John III of Egmont
John III of Egmont (or Egmond) (Hattem, April 3, 1438 – Egmond, August 21, 1516) was first Count of Egmont, Lord of Baer, Lathum, Hoogwoude, Aarstwoude, Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam, and Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and West-Friesland.
Biography
John was a son of William II of Egmont and Walburga van Meurs.
As his father, he supported the pro-Burgundian party in the battle for controle of Guelders.
When Charles the Bold came to power in Guelders, John was made bailiff of West-Friesland and governor of Arnhem in 1474.
For his role in the Hook and Cod wars, Maximilian of Austria made him Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and West-Friesland in 1483, a function he held until 1515. He also became Knight in the order of the Golden Fleece.
In 1491 he was confronted with the Bread and Cheese Revolt, a popular uprising in West-Friesland, which he crushed with the support of Albert III, Duke of Saxony.
Some portraits of John of Egmont are kept in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Centraal Museum of Utrecht. A diptych, painted by the Master of Alkmaar, is kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York.
Marriage and Children
John married in 1484 with Magdalena van Werdenburg, a cousin of Maximilian of Austria, and had 10 children, amongst whom:
- Walburga of Egmont (1490–1529), first wife of William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, father of William of Orange.
- John IV (1499–1528), his successor.
- George (ca. 1504 - 1559), Bishop of Utrecht.
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