John III Palaeologus (c. 1362 – 25 August 1381) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1378 to his death. He was the second son of

John II of Montferrat John II Palaeologus (5 February 1321 – 19 March 1372) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1338. Career John was the son of Theodore I of Montferrat, with whom he was associated in the government from 1336. He had great fortune in extending t ...

and

Isabella of Majorca Isabella of Majorca (Catalan: ''Elisabet'') (1337–1406) was the last titular Queen of Majorca and Countess of Roussillon and Cerdanya from 1375 to her death. Family She was the daughter of James III and his first wife, Constance of Aragon ...

and brother and successor of

Secondotto Secondotto Palaeologus (also ''Otho'' or ''Ottone''; died 16 December 1378) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1372 to his death, the third of the House of Palaeologus-Montferrat. His name ''Secondotto'' may derive from his being the second Ott ...

. On 3 January 1379, John III was installed as margrave under the

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of his uncle

Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1320 – 1 December 1398) was the fourth and last husband of Joanna I of Naples. He also held the title of Prince of Taranto. His nickname was Otto the Tarantine. Biography Otto was the eldest son of Henry II, ...

. Desirous of avenging his brother's death and recuperating the territory lost in the aftermath of Secondotto's retreat, John declared war on the

Visconti of Milan The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the ...

, but was forced to sign a peace before fighting had begun, under the pressure of the

Antipope Clement VII Robert of Geneva, (french: Robert de Genève; 1342 – 16 September 1394) elected to the papacy as Clement VII (french: Clément VII) by the cardinals who opposed Pope Urban VI, was the first antipope residing in Avignon, France. His election l ...

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

, who wished to have Otto of Brunswick at his court. Otto consequently signed the treaty and confirmed the borders of the margraviate during his absence. In order to guarantee the survival of the margraviate, Otto placed it under the protection of the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

. Later, John followed Otto to the court of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, but during his absence troubles arose. When

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

was declared King of Naples and Joan I successively fled, John and Otto found themselves fully immersed in the war over the Neapolitan succession and unable to return to Montferrat. On 25 August 1381, they were involved in a battle in which Otto was captured and the young John slain. He was succeeded by his younger brother

Theodore II, Marquis of Montferrat Theodore II Palaeologus (died 16 April 1418) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1381. Life He was the thirdborn son of John II of Montferrat and Isabel of Majorca. Theodore was named governor of the margraviate after the death of his broth ...

Ancestry

Sources

*''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani LV Ginammi – Giovanni da Crema''. Caravale, Mario (ed). Rome, 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:John 03, Marquis of Montferrat 1362 births 1381 deaths 14th-century Italian nobility Palaiologos dynasty Marquesses of Montferrat Military personnel killed in action