John II (14th century – 28 September 1404) was the

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

and

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

from

1386 Year 1386 ( MCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 24 – Elizabeth of Bosnia, the mother of the overthrown Queen Mary of Hungary and Croatia, arranges the a ...

until his death in 1404.

Life

In 1375, John suffered from a head abscess that caused frequent fevers. He eventually recovered in September of that year. In 1384, John participated in his cousin 's war against

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV (Catalan: ''Pere IV d'Aragó;'' Aragonese; ''Pero IV d'Aragón;'' 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''El Cerimoniós''; Aragonese: ''el Ceremonioso''), was from 1336 until his death the king of ...

. That same year, John was reportedly poisoned. Popular belief at the time held that his brother-in-law, , was responsible, poisoning him during a feast hosted by the cardinal Hugues de Saint-Martial. The poison was said to have caused all of John's hair and nails to fall off. Though he was eventually cured, the incident left him mentally troubled for the rest of his life. On 22 March

, John's father,

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, wrote his testament, naming John, his only male heir. Two days later, his father died, and John succeeded him as Count of

and

. John's reputation as an administrator was poor, as he granted much of his land to his son-in-law,

John, Duke of Berry John of Berry or John the Magnificent (French language, French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Rulers of Auvergne, Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. His brothers were King Charles ...

. On 26 July 1394, John wrote his testament, naming his only daughter, Joan, as his heir. He also named his nephew, Antoine of Boulogne, as a secondary heir in the event of Joan's death, though this provision was ultimately unnecessary. While historian

Étienne Baluze Étienne Baluze (24 November 1630 – 28 July 1718), known also as Stephanus Baluzius, was a French scholar and historiographer. Biography Born in Tulle, he was educated at his native town, at the Jesuit college, where he studied the Arts. He ...

suggests that John died shortly after writing his testament, other sources assert that he died on 28 September 1404, having entrusted his domains to his daughter.

Family and issue

1373 Year 1373 ( MCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * March 24 – The Treaty of Santarém is signed between Ferdinand I of Portugal and Henry II of Castile, ending the ...

, John married Aliénor de Comminges (c. 1350 –

1380 Year 1380 ( MCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February – Olaf II of Denmark also becomes Olaf IV of Norway, with his mother Margrete (Margaret) as regent. Iceland ...

), the daughter of Raymond II, Count of Comminges and Joan of Comminges. Aliénor had previously been married to Bertrand II of L'Isle-Jourdain, who died without children. Around

, she left John, reportedly despising him as a poor administrator. She went to live with a cousin in the

Urgell Urgell (), also known as ''Baix Urgell'' (''baix'' meaning "lower", by contrast with Alt Urgell "Upper Urgell"), is a ''comarca'' (county) in Ponent, Catalonia (Spain), forming only a borderland portion of the region historically known as Urgel ...

and left their only daughter, Joan, with another cousin,

Gaston III, Count of Foix Gaston III, known as Gaston Phoebus or Fébus (30 April 1331 – 1 August 1391), was the eleventh Count of Foix (as Gaston III) and twenty-fourth Viscount of Béarn (as Gaston X) from 1343 until his death. Due to his ancestral inheritance, Gas ...

, where Joan remained until her marriage to John of Berry.

References

{{S-end Counts of Boulogne Counts of Auvergne French nobility