John III, Duke of Cleves and Count of Mark (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Johann III der Friedfertige''; 10 November 1490 – 6 February 1539), known as John the Peaceful, was the Lord of Ravensberg, Count of Marck, and founder of the

United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg The so-called United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a territory in the Holy Roman Empire between 1521 and 1666, formed from the personal union of the duchies of Jülich, Cleves and Berg. The name was resurrected after the Congress of Vienn ...

Life

John was born on 10 November 1490, as the son of

John II, Duke of Cleves John II, "The Babymaker", Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark, (German: Johann II. "der Kindermacher", Herzog von Kleve, Graf von Mark) (13 April 1458 – 15 March 1521) was a son of John I, Duke of Cleves and Elizabeth of Nevers. He ruled Cleves f ...

, and Mathilde of Hesse. In 1510, at the age of 19, John married Duchess Maria of Jülich-Berg, daughter of Duke William IV of Jülich-Berg and Sibylle of Brandenburg, who became heiress to her father's estates Jülich,

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

and Ravensberg. John became ruler of the

in 1521, and Lord of Ravensberg in 1528. John represented a compensatory attitude, which strove for a ' between the two confessions during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. In fact, the real influence at the court of Cleves was

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

. Many of his men were friends and followers of the Dutch scholar and theologian. In 1532 John wrote up a list of church regulations(''Kirchenordnung''), which expressed numerous ideas of Erasmus. John had an instinct for balance as was shown when he married his eldest daughter Sybille to the Elector of Saxony, John Frederick. John Frederick would go on to later head the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although created for religious motives soon after the start of the Reformation, its members later came to ...

. In many ways, John of Cleves' court was ideal for raising a queen. It was fundamentally liberal, but serious-minded, theologically inclined, and profoundly Erasmian. It was from this court that his daughter

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...

would be raised. Anna would go on to marry

King Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

, as his fourth wife.

Family

John and his wife Duchess Maria of Jülich-Berg had the following children: # Sybille (17 January 1512 – 21 February 1554); married Elector John Frederick of Saxony, head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany, "Champion of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

". Had issue. #

(28 June 1515 – 16 July 1557); who was briefly married to

, as his fourth wife. No issue. #

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

(28 July 1516 – 5 January 1592); married Archduchess Maria, daughter of

Emperor Ferdinand I Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabo ...

, and had issue. # Amalia (17 October 1517 – 1 March 1586); became Princess of the

House of La Marck The House of La Marck (german: von der Mar(c)k) was a noble family, which from about 1200 appeared as the counts of Mark. History The family history started with Count Adolf I, scion of a cadet branch of the Rhenish Berg dynasty residing at A ...

Maria of Julich-Berg and her husband, John III, Duke of Cleves

Ancestry

References

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:John 03, Duke of Cleves 1490 births 1539 deaths Dukes of Cleves House of La Marck Dukes of Berg Counts of the Mark