John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John V |
|
|---|---|
Woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder: Coat-of-arms of John V
|
|
| Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg | |
| Reign | 1463–1507 |
| Predecessor | Bernard II |
| Successor | Magnus I |
| Born | 18 July 1439 |
| Died | 15 August 1507 (aged 68) |
| Spouse | Dorothea of Brandenburg |
| Issue more... |
Magnus I Eric II/I John IV, Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim |
| House | House of Ascania |
| Father | Bernard II |
| Mother | Adelheid of Pomerania-Stolp |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John V of Saxe-Lauenburg (born July 18, 1439 – died August 15, 1507) was an important duke. He was the oldest son of Duke Bernard II of Saxe-Lauenburg and Adelheid of Pomerania-Stolp. John V became the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1463 after his father.
Life as Duke
After a fire, John V rebuilt the ducal castle in Lauenburg upon Elbe. This castle was first started way back in 1180–1182 by Duke Bernard I.
In 1481, John V got back a special part of his land called Land of Hadeln. This area was an exclave, meaning it was a piece of land belonging to Saxe-Lauenburg but not connected to the main territory. It had been given to the city of Hamburg as a loan security since 1407. John V paid back the 3,000 Rhenish guilders (a type of money) to get it back.
After getting Hadeln back, John V made his son, Magnus, the vice-regent (like a deputy ruler) of Hadeln. Later, in 1498, Magnus became the full regent (ruler) of the area.
The Wursten Conflict
Magnus wanted to conquer the rich Land of Wursten. This was an area of free Frisian farmers living near the North Sea. Magnus had tried to conquer it in 1484 but failed.
In 1498, Magnus convinced his father, John V, and Henry IV to help him in a second attempt. However, on September 9, 1499, the people of Wursten, along with their allies, attacked first. This attack was a "pre-emptive feud" (a fight started to prevent a bigger war). Their allies included the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, Ditmarsh, and the cities of Bremen, Buxtehude, Hamburg, and Stade.
This fight caused many losses for John V and Magnus. By December 1499, Prince-Archbishop Johann Rode of Bremen convinced Henry IV to switch sides. This left Magnus without his important ally.
Peace Agreement
A peace agreement was made on January 20, 1500. It was helped by Eric I and Henry IV. Hadeln was given back to Magnus. The people of Wursten promised loyalty to Archbishop Rode. In the end, not much had changed from before the conflict, which is called the "status quo ante".
Family and Children
On February 12, 1464, John V married Dorothea of Brandenburg. She was the daughter of Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg. John V and Dorothea had many children:
- Adelheid
- Sophia, who married Antonius of Schaumburg
- Magnus I (born January 1, 1470 – died August 1, 1543)
- Bernard, who became a canon (a type of priest) in Cologne and Magdeburg
- Eric (born 1472 – died October 20, 1522), who became a Prince-Bishop (a ruler who was also a church leader) of Hildesheim and Münster
- John (born 1483 – died November 20, 1547), who also became a Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim
- Anna von Sachsen-Lauenburg, who married John of Lindow-Ruppin
- Frederick
- Rudolph
- Henry
- Catherine, who became a Cistercian nun (a type of nun)
- Elisabeth (born 1489 – died 1541), who married Duke Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen
