John of Görlitz
| John of Görlitz | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of John of Görlitz | |
| Spouse(s) | Richardis Catherine of Mecklenburg |
| Noble family | House of Luxembourg |
| Father | Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Elizabeth of Pomerania |
| Born |
22 June 1370 Prague |
| Died |
1 March 1396 (aged 25) Neuzelle Monastery |
John of Görlitz (22 June 1370 in Prague – 1 March 1396 in Neuzelle Monastery) was the only Duke of Görlitz.
Life
John was a son of Charles IV, from his fourth marriage with Elizabeth of Pomerania. At the age of three years, John was given the titles of Margrave of Moravia and Margrave of Brandenburg.
In 1377, raised the bailiwick of Görlitz in Upper Lusatia to a Duchy, which included eastern areas of Lower Lusatia and southern parts of the Neumark. John was the first and only Duke of this duchy. Between 1386 and 1388, he was also administrator of the Duchy of Luxembourg.
On 10 February 1388 in Prague, John married Richardis Catherine (d. 1400), a daughter of Duke Albert III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Their only child was a daughter, Elisabeth, Duchess of Görlitz and Luxembourg (1390-1451), who married, firstly, in 1409, with Duke Anthony of Brabant (1384-1415) and after his death, in 1418 with Duke John III of Bavaria.
After the pogroms in Prague in 1389, John issued a decree expelling the Jews from Görlitz, contrary to the privilege granted to the Jews in the Bautzen area by bailiff Beneš Berka z Dubé in 1383. His chancellor and closest confidant during his entire reign was Olbram of Škvorec, the Archbishop of Prague.
In 1394, the German and Bohemian King Wenceslaus IV (John's older brother) was arrested and kept prisoner (8 May - 1 August), and was only set free by the soldiers of John, who intervened for his brother. Wenceslaus signed a treaty in benefice of the German princes and left to Bohemia.
John died at the age of 25, probably poisoned, in the Neuzelle Monastery.[1] After his death, his duchy was dissolved and the pre-1377 borders were restored.
References
- Theodor Lindner (1881), "Johann, Herzog von Görlitz", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German), 14, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 216–218
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to John of Görlitz. |
Footnotes
- ↑ Paul Fahlisch: Chronik der Stadt Lübbenau im Spreewald, 2nd printing, Lübbenau, 1928, p. 12