John I, Bishop-Elect of Utrecht
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John of Nassau, german: Johann von Nassau, nl, Jan van Nassau (died
Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...
, 13 July 1309)Cawley.Dek (1970). was a clergyman from the
House of Nassau The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count o ...
. From 1267 to 1290 he was Bishop-Elect of the
Bishopric of Utrecht The Bishopric of Utrecht ( nl, Sticht Utrecht) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries, in the present-day Netherlands. From 1024 to 1528, as one of the prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, it w ...
(german: Stift Utrecht, nl, Sticht Utrecht) as John I. He did not care much for his spiritual functions, and his government also failed due to his weak political and poor financial management. During his reign, the influence of the
County of Holland The County of Holland was a State of the Holy Roman Empire and from 1433 part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading province of the Dutch Republic, of which it remained a part ...
in the Bishopric greatly increased. John's government was one of the worst the Bishopric had to endure; without talent and energy, slavishly surrendering to all sensual pleasures, it was never possible for him to maintain the inner peace, under which the ''Nedersticht'' in particular suffered greatly.Wenzelburger (1881).


Life

John was the sixth son of Count
Henry II of Nassau Henry II "the Rich" of Nassau, german: Heinrich II. "der Reiche" von Nassau (Cawley.Dek (1970). – 26 April 1247/48/49/50, before 25 January 1251) was Count of Nassau. He distinguished himself in particular by his chivalrous and devout spirit. He ...
and Matilda of Guelders and Zutphen, the youngest daughter of Count Otto I of Guelders and Zutphen and
Richardis of Bavaria Richardis of Bavaria (1173 – 7 December 1231) was a German noblewoman. She was a daughter of Count Palatine Otto I of Bavaria, who later became the first Wittelsbach ''Duke'' of Bavaria, and his wife Agnes of Loon. Richardis married Otto ...
. John is first mentioned in a
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
from 1247. From 1262 to 1265, he was
archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...
of
Condroz The Condroz () is a natural region in Wallonia (the French-speaking part of Belgium), located to the north-west of the Ardennes. Its unofficial capital is Ciney. The region preserves the name of the Condrusi, a Germanic tribe which inhabited t ...
. Under the influence of his cousin Count
Otto II of Guelders Otto II, Count of Guelders (c. 1215 – 1 January 1271) was a nobleman from the 13th century. He was the son of Gerard III, Count of Guelders and Margaretha of Brabant. Life After Count William II (1227–1256) was slain in 1256 by Frisians h ...
, John was elected successor to
Henry I van Vianden Henry (or Hendrik) van Vianden (died 4 June 1267) was a bishop of Utrecht from 1249 to 1267. He was the son of Henry I, Count of Vianden and Margaret, Marchioness of Namur. He was provost at Cologne before he was pushed forward as candidate for ...
in 1267 as
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of Utrecht.Jansen (1982). As
Pope Clement IV Pope Clement IV ( la, Clemens IV; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois ( la, Guido Falcodius; french: Guy de Foulques or ') and also known as Guy le Gros ( French for "Guy the Fat"; it, Guido il Grosso), was bishop of Le P ...
(at the instigation of the
Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
) disagreed with this choice, John was never
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
a Bishop and remained Bishop-Elect. For this reason he joined Otto II of Guelders at his war against the Archbishop of Cologne, but John could not offer his cousin essential help. For a year after his election, marauding gangs of insurgents from North-Holland, who furiously resisted their nobles, destroyed many castles and finally appeared before the city
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, which they obtained with the help of the
poorter Poorter () is an historical term for a type of Dutch, or Flemish, burgher who had acquired the right to live within the walls of a city with city rights. In the Dutch Republic, this ''poorterrecht'' or ''poorterschap'' (citizenship) could be ...
s, so that John first had to flee to
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 pr ...
and then to the ''Oversticht''. When the marauders withdrew from Utrecht in 1268, the townspeople, whom he besieged with assistance of Guelders, refused him entrance, so that he was forced to move his seat to Deventer until 1270. With the help of Otto II of Guelders and Zweder of Beusichem, he again took possession of
Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...
and Utrecht, but in order to restore order he needed the help of Count
Floris V of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Count of Zeeland, Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peacef ...
, who took this opportunity to create a decisive influence on the Bishopric from that moment on. With the death of Otto II of Guelders in 1271, John lost his most important supporter. In the west of the Bishopric, the Lords of Amstel and the Lords of
Woerden Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and the fact that it has rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commu ...
