In 1288 John I, duke of Brabant (1261–94), supported by, among others, the count of Holland, defeated the combined forces of the count of Guelders, the archbishop of Cologne and the count of Flanders in the battle of Woeringen. Through this victory he settled the Limburg war of succession to his advantage and acquired the dukedom of Limburg. The importance of this event should not be judged from the rather insignificant dimension of the land that was won. For John it meant that he was now in control of all the dukedoms on the territory of what used to be (in the ninth century) Lower Lotharingia. It brought to near-fulfilment the dream of a man who claimed to descend from Charlemagne. But there was more to it: the annexation of Limburg also greatly enhanced his prestige abroad. The English king, Edward I, was quick to see that John could be a powerful ally in his repeated conflicts with France, and proposed a marriage between his daughter Margaret and John's eldest son and heir, the later John II (1294–1312). The couple were married on 8 July 1290 in Westminster.

The newly established international reputation of the duke of Brabant and the way in which it was won was made the subject of a verse chronicle, the Rijmkroniek van Woeringen.