John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt
John (German: Johann von Pfalz-Neumarkt) (1383 – 14 March 1443) was the Count Palatine of Neumarkt from 1410 until 1443.
Life
John was born in Neunburg vorm Wald in 1383 as the second surviving son of Rupert III of the Palatinate, King of Germany. In 1407 he married Catherine of Pomerania, the daughter of Duke Warcislaw VII of Pomerania-Stolp. In 1410 after the death of his father, the territories of the Palatinate were divided between his four sons; John received the Upper Palatinate, a territory he had governed since 1404, with its capital at Neumarkt. John immediately began the construction of a new castle and several churches, and the economic boom caused by the establishment of his government at Neumarkt lead the town to have its golden age. Other cities were not neglected, and both Sulzbach and Neunburg were fortified.
John was an ardent supporter of King Sigismund and used his support to try and further his territories. He came into conflict with his brother Louis, the Elector Palatine, who ruled some territories of the Upper Palatinate around Amberg. In 1415 he joined the Parakeet Society against Duke Louis VIII of Bavaria-Ingolstadt, and remained a member after it transformed into the League of Constance. He was embroiled in the Hussite Wars from 1419 until 1434. He became a long-standing member of the court of Denmark against the influence of the Margraves of Nuremberg, a fact which lead to the eventual crowning of his son Christopher as the King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
John died in Kastl in 1443 and was buried in Neunburg vorm Wald.
Marriage
John married Catherine of Pomerania (c. 1390 – 4 March 1426) on 15 August 1407 and had the following children:
- Margaret (1408)
- Adolph (1409–1409)
- Otto (1410)
- John (1411)
- Frederick (1412)
- John (1413)
- Christopher (26 February 1416 – 5 January 1448)
References
This page incorporates material from history.wikia.com, released as GFDL