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John II, Duke of Cleves

John II, "The Babymaker", Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark, (German: Johann II. "der Kindermacher", Herzog von Kleve, Graf von Mark) (13 April 1458 – 15 March 1521) was a son of John I, Duke of Cleves and Elizabeth of Nevers.[1] He ruled Cleves from 1481 to his death in 1521. He was called "The Babymaker" as he had fathered sixty-three illegitimate children[2] prior to his marriage with Mathilde of Hesse in 1489.

John's daughter, Anna

Pope Innocent VIII awarded John the Golden Rose of Virtue on 15 April 1489. This is remarkable in light of the fact that John, with his alleged 63 illegitimate children, had the dubious reputation of being a "child maker". From then on, John called himself "Johann von Kleve, Count of La Marck and Katzenelnbogen".

Marriage and issue

John married Matilda of Hesse,[3] daughter of Henry III, Landgrave of Upper Hesse and Anna of Katzenelnbogen,[4] on 3 November 1489 in Soest. They had:

With Catherine de Chaumont:

  • Hermann of Cleves seigneur d'Afnois, d'Amazy and Saligny (1458-1532), married Leonarde Perreau,[6] legitimized in 1506.[6]

With unknown mothers:

  • Helena (or Hedwig) of Cleves (1480-?), married Otto van Büren
  • Joos (Judocus) of Cleves (1485-1541)
  • Wilhelm of Cleves (c. 1495 -?)
  • Marten of Cleves
  • Hendrik of Cleves
  • Katharina of Cleves,[7] married Johann von Asschebroick[7] and secondly Johann von Loe
  • Elisabeth of Cleves, married Gobert van Bemmel
  • Dietrich of Cleves (?-1493)[7]
  • Johann of Cleves[7]
  • Adolf of Cleves, married Agnes von Hessen zu Hulhausen
  • Coat-of-arms of La Mark
    Coat-of-arms of
    La Mark
  • Coat-of-arms of Cleves
    Coat-of-arms of
    Cleves

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ Boltanski 2006, p. 501.
  2. ^ La Societe Numismatique, Revue de la numismatique belge, Brussels, 1863, page 234
  3. ^ Guenther 1985, p. 315.
  4. ^ Morby 1989, p. 135.
  5. ^ a b Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1934, p. table 38.
  6. ^ a b Castelnau, Michel de (1731). Les Mémoires de messire Michel de Castelnau, seigneur de Mauvissière, illustrez et augmentez de plusieurs commentaires & manuscrits... servans à donner la vérité de l'histoire des regnes de François II. Charles IX. & Henri III. & de la regence... de Catherine de Médicis, avec les éloges des rois, reines, princes & autres personnes illustres de l'une & de l'autre réligion sous ces trois regnes, l'histoire genealogique de la maison de Castelnau, par J. Le Laboureur,... Nouvelle édition... (in French). chez J. Leonard.
  7. ^ a b c d "Versorgung der unehelichen Kinder Herzog Johanns II. von Kleve-Mark" [Provisions for the illegitimate children of Duke John II of Kleve-Mark]. www.archive.nrw.de. Retrieved 2025-01-19.

Sources

  • Boltanski, Ariane (2006). Les ducs de Nevers et l'État royal: genèse d'un compromis (ca 1550 - ca 1600) (in French). Librairie Droz S.A.
  • Guenther, Ilse (1985). "John II, Duke of Cleves and Mark". In Bietenholz, Peter G.; Deutscher, Thomas Brian (eds.). Contemporaries of Erasmus: A Biographical Register of the. Vol. 1-3: A-Z. University of Toronto Press.
  • Morby, John (1989). Dynasties of the World: A chronological and genealogical handbook. Oxford University Press.
  • Ward, A.W.; Prothero, G.W.; Leathes, Stanley, eds. (1934). The Cambridge Modern History. Vol. XIII. Cambridge at the University Press.
John II, Duke of Cleves
Born: 13 April 1458 Died: 15 March 1521
Preceded by Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark
1481–1521 		Succeeded by