Johann I (Brabant)

Duke Johann von Brabant (center) at the Battle of Worringen ( Codex Manesse , 14th century)

John I , called The Victorious (French Jean le Victorieux ; 1252 or 1253 in Leuven ; † May 3, 1294 in Bar-le-Duc ) was Duke of Brabant and Limburg . He was the second eldest son of Duke Heinrich III. Born "des Friedfertigen" of Brabant and the Adelheid (Aleidis) of Burgundy .

Life

When the father died, Johann's mother took over the reign of the feeble-minded older brother Heinrich IV. The regent's policy led to strong tensions. In order to avoid a civil war, Heinrich IV renounced the throne in 1267 in favor of Johann.

Brabant experienced its heyday under John I. Johann was married in 1270 with his first wife Margarete , a daughter of Ludwig IX. of France , closely linked to the French throne. Even if his wife died of childbed fever in 1272 , he supported his brother-in-law Philip III in 1284/85 . of France , who in turn was married to Johann's sister Marie in his second marriage, during his campaign against Aragon . He is considered to be the pioneer of French influence on the Lower Rhine .

For years he was co-regent in Holland , but gave up the reign in 1280 in order to win Holland's support in the Limburg succession dispute. With his allies Kleve , Berg , Mark and the city of Cologne, after the victorious battle of Worringen against the Archbishop of Cologne, Siegfried von Westerburg , Geldern and Luxembourg, he expanded his territory to include the Duchy of Limburg and won the patronage over the Diocese of Liège .

In 1292 he was appointed Reichspfleger on the Lower Rhine by the German King Adolf von Nassau and thus achieved extensive independence within the Holy Roman Empire .

Duke Johann von Brabant and the four slain Luxembourgers (left) in the Battle of Worringen ( Nuova Cronica , 14th century)

Johann was considered a feared tournament fighter . During the battle of Worringen (most sources speak of Brabant, but this could also mean his surroundings) he killed Count Heinrich VI. of Luxembourg ("the damned") and three of his brothers. He was also fond of the fine arts. He distinguished himself as a poet, as evidenced by nine Minnelieder in the great Heidelberg song manuscript ( Codex Manesse ).

He created a new codification of the legal relationships against the landed gentry .

On September 20, 1293 he received a serious wound at a tournament in Bar-le-Duc, from which he died on May 3, 1294 after a long suffering. He was buried next to his second wife in the Minorite monastery in Brussels .

His children all came from his second marriage to Margarethe von Flandern-Dampierre (* 1250/55 † July 3, 1285):

• Gottfried (* 1274 † 1302)
• John II the Peaceful (September 27, 1275 † October 27, 1312)
• Margaret of Brabant (October 4, 1276 † December 14, 1311), in 1292 she married the later Roman-German King Henry VII.
• Maria (* around 1278 † November 2, 1338), in 1297 she married Count Amadeus V of Savoy

literature

• Karl Theodor Wenzelburger , Ernst Martin:  Johan I., Duke of Brabant . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, p. 148 f.
• Heinrich Neu :  Johann I .. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-428-00191-5 , p. 470 f. ( Digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Johann I.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Wikisource: Johann I. (Brabant)  - Sources and full texts

predecessor	Office	successor
Henry IV.	Duke of Brabant 1267–1294	Johann II.
Henry IV.	Margrave of Antwerp 1267–1294	Johann II.
Rainald von Geldern	Duke of Limburg 1288–1294	Johann II.