John William, Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John William (Johann Wilhelm, Herzog zu Kleve, Julich und Berg) (28 May 1562 - 25 March 1609) was a Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg.
His parents were William IV "The Rich" Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg(1516-92) and Maria of Hapsburg (1531-81), a daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary.
John William became Bishop of Münster. However, he was needed to succeed his father as Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, a secular fief.
He was also Count of Altena.
John William was first married in 1585 to Jakobea of Baden (died 1597), daughter of Philibert, Margrave of Baden. He was secondly married to Antonia of Lorraine (d.1610) daughter of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine). He had no known legitimate children. He possibly had a son from a unproven morganatic marriage.
Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a combination of states of the Holy Roman Empire.
Upon Duke John William's childless death in 1609, his inheritance became quarreled between heirs of his two eldest sisters: the heir of Maria Eleonora of Cleves (1550-1608), the eldest sister, was the then Electress of Brandenburg, a protestant. The second sister was Anna of Cleves (1552-1632), and her son and heir was the then Count Palatine of Neuburg, a catholic.
The disputes of the epoch between protestants and catholics, soon in 1618 escalated to Thirty Years War, was a background how the succession dispute after John William became a part of the war. Ultimately, Brandenburg received Cleves-Mark and Neuburg received Julich-Berg, after the lands had been trampled under military several times and lost much of the fabled wealth so renowned in duke William IX's time.
| Religious Posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johann II |
Bishop of Münster 1574 – 1584 |
Succeeded by Ernest of Bavaria |
| Preceded by William “the Rich” |
Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark, Count of Ravensburg 1592 – 1609 |
Vacant Title next held by John Sigismund of Brandenburg |
| Duke of Julich-Berg 1592 – 1609 |
Vacant Title next held by Wolfgang Wilhelm of Pfalz-Neuburg |
|
 |
This article related to German royalty is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
