Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine (''"Jan Wellem"'' in

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

, English: ''"John William"''; 19 April 1658 – 8 June 1716) of the

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...

dynasty was

Elector Palatine The counts palatine of Lotharingia /counts palatine of the Rhine /electors of the Palatinate (german: Kurfürst von der Pfalz) ruled some part of Rhine area in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire from 915 to 1803. The title was a kind ...

(1690–1716), Duke of Neuburg (1690–1716),

Duke of Jülich Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

and

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states *Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...

(1679–1716), and Duke of

Upper Palatinate The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...

and Cham (1707–1714). From 1697 onwards Johann Wilhelm was also Count of

Megen Megen or Meghem is a small city in the southern part of the Netherlands, in the province North Brabant, close to the river Maas. It is part of the Oss municipality. The number of inhabitants is approximately 1700. History Megen used to be the ...

Early life and background

He was the son of Count Palatine Philip William of Neuburg and

Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt en, Elizabeth Amelia Magdalena of Hesse-Darmstadt , image= Elisabeth Amalia Magdalena im Jahr 1705.jpg , caption= Portrait by Jan Frans van Douven, c. 1705. , succession = Electress Palatine , consort=yes , reign=26 May 1685 - 2 September 1690 , ...

and was born in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, where he resided, rather than in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, which had been largely destroyed by French troops during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

. He was educated by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

and in 1674 he made a

grand tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

to Italy.

Anton Schoonjans - Kurfürst Johann Wilhelm zu Pferde - 2543 - Bavarian State Painting Collections

His brother was Franz Ludwig, Count Palatine of Neuburg, his sisters were married to

Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; hu, I. Lipót; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria ...

Peter II of Portugal ''Dom'' Pedro II (Peter II; 26 April 1648 – 9 December 1706), nicknamed "the Pacific", was King of Portugal from 1683 until his death, previously serving as regent for his brother Afonso VI from 1668 until his own accession. He was the fifth a ...

, and Charles II of Spain.

Succession

As a gift to Johann Wilhelm and his new bride,

Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (20 December 1654 – 4 April 1689) was born an archduchess of Austria as the daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, and later became Electoral Princess of the Palatinate as the wife of Johann Willhelm, E ...

, Johann Wilhelm's father ceded to them the Duchies of Jülich and Berg in 1679. Johann Wilhelm later also succeeded his father as

in 1690. In the

Peace of Rijswijk The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included England, ...

(1697), he was restored to many of the possessions which had been taken by the French, with the provision that the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

not revert to Protestantism. This provision made him unpopular in the Palatinate and with Protestants. During the

War of the Spanish succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

Johann Wilhelm received also the Bavarian Upper Palatinate, which was returned to Bavaria in 1714. He died in Düsseldorf and was buried in the St. Andreas Church. Having no son, Johann Wilhelm was succeeded by his brother Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine.

Marriages

On 25 October 1678, in Wiener Neustadt, Johann Wilhelm married

. She was a daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, and his third wife, Eleanor of Mantua. The wedding ceremony was performed by Archbishop Leopold Karl von Kollonitsch. The couple settled in

, where they led an elaborate royal household. During their marriage, Maria Anna Josepha gave birth to two children, but neither survived infancy: * A son (b. and d. Düsseldorf, 6 February 1683) * A son (b. and d. Vienna, 5 February 1686) Maria Anna Josepha died in 1689 of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. A couple of years later, on 29 April 1691, Johann Wilhelm married by proxy Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, daughter of

Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinan ...

. She departed for Düsseldorf on 6 May 1691, accompanied by her younger brother, Gian Gastone. Johann Wilhelm surprised her at

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, where they officially married. Anna Maria Luisa became pregnant in 1692; however, she miscarried. Historians believed incorrectly that shortly after her arrival, she contracted

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

from her adulterous husband, which might have explained why Anna Maria Luisa and Johann Wilhelm failed to produce any children. In 2012, after concern caused by the

1966 Flood of the Arno River The 1966 flood of the Arno ( it, Alluvione di Firenze del 4 novembre 1966) in Florence killed 101 people and damaged or destroyed millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. It is considered the worst flood in the city's history since 1557. Wi ...

