John I, Duke of Cleves

John I, Duke of Cleves
John I, Duke of Cleves by Rogier van der Weyden
Born	16 February 1419
Died	5 September 1481(1481-09-05) (aged 62)
Noble family	La Marck
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth of Nevers
Issue	John II, Duke of Cleves Engelbert, Count of Nevers Philip of Cleves (Bishop)
Father	Adolph I, Duke of Cleves
Mother	Mary of Burgundy

John I, Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark (16 February 1419 – 5 September 1481) was Duke of Cleves and Count of Mark.

Life

Arms of John I, Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark

He was the son of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves and Mary of Burgundy. He was raised in Brussels at the Burgundian court of his uncle Philip the Good. He ruled Cleves from 1448 from 1481, and Mark since 1461 after the death of his uncle Gerhard, who had waged war on his own brother.

He fought 3 wars with the Electorate of Cologne and finally defeated Ruprecht of the Palatinate, conquering the cities of Xanten and Soest. In these wars, he was supported by his uncle Philip the Good, bringing Cleves-Mark into the Burgundian sphere of influence.
His marriage with Elisabeth Countess of Nevers, from a sideline of the House of Burgundy, only strengthened this influence. He also took sides in the Münster Diocesan Feud supporting the aspirations of the House of Hoya to the episcopacy in Münster.

John was also made a Knight in the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece in 1451, with which he was depicted by Rogier van der Weyden.

In 1473 he helped the Burgundian Duke Charles the Bold conquer the Duchy of Guelders.

Marriage and children

On 22 April 1455, he married Elizabeth of Nevers, daughter of John II, Count of Nevers. They had:

• John II, Duke of Cleves (13 April 1458 – 15 March 1521); married 3 November 1489 Matilda of Hesse
• Adolf (1461–1498); a canon of Liege
• Engelbert, Count of Nevers (26 September 1462 – 21 November 1506); married 23 February 1489 Charlotte de Bourbon-Vendôme
• Dietrich (1464)
• Marie of Cleves (1465–1513)
• Philip of Cleves (1467–1505); Bishop of Nevers, Amiens and Autun

Ancestors

Ancestors of John I, Duke of Cleves

16. Engelbert II of the Marck 8. Adolph II, Count of Mark 17. Mechtild of Arenberg 4. Adolf III of the Marck 18. Dietrich VIII, Count of Cleves 9. Margaret of Cleves 19. Margaret of Guelders 2. Adolph I, Duke of Cleves 20. William V, Duke of Jülich 10. Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg 21. Joanna of Hainaut 5. Margaret of Jülich 22. Otto IV, Count of Ravensberg 11. Margaret of Ravensberg 23. Margaret of Berg-Windeck 1. John I, Duke of Cleves 24. John II of France 12. Philip II, Duke of Burgundy 25. Bonne of Bohemia 6. John II, Duke of Burgundy 26. Louis II of Flanders 13. Margaret III, Countess of Flanders 27. Margaret of Brabant 3. Marie of Burgundy 28. Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor 14. Albert I, Duke of Bavaria 29. Margaret II, Countess of Hainault 7. Margaret of Bavaria 30. Louis I of Brzeg 15. Margaret of Brieg 31. Agnes of Głogów-Żagań

Sources

• Boltanski, Ariane (2006). Les ducs de Nevers et l'État royal: genèse d'un compromis (ca 1550 - ca 1600) (in French). Librairie Droz S.A. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Boulton, D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre (2000). The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later. The Boyell Press. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Stirnet.com Accessed July 29, 2007
• Marek, Miroslav. "Cleves 5". Genealogy.EU. Retrieved 29 July 2007.