John III, Duke of Bavaria

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John III the Pitiless, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing (1374-1425) of the House of Wittelsbach was first bishop of Liège 1389-1418 and then duke of Bavaria-Straubing and count of Holland and Hainaut 1418-1425. John was the youngest son of Duke Albert I and Margaret of Brieg.

[edit] Biography

In 1408 a Burgundian army led by his brother-in-law John the Fearless of Burgundy supported John III against the citizens of Liège, who were in open revolt. On the field of Othée, on Sept. 23, 1408, the men of Liège were decisively defeated, and Burgundian influence was extended over the city and over the bishopric of Liège. The following executions of leading insurgents led to John's nickname "the Pitiless".

John the Pitiless, who already had rejected his holy orders before, gave up his bishopric when his niece Jacqueline became countess of Holland and Hainaut and duchess of Bavaria-Straubing in 1417. With the aid of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor John III immediately started a civil war against Jacqueline and her husband duke John IV of Brabant. John the Pitiless was also supported by the city of Dordrecht and by duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. A siege of Dordrecht was no success in 1419, so John IV of Brabant agreed to start a joint administration with John III. Jacqueline herself as a woman, did not get a share in the political responsibility. John IV of Brabant finally gave up Holland and Hainaut and left the rule to John the Pitiless. But then John the Pitiless was poisoned already in 1425.

His niece Jacqueline, who went to England in 1420 and married to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester could finally not keep Holland and Hainaut for longer also after John's death and Bavaria-Straubing was divided between the dukes of Bavaria, the major portion went to Bavaria-Munich.

John the Pitiless was known for the rich culture of his court; among the artists he engaged was also Jan van Eyck, from at least 1422-24.

In 1418, John III married Elisabeth, Duchess of Luxembourg, who was then the widow of Antoine, Duke of Brabant. No children came from this marriage.

[edit] Ancestors

Louis II, Duke of Bavaria

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Matilda of Habsburg

Albert I, Duke of Bavaria

William I, Count of Hainaut

Margaret II, Countess of Hainault

Jeanne of Valois

John the Pitiless, Duke of Bavaria

Bolesław III the Generous

Ludwik I the Fair

Margaret of Bohemia

Margaret of Brieg

Henry IV the Faithful

Agnes of Głogów

Matilda of Brandenburg

[edit] See also

• Counts of Hainaut family tree

John III, Duke of Bavaria House of Wittelsbach Born: 1374 Died: 1425
Regnal titles
Preceded by William II	Duke of Bavaria-Straubing 1417–1425	Succeeded by Ernest
	Count of Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland 1417–1425	Succeeded by Jacqueline