sought an autonomous position between Holland and the Bishopric, they opportunistically accepted any help. In 1274
Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel or Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel ( – ) was a powerful lord in the medieval County of Holland and a member of the Van Aemstel family. His territory was Amstelland, and his son was . Life His family probably originated from ...
saw an opportunity to defeat John definitively in the uprising of the peasants from Kennemerland, Waterland and West-Frisia. Gijsbrecht placed himself at the head of the rebels and went with them to the city Utrecht, where they brought the
guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
s to power. Then the rebels withdrew. John asked Floris V to recapture the city and restore the former form of government. Marshal Zweder of Beusichem's attempt to conquer the city succeeded in September 1276. He attacked at dawn, and after heavy street fights the city fell into his hands.De Graaf (1996), p. 85-87. John had fled to Deventer and could return to Utrecht. Two years later there again was unrest in the city, after which Nicholas of Kats, a nobleman from
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 ...
, at the request of Floris V, took the city again. In the meantime, however, John had become so burdened with debts that in 1276 he had to pledge the castles of Vreeland, Montfoort and Ter Horst – which actually had to defend the borders of the Bishopric – to his
vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
s: Vreeland Castle to Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel, Montfoort Castle to Herman VI of Woerden, and Castle Ter Horst to John I of Cuijk.Cordfunke (2013), p. 51. This made the Bishop-Elect powerless and he urgently needed money. In 1278 he therefore seized the proceeds of the
tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...
s for the
crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...
from the Dominican convent in Utrecht, which earned him the everlasting hatred of the ecclesiastical authorities. Jan called in the help of Floris V, who financially helped the elect in 1278 in order to be able to repay the pledge. Floris V agreed with the city council of Utrecht on 5 September 1278 that he would govern the city with a mixed council. At the pledge in 1276, Gijsbrecht IV of Amstel had stipulated that he only had to return Vreeland Castle one year after the repayment of the pledge. However, when Gijsbrecht still refused to transfer Vreeland Castle to John in the beginning of 1280, the elect first tried, in vain, to capture Vreeland Castle by military means. Floris V then besieged Vreeland Castle in May 1280 and took Gijsbrecht prisoner. Floris V then moved to Montfoort Castle and conquered that too. In January 1281 Floris V presented John the bill for the acts of war: 4000 pounds for Amstelland and 2000 pounds for Woerden. Because John did not have that amount, he pledged these areas to Floris V, who thereby considerably increased his control in Utrecht. John did retain some power in the ''Oversticht'' because Count
Reginald I of Guelders Reginald I of Guelders (1255 – October 9, 1326 in Monfort) was Count of Guelders from January 10, 1271 until his death. He was the son of Otto II, Count of Guelders and Philippe of Dammartin. In 1276 he married Irmgard of Limburg, only daug ...
was mainly concerned with the
War of the Limburg Succession The War of the Limburg Succession, was a series of conflicts between 1283 and 1289 for the succession in the Duchy of Limburg. The cause of the War of the Limburg Succession was the death of Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg in 1280, and his only daugh ...
. In 1288, when John undertook the rebuilding of the St. Martin's Cathedral in Utrecht, which had burned down in 1248, he gave visitors a 180-day
indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The '' Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God o ...
. In 1290 John was deposed by
Pope Nicholas IV Pope Nicholas IV ( la, Nicolaus IV; 30 September 1227 – 4 April 1292), born Girolamo Masci, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1288 to his death on 4 April 1292. He was the first Franciscan to be ele ...
on the basis of a whole list of allegations; they do not seem to have been of a moral nature.Milis (1982). John settled in Deventer, where he died on 13 July 1309. He was buried in the Lebuinus Church there.


Descendants

John fathered four illegitimate children, the name of the mother is unknown: # John of Nassau (killed in action in front of the Nordenberghepoort at
Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is o ...
, 4 June 1352). He married first to Frieda van Appeldoorn (died 4 July 1350) and second to Ermgard ter Oy (listed on 4 June 1352). # Jacob of Nassau (died 21 March after 1340). He married a certain Nenta (listed as widow in 1350). From this marriage: ## Everhard of Nassau (died 7 December 1390). He was
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...
in Deventer in 1350 and
vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...
in the Lebuinus Church in Deventer. # Otto (listed in Deventer in 1320). # Matilda (died Deventer, 1350). She was married to J. Vrijherte.


Sources

* * * * * * * * *


References


External links

{{Authority control Prince-Bishops of Utrecht House of Nassau 1309 deaths 13th-century German Roman Catholic bishops Year of birth unknown