John II ( – 19 May 1381) was a Franco-Dutch nobleman who ruled lands in both

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. He was the count of Blois and Dunois from 1372 until 1381, the lord of

Avesnes Avesnes () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Geography The commune is a very small village situated some 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer, on the D 129 E 1. Population See also *Communes of ...

Schoonhoven Schoonhoven () is a city and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Since 2015 it has been a part of the municipality of Krimpenerwaard, before it had been an independent municipality. The former municipa ...

, Gouda,

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

, Chimay and

Waarde Waarde is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Reimerswaal, about 4 km southeast of Kruiningen. History The village was first mentioned in 1219 as Ward, and means "land near water". The original ...

from 1356 until 1381 and the '' stadtholder'' of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

and

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

in 1359–1360 and 1362–1363 during the absences of Count Albert of Bavaria. He was also a claimant '' jure uxoris'' to the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

from 1372 until 1379. John was the second son of Count Louis II of Blois and

Jeanne of Hainault Jeanne (or Johanna) of Hainault (1323 – December 1350) was ruling Countess of Soissons from 1344 until 1350. She was a daughter of John of Beaumont, lord of Beaumont and Margaret of Soissons. She succeeded her mother in 1344 as Countess of S ...

, daughter of John of Beaumont. His father died at the

battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King EdwardIII. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France du ...

in 1346 and his mother administered his inheritance. In 1356, his maternal grandfather died, leaving him many lordships scattered throughout the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

. John made his chief residence at Schoonhoven, where he patronized French and

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

poets. His court was the literary centre of Holland before the arrival of Albert of Bavaria. John was on good terms with Albert and represented him during his absence from Holland. In 1362 and 1363, when John went on crusade in Prussia, he took with him his professional storyteller, Augustijnken. On 14 February 1372, John married Matilda, daughter of Duke Reginald II of Guelders. He was proclaimed duke of Guelders by the faction of , supported by the bishop of Utrecht, Arnold of Horne. That same year, he succeeded his elder brother,

Louis III Louis III may refer to: * Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882) * Louis III of France (865–882) * Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928) * Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911) * Louis I ...

, in the counties of Blois and Dunois. In 1371, Matilda's brothers, Dukes Reginald III and Edward, had died. John spent most of the rest of his life trying to seize Guelders from Matilda's nephew, William VII of Jülich, in the

First War of the Guelderian Succession {{Infobox military conflict , conflict=First War of the Guelderian Succession , partof= , image= Locator Duchy of Guelders and County of Zutphen (1350).svg , caption= , date=1371-1379 , place=Guelders, Duchy of Guelders , result= Victory of Willi ...

. William had the support of the Emperor Charles IV. In 1377, John was forced to abandon

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

, where he had set up his court. In 1379, he renounced his claim on Guelders in exchange for an annual pension from William. John died at

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

. He had no children with his wife. He had two sons by a mistress, Isabeau d'Isbergues: John, who became lord of Trélon, and Guy, lord of Heften in Zeeland.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{Authority control 1340s births 1381 deaths Counts of Blois Christians of the Prussian Crusade 14th century in the Netherlands House of Châtillon