John II (Brittany)

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John II, Duke of Brittany

John II (born January 4, 1239 - † November 14, 1305 in Lyon ) was Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond from 1286 .

He was the eldest son of Duke John I the Red of Brittany ( Dreux House ) and Blanka of Champagne, Princess of Navarre.

Marriage and offspring

In 1260 he married Beatrice (* 1242, † 1275), the daughter of King Henry III. of England . With her he had the following offspring. Beatrice died giving birth to her daughter Eleanor.

Life

Johann took part in 1270 on the seventh crusade of the French king Louis IX. the holy part. After the king died in Carthage , Johann joined his brother-in-law, the English crown prince Eduard Plantagenet , with whom he continued the crusade to Palestine ( see Prince Edward's crusade ). From there he brought Carmelites back to his homeland and supported them in founding a monastery in Ploërmel . In 1284 he moved with King Philip III. of France on the Aragonese Crusade .

When his father died in 1286, he inherited the Duchy of Brittany and the County of Richmond from him. At the beginning of his reign, John was initially in close agreement with England against King Philip IV of France . After the tensions between France and England came to a head, he switched to France, for which he was finally recognized as Duke of Brittany in 1297 and accepted among the Pairs . Previously, he was formally treated only as a count. In 1304 he fought victoriously in the battle of Mons-en-Pévèle against the Flemings, gained more sovereignty over the crown and curtailed the privileges of the clergy of Brittany.

In 1305 the duke and Count Karl von Valois led his horse through the crowd at the celebrations for the coronation of Pope Clement V in Lyon. The crowd climbed ramshackle walls to better see the unique spectacle. One of the walls broke and collapsed, right on the solemn procession. The Pope fell from his horse, the Count was seriously injured, the unhappy Duke Johann was struck by the stones.

He left the Duchy of Brittany to his son Arthur, and his son Johann received the County of Richmond.

Web links

Commons : Johann II. (Bretagne)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual proof

  1. ^ Chronique Anonyme. In: Recueil des Historiens des Gaules et de la France . Vol. 21, 1855, pp. 137-140, here p. 139 .
predecessor Office successor
Johann I. Duke of Brittany 1286-1305
Blason Pierre Ier de Bretagne.svg
Arthur II
Johann I. Earl of Richmond
1286-1305
Johann