John I, Duke of Cleves

John I, Duke of Cleves
John I, Duke of Cleves by Rogier van der Weyden
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth of Nevers
Noble family	House of La Marck
Father	Adolph I, Duke of Cleves
Mother	Mary of Burgundy
Born	(1419-02-16)16 February 1419
Died	5 September 1481(1481-09-05) (aged 62)

John I, Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark (16 February 1419 – 5 September 1481) was Duke of Cleves and Count of Mark.

Life

Arms of John I, Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark

He was the son of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves and Mary of Burgundy. He was raised in Brussels at the Burgundian court of his uncle Philip the Good He ruled Cleves from 1448 from 1481, and Mark since 1461 after the death of his uncle Gerhard, who had waged war on his own brother.

He fought 3 wars with the Electorate of Cologne and finally defeated Ruprecht of the Palatinate, conquering the cities of Xanten and Soest. In these wars, he was supported by his uncle Philip the Good, bringing Cleves-Mark into the Burgundian sphere of influence.
His marriage with Elisabeth of Nevers, from a sideline of the House of Burgundy, only strengthened this influence. He also took sides in the Münster Diocesan Feud supporting the aspirations of the House of Hoya to the episcopacy in Münster.

John was also made a Knight in the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece in 1451, with which he was depicted by Rogier van der Weyden.

In 1473 he helped the Burgundian Duke Charles the Bold conquer the Duchy of Guelders.

Marriage and Children

On 22 April 1455 he married Elizabeth of Nevers, daughter of John II, Count of Nevers. They had:

John II, Duke of Cleves (13 April 1458 – 15 March 1521) married 3 November 1489 Matilda of Hesse
Adolf (1461–1525)
Engelbert, Count of Nevers (26 September 1462 – 21 November 1506) married 23 February 1489 Charlotte de Bourbon-Vendôme
Dietrich 1464
Marie of Cleves (1465–1513)
Philip of Cleves, Bishop of Nevers, Amiens and Autun (1467–1505)

Ancestors

Ancestors of John I, Duke of Cleves

16. Engelbert II of the Marck

8. Adolph II, Count of Mark

17. Mechtild of Arenberg

4. Adolf III of the Marck

18. Dietrich VIII, Count of Cleves

9. Margaret of Cleves

19. Margaret of Guelders

2. Adolph I, Duke of Cleves

20. William V, Duke of Jülich

10. Gerhard VI of Jülich, Count of Berg and Ravensberg

21. Joanna of Hainaut

5. Margaret of Jülich

22. Otto IV, Count of Ravensberg

11. Margaret of Ravensberg

23. Margaret of Berg-Windeck

1. John I, Duke of Cleves

24. John II of France

12. Philip II, Duke of Burgundy

25. Bonne of Bohemia

6. John II, Duke of Burgundy

26. Louis II of Flanders

13. Margaret III, Countess of Flanders

27. Margaret of Brabant

3. Marie of Burgundy

28. Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

14. Albert I, Duke of Bavaria

29. Margaret II, Countess of Hainault

7. Margaret of Bavaria

30. Louis I of Brzeg

15. Margaret of Brieg

31. Agnes of Głogów-Żagań

References

Stirnet.com Accessed July 29, 2007
Marek, Miroslav. "Cleves 5". Genealogy.EU. Retrieved 29 July 2007.

John I, Duke of Cleves House of La Marck Born: 16 February 1419 Died: 5 September 1481
Preceded by Adolph I	Duke of Cleves 1448–1481	Succeeded by John II
Preceded by Gerhard	Count of Mark 1448/de facto 1461–1481

Authority control	VIAF: 33154348 GND: 132254948 SUDOC: 174869983 BNF: cb14549904f (data) ULAN: 500353733

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