, the bones of Anna Maria Luisa were exhumed. A scientific examination found no traces of syphilis.

Art collections

He was more popular in Jülich-Berg, where he erected impressive buildings such as the

Schloss Bensberg Bensberg Castle () is a former royal hunting lodge in Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is now operated as a luxury hotel under the name 'Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg'. The central axis of the building complex is exa ...

and led a lavish court which gave work to many artists and artisans, including the court painters

Johannes Spilberg Johannes Spilberg (30 April 1619 – 10 August 1690) was a German Baroque painter, active in Amsterdam during the period known as the Dutch Golden Age. Life Spilberg was born and died in Düsseldorf.Adriana Adriana, also spelled Adrianna, is a Latin name and feminine form of Adrian. It originates from present day Italy. Translations *Arabic: أدريان * Belorussian: Адрыяна (Adryjana) *Bulgarian: Адриана (Adriana) *Chinese Simplifi ...

, her later husband

Eglon van der Neer Eglon van der Neer (1635/363 May 1703) was a Dutch painter of historical scenes, portraits and elegant, fashionable people, and later of landscapes. Life Van der Neer was born in Amsterdam and was probably first taught by his father, Aert ...

Adriaen van der Werff Adriaen van der Werff (21 January 1659 – 12 November 1722) was a Dutch painter of portraits and erotic, devotional and mythological scenes. His brother, Pieter van der Werff (1661–1722), was his principal pupil and assistant. Life At the ag ...

, Jan Frans van Douven, Herman van der Mijn,

Jan van Nickelen Jan van Nickelen (1655, Haarlem – 1721, Kassel), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to Houbraken he learned to paint from his father Isaak van Nickelen, who taught him perspective and who sent him to school to learn Latin ...

, his daughter Jacoba Maria van Nickelen, her husband

Willem Troost Wilhelmus, or Willem Troost (1684, Amsterdam – 1752, Amsterdam), was an 18th-century painter from the Northern Netherlands. Biography According to the RKD he was a pupil of Johannes Glauber during the year 1704-1709 and became court painte ...

, Anthoni Schoonjans, Rachel Ruysch, Godfried Schalcken, and Jan Weenix with his daughter

Maria Weenix Maria Weenix (1697–1774), was an 18th-century painter from the Northern Netherlands. Biography According to the RKD she was the daughter of Jan Weenix, who taught her to paint.court painters
who worked for Johan Wilhelm, according to the Dusseldorf museum websiteAnthon Schoonjans
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History His enormous collection of paintings by

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

can still be seen in the Alte Pinakothek in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. His widow Anna Maria Luisa was the last scion of the

House of Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mug ...

. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medicis’ large art collection, including the contents of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, and the Medicean villas, which she inherited upon the death of her brother Gian Gastone in 1737, and her Palatine treasures to the Tuscan state, on the condition that no part of it could be removed from the capital

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. Therefore, these treasures are still to be visited in Florence today. In Düsseldorf, the Jan-Wellem Square is named after Johann Wilhelm.

Ancestry

Bibliography

*Alessandro Cont
''La Chiesa dei principi. Le relazioni tra ''Reichskirche'', dinastie sovrane tedesche e stati italiani (1688-1763)''
preface of Elisabeth Garms-Cornides, Trento, Provincia autonoma di Trento, 2018, pp. 103–138.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine Counts Palatine of Neuburg House of Wittelsbach Nobility from Düsseldorf Prince-electors of the Palatinate German art collectors Dukes of Jülich Dukes of Berg Imperial vicars 1658 births 1716 deaths German Roman Catholics