Johann V of Roubaix

Jehan de Roubaix

Johann V. von Roubaix ( French: Jean V. de Roubaix ) (* 1369 ; † 1449 ) was lord of Roubaix , a city in northern France , in what was then Flanders .

Johann V is the first ruler of Roubaix to whom one can ascribe a significant role in the history of the city. In a region torn between several political fronts, he joined the House of Burgundy and fought against the Kingdom of France during the Hundred Years War .

Life

According to J. Le Carpentier in his "Histoire des Pays-Bas ou histoire de Cambray et du Cambrésis" from 1664, John V descends from a certain Robert, lord of Roubaix and Escaudœuvres , and a woman from the de Herzelles family. He had a half-brother who came from an extramarital relationship of his father and who died in 1444 at the age of 90.

Johann began his military career at the age of 14 in the Battle of Roosebeke in 1382. He then joined a group of Flemish knights who, on the order of the then Count of Nevers and later Duke of Burgundy, Johann Ohnefurcht , and at the request of the Genoese the Fought the Saracens at Carthage . After the siege of the city began on July 22, 1390, four attacks were carried out on the city and one battle was fought at its gates. But the expedition had to be canceled after two months due to the approaching winter.

In 1396 Johann belonged to an army under the Duke of Nevers that was sent to the aid of the King of Hungary who was attacked by the Ottoman ruler Bayezid I and took part in the Battle of Nicopolis . During his stay in the Mediterranean countries, he visited Rome and the holy places in Palestine .

His successful missions and services to his sovereign, opened his favor, mainly in the form of financial support, and made him one of the most influential nobles of his time. In 1401 he took over the reign of the fiefdom of Roubaix and married Agnès de Lannoy.

Johann V laid the foundation for the rise of the city of Roubaix. At that time there were isolated settlements and a small fortress, from which Johann ruled. On October 1, 1414 he received the order from the Duke of Burgundy to set up seven board members in his sphere of influence. It was the first administrative structuring of Roubaix. Thereupon he received the privilege of the highest jurisdiction in 1420, with which this new municipal administration gained independence from the neighboring city of Lille . It was also John V who founded the archery society of Saint Sébastien , which, in addition to the function of a social association to pursue the popular sport, should also serve as a group of capable men who contributed to maintaining public order.

Participation in the Hundred Years War

After the murder of Johann Ohnefurcht in Montereau in 1419 , his son Philip the Good confirmed his trust in the services of Johann von Roubaix, who in the meantime had been elevated to the position of first chamberlain (Chambellan) and was therefore responsible for the premises of the French prince. As a frequent advisor to the Duke, he had a great influence on politics and thus the future of Burgundy. The political endeavors of Johann Ohnefurcht and Philip the Good were to establish a buffer between France, England and the German Empire. A state consisting of Burgundy , Lorraine and the Netherlands (this also included the ruled areas of Flanders and Artois ) should take on this task. The rule of this state would have made the Duke of Burgundy the arbiter between the empires of Western Europe. But this intention could not be put into practice at first and so after the murder of John Fearless, John V raised his arms against the King of France (although he had been his Chambellan) and thus also against Joan of Arc . The Treaty of Arras of 1435, which Burgundy signed with Charles VII , ended this period by settling the tensions between Burgundy and France and made Philip's brother one of the most influential men of his time. In this context, the historian Buzelin called Johann V the “little king” ( Regulus Roubaisii ). In 1424, Johann von Roubaix also acted as negotiator in a neutrality agreement between the city of Tournai and the Duchy of Burgundy.

Late years

Finally, in 1428, Johann von Roubaix was given the honor of negotiating the marriage of Philip the Good with Isabella , daughter of King John I of Portugal.He was appointed to the Duke's valet, the then well-known Flemish painter Jan van Eyck , put aside. Occasionally Jan van Eyck created a portrait of a certain Bauduin de Lannoy during the trip, which is exhibited in a Berlin museum. However, it can be said with great certainty that John V of Roubaix was depicted there. Johann accompanied the young princess safely to Bruges, where the wedding was celebrated as the core of extravagant festivities. During these festivities, on January 10, 1430, the Duke launched the Order of the Golden Fleece , which was to become one of the most famous orders in Christianity. The ruler of Roubaix was the third of a total of 24 knights who initially made up the order.

After a fulfilling career in which he received numerous honors, Johann von Roubaix died in 1449.

family

He and his wife Agnès de Lannoy had two children:

1. Jeanne de Roubaix, who married Antoine I. de Croÿ (1390–1475), Count of Porcéan ;
2. Pierre von Roubaix (1415–1498), his successor as Lord of Roubaix.

literature

• Les chevaliers de l'ordre de la Toison d'or au XVe siècle: notices bio-bibliographiques . Edited by Raphael de Smedt. (Kieler Werkstücke, D 3), 2nd, improved edition, Frankfurt 2000 ( ISBN 3-631-36017-7 ), pp. 6-8.
• Théodore Leuridan, Histoire des seigneurs et de la seigneurie de Roubaix (1862) p. 89-131 online
• Théodore Leuridan: Histoire des seigneurs et de la seigneurie de Roubaix . Les Editions de la Tour Gile, Roubaix, 1962, ISBN 2-87802-197-5 .

Commons : Jean V de Roubaix  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

predecessor	Office	successor
?	Lord of Roubaix around 1390–1449	Pierre