John of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, nicknamed ''Bishop Hans'' called ''Hans Bishop'', (18 March 1606 at

Gottorf Castle Gottorf Castle (german: Schloss Gottorf, da, Gottorp Slot, Low German: ''Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and ha ...

– 21 February 1655 in

Eutin Eutin () is the district capital of Eastern Holstein county located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2020, the town had some 17,000 inhabitants. History The name Eutin (originally Utin) is of Slavic origin. Its meaning i ...

), was a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Administrator of

Prince-Bishopric of Lübeck The Prince-Bishopric of Lübeck, (german: Hochstift Lübeck; Fürstbistum Lübeck; Bistum Lübeck) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire until 1803. Originally ruled by Roman-Catholic bishops, after 1586 it was ruled by la ...

. John was the son of the Duke John Adolph of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp and the nephew of the previous Administrator John Frederick, whom he succeeded in 1634. John was the first Administrator of Lübeck to take permanent residence at Eutin Castle, which he kept expanding. He tried to draw scholars and scientists to his court and to promote the economic development of the prince-bishopric, but his efforts were hampered by the outbreak of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

in the years 1638 and 1639, while at the same time the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

imposed additional burdens on the country. Thus

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

troops were quartered in the capital

both in 1638/1639 and in 1643, and in December 1643 a whole Swedish cavalry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

was quartered in Eutin. The Prince-Bishopric had to house and feed this regiment. During the negotiations in

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

that led to the Peace of Westphalia, the existence of his Prince-Bishopric was at risk: the possibility existed that his land would be given to some other state as territorial compensation for an earlier annexation. John managed to avert this danger by carefully selecting his negotiators; first David Gloxin from Lübeck, then his councillor Christian Cassius.

Marriage and issue

John married on 7 May 1640 to Princess Julia Felicitas (1619-1661), a daughter of Duke Julius Frederick of Württemberg-Weiltingen. The marriage was an extremely unhappy one. John tried to divorce in 1648 and finally succeeded in 1653. The couple had four children: * Julius Adolph Frederick (2 October 1643 – 3 January 1644) * John Julius Frederick (17 February 1646 – 22 May 1647) * John Augustus (3 August 1647 – 29 January 1686) * Christine Auguste Sabine (4 June 1642 – 20 May 1650)

References

* Ernst-Günther Prühs, ''Geschichte der Stadt Eutin'', Eutin: Struve's Verlag, 1994, * Jens Jensen, ''Die Ehescheidung des Bischofs Hans von Lübeck von der Prinzessin Julia Felicitas von Württemberg-Welting AD 1648-1653. Ein Beitrag zum protestantischen Ehescheidungsrecht im Zeitalter des beginnenden Absolutismus'', Frankfurt upon Main: Lang, 1982, (=Rechtshistorische Reihe; vol. 35), , also: thesis, University of Kiel, 1983 {{DEFAULTSORT:John 10 of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp Lutheran Prince-Bishops of Lübeck 17th-century Lutheran bishops House of Holstein-Gottorp Dukes of Germany 1606 births 1655 deaths 17th-century German people Sons of monarchs