Johann IV. (Nassau-Saarbrücken)

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Count Johann IV of Nassau-Saarbrücken
Detail of the epitaph in the collegiate church of St. Arnual

Johann IV. Von Nassau-Saarbrücken (partly also counting Johann III. ) (* April 5, 1511 in Saarbrücken ; † November 23, 1574 ibid) initially served primarily as an officer in imperial services before he assumed rule over the county in 1554 Saarbrücken took over.

family

Johann was the second son of Johann Ludwig von Nassau-Saarbrücken and his second wife Katharina von Moers- Saar Werden . He himself remained unmarried. The sons Johann Friedrich and Johann Ludwig emerged from his illegitimate relationship with Adelheid von Kronenkracht. These were legitimized in 1562 and later ennobled. The son Philipp emerged from the relationship with Elisabeth Selz.

Military career

He received his training from around 1531 at the court of Emperor Charles V in Brussels . He served as an officer in the imperial service. In connection with the war of the emperor against Francis I of France , Johann was appointed captain in 1544 and was given command of a division of riders. He also took part in the Schmalkaldic War from 1546. He rose to the rank of colonel.

In 1547 he had his quarters in Ulm . There he was supposed to supervise the implementation of the Augsburg interim . For lack of money, he temporarily pledged the Ottweiler rule in order to be able to pay his soldiers. In 1549 he was commissioned by the emperor to secretly recruit troops. In 1550 Johann was appointed colonel in the imperial bodyguard. On the way of the emperor to Augsburg he was in command of four flags (about four battalions ). In the same year Charles V appointed him Colonel Chamberlain and Council of War.

In 1552 he was given command of a regiment of Landsknechte. As a result, Johann fought in the prince uprising and against France on the imperial side. He took part in the unsuccessful siege of Metz . Afterwards Karl entrusted him with ten flags of German war people. In 1553 he was commissioned to end the mutiny of the imperial troops in Trier . At the end of the year Johann asked for his release as a result of injuries, which he was granted. As early as 1554 he was back in imperial service. He commanded 50 flags against France. After Charles V resigned from office, he served Philip II of Spain . In about 1557 he took his leave.

regent

When the inheritance was divided in 1544, he received the offices of Ottweiler and Homburg . He did not actually take power until 1547. Even in the years in the imperial service there were longer periods when he resided in Ottweiler and looked after his property. In 1550 he obtained from Emperor Charles V , the town charter for Ottweiler.

After the death of his brother Philipp in 1554, he was also given the county of Saarbrücken . He also received the fiefs of the House of Nassau-Saarbrücken, which were dependent on the Metz bishopric . He shared the property with his brother Adolf in 1556. This received, among others, the county of Saar Werden . After the death of this brother in 1559, his property fell to Johann.

From 1560 he resided in Saarbrücken. He had Homburg Castle fortified. In 1563, the heirless Johann designated the Nassau-Weilburg line as heir to the county. From the time of Count Philip I, there were border disputes with Pfalz-Zweibrücken . Also Johanns times there have been several conflicts caused by a 1564 comparison were settled. An old dispute over property with the Duchy of Lorraine before the Imperial Court of Justice resulted in high costs. He successfully countered the attempt by various localities to break away from his rule and submit to the Metz bishopric.

The Sankt Arnual monastery also tried to break away from its rule between 1566 and 1568 and referred to an alleged imperial immediacy . Johann arrested the protagonists. They were not released until they abandoned these plans. This procedure indirectly led to the dissolution of this collegiate foundation in 1569. For himself personally he remained true to Catholic teaching. However, the Reformation also gained more and more supporters through preachers from abroad. His brother Adolf had also introduced the Reformation in his territory. Johann did not fight the Reformation movement.

Johann has also dealt with imperial affairs and has participated in various imperial, prince and count assemblies. Since 1570 he had the Neunkirchen hunting lodge built in the Renaissance style. He had monuments erected in the collegiate church of St. Arnual for his father and for his brothers, Johann Ludwig the Younger and Philip II. In 1571 there were again unsuccessful efforts by localities to submit to the Metz bishopric.

After his death he was also buried in the collegiate church of St. Arnual. His successor Philip III. had a monument erected for him there showing him in armor.

literature

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predecessor Office successor
Philip II Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken
1554–1574 		Philip III
personal data
SURNAME Johann IV.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Johann IV of Nassau-Saarbrücken
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Count of Saarbrücken
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1511
PLACE OF BIRTH Saarbrücken
DATE OF DEATH November 23, 1574
Place of death Saarbrücken