his cousin Bernhard II Billung.
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