John IV Palaeologus (Italian: ''Giovanni IV Paleologo'') (June 24, 1413 – January 19, 1464) was the

Margrave of Montferrat The Marquises and Dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po and east of Turin called Montferrat. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the no ...

from 1445 until his death. The eldest of four brothers and two sisters, he was born near Casale in the castle of

Pontestura Pontestura (in Piedmontese ''Pont da Stura'') is a ''commune'' with a population of 1,539 in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont. It is located on the right bank of the Po River about east of Turin and about west of Casale ...

, to

John Jacob of Montferrat John Jacob Palaeologus (Italian: ''Giovanni Giacomo Paleologo'') (March 23, 1395 – March 12, 1445) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1418 to 1445. He was born in Trino, Piedmont, the son of Theodore II of Montferrat, with whom he collaborat ...

and Joanna of Savoy, daughter of Amadeus VII (the Red Count of Savoy).. During his father's unlucky war against

Amadeus VIII of Savoy Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was a claimant to the papac ...

, he was imprisoned by the latter and used as hostage. He fought as

condottiere ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

for the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

in the war that ensued after the heirless death of

Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447)

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

(see

Wars in Lombardy The Wars in Lombardy were a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan and their respective allies, fought in four campaigns in a struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy that ravaged the economy of Lombardy and ...

). During his reign the

Palaeologus The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek ...

family lost the throne of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. He set his mind rather belatedly to ensure the future of the dynasty, marrying

Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to Umberto I. Life Early life Margherita was born to Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and Princess Elisabeth ...

, daughter of

Louis of Savoy Ludovico I or Louis I (Italian: Lodovico; 24 February 1413 – 29 January 1465) was Duke of Savoy from 1440 until his death in 1465. Life He was born at Geneva the son of Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy and Mary of Burgundy; he was the first to ho ...

and

Anne of Cyprus Anne of Cyprus (or Anne de Lusignan) (24 September 1418 – 11 November 1462) was a Duchess of Savoy by marriage to Louis, Duke of Savoy. She was the daughter of King Janus of Cyprus and Charlotte of Bourbon; and a member of the ...

, in Casale in December 1458. She brought a dowry of 100,000

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin ''scu ...

, receiving

Trino Trino ( pms, Trin) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Vercelli, at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Trino borders the following mun ...

, Morano,

Borgo San Martino Borgo San Martino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria. Borgo San Martino borders the following municipalities: Casale Monf ...

and

Mombaruzzo Mombaruzzo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Asti. Mombaruzzo borders the following municipalities: Bruno, Carentino, Cassine, Castelnu ...

in return. However they only had one daughter: * Elena Margherita (1459 – 1496), who married

Victor, Duke of Münsterberg Victor, Duke of Münsterberg also: ''Victor, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava''; cz, Viktorin z Minsterberka; (29 May 1443 in Cieszyn – 30 August 1500 in Cieszyn) was an Imperial Count from 1459 and Count of Kladsko. From 1462 until his death, h ...

. He also had two illegitimate children : * Sara (1462–1503) and Scipione (1463–1485). John IV died, without legitimate heirs, in Casale on 19 January 1464; he was buried there alongside his father in the church of San Francesco. He was succeeded by his brother William VIII.

Ancestry

References

Sources

*.
{{DEFAULTSORT:John 04 Of Montferrat 1413 births 1464 deaths

John 4 John 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The major part of this chapter (verses 1-42) recalls Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar. In verses 43-54, he returns t ...

John 4 Montferrat

Montferrat, John 4

Ancestry

See also

References

Sources