John I, Duke of Brabant

John I
Duke of Brabant Duke of Lothier Duke of Limburg
Spouse(s)	Margaret of France Margaret of Flanders
Issue
John II, Duke of Brabant Margaret, Holy Roman Empress Marie, Countess of Savoy
Detail Titles and styles
The Duke of Brabant, Lothier and Limburg
Noble family	House of Reginar
Father	Henry III, Duke of Brabant
Mother	Adelaide of Burgundy
Born	1252
Died	31 May 1294

John I, Duke of Brabant going to battle from the Codex Manesse.

John I of Brabant, also called John the Victorious (1252/1253 – 3 May 1294) was Duke of Brabant (1267–1294), Lothier and Limburg (1288–1294).

Life

Born at Leuven, he was the son of Henry III, Duke of Brabant and Aleidis of Burgundy, daughter of Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy. He was also an older brother of Maria of Brabant, Queen consort of Philip III of France. In 1267 his older brother Henry IV, Duke of Brabant, being mentally deficient, was deposed in his favour.

His greatest military victory was the Battle of Woeringen, by which John I came to reign over the Duchy of Limburg. He was completely outnumbered in forces but led the successful invasion into the Rhineland to defeat the confederacy. In 1288 Limburg was formally attached to Brabant.^[1]

John I was said to be a model of feudal prince: brave, adventurous; excelling in every form of active exercise, fond of display, and generous in temper. He was considered one of the most gifted princes of his time.^[1] This made him very popular in Middle Ages poetry and literature. Even today there exists an ode to him, so well-known that it was a potential candidate to be the North Brabant anthem. John I delighted in tournaments and was always eager to take part in jousts. He was also famous for his many illegitimate children.^[1]

On 3 May 1294 at some marriage festivities at Bar-le-Duc (now France), John I was mortally wounded in the arm in an encounter. He was buried in the church of the Minderbroeders in Leuven, but since the Protestant iconoclasm (Beeldenstorm) in 1566, nothing remains of his tomb.

Family and children

He was married twice. First, on 5 September 1270 to Margaret of France, daughter of Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence. She took the title of Duchess of Brabant. In this marriage he had a son, but both died shortly after birth.

Second, he married 1273 to Margaret of Flanders (d. 3 July 1285), daughter of Guy, Count of Flanders and had the following children:^[1]

1. Godfrey (1273/74 – aft. 13 September 1283).
2. John II of Brabant (1275–1312).
3. Margaret (4 October 1276–14 December 1311, Genoa), married 9 June 1292 to Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
4. Marie (d. after 2 December 1338), married to Count Amadeus V of Savoy.

One of John's illegitimate children was Jean Meuwe, Seigneur of Wavre and Dongelberg.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "John I of Brabant", Encyclopædia Britannica, p. 445, Retrieved 6 October 2009.
2. ^ "Messager des sciences historiques...", p. 194, Retrieved 6 October 2009.

See also

• Dukes of Brabant family tree
• Hertog Jan

Regnal titles
Preceded by Henry IV	Duke of Brabant and Lothier 1267–1294	Succeeded by John II
Preceded by Reginald I of Guelders	Duke of Limburg 1288–1294

Persondata
Name	Brabant, John I, Duke Of
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	1252
Date of death	31 May 1294
Place of death