Johann III. (Brittany)

Coat of arms of Brittany since John III.

Johann III. , called the good , (* March 8, 1286 ; † April 30, 1341 near Caen ), was a Duke of Brittany from 1312 until his death. He was the son of Duke Arthur II of Brittany and his first wife, Vice Countess Maria von Limoges.

Johann lived in a divided family. In 1317 he took the vice-county of Limoges from his brother Guido in order to give it to his second wife, in return he gave his brother the county of Penthièvre . Above all, he hated his half-brother Johann von Montfort , whom he tried in vain to declare illegitimate, which is why Montfort's inheritance rights were preserved. After Guido's death in 1331, Johann appointed his daughter Johanna to be his heir, but without obtaining the approval of the Breton estates.

After the death of his uncle John he inherited the English county of Richmond , for which he was King Edward III. of England , but Johann remained loyal to France at the beginning of the Hundred Years War in 1337. He died during a campaign against English troops in Normandy and was buried in the Carmelite monastery of Ploërmel . Since his succession plan had not found acceptance, his death triggered the Breton War of Succession (1341–1364).

Johann was married three times, but died without children of his own. His wives were:

1. 1298 Isabella of Valois (* 1292; † 1309), sister of King Philip VI. from France
2. 1310 Isabella of Castile (* 1283; † 1328), daughter of King Sancho IV of Castile
3. 1329 Johanna von Savoyen (* 1310; † 1344), daughter of Count Eduard von Savoyen

Web links

• Jean de Bretagne at fmg.ac (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Arthur II (de iure uxoris)	Vice Count of Limoges 1301-1314	Guido
Arthur II	Count of Penthièvre 1312-1317	Guido
Arthur II	Duke of Brittany 1312-1341	Johann IV.
Johann	Earl of Richmond 1335-1341	Johann IV.