John III, Count of Holstein-Plön

John III, Count of Holstein-Plön
Seal of John the Mild
Spouse(s)	Catherine of Silesia-Glogau Merislawa of Schwerin-Wittenburg
Father	Gerhard II, Count of Holstein-Plön
Mother	Agnes of Brandenburg
Born	c. 1297
Died	27 September 1359(1359-09-27)

John III of Holstein-Plön (ca. 1297–1359), called John the Mild, was a Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Plön and Holstein-Kiel, ruling Holstein-Plön (1312–1316 and again 1350–1359) and Holstein-Kiel (1316–1359). Together with Count Gerhard III of Holstein-Rendsburg John III was the lord ruling in guardianship the Danish Duchy of Schleswig 1332–1340. He was known as “John the Mild”.

Life

He was the son of Count Gerhard II the Blind of Holstein-Plön and of the Danish Queen Dowager Agnes of Brandenburg, a fact that made him a half-brother of Eric VI and Christopher II. In 1312 John and his brother Gerhard IV succeeded their father as co-ruling counts of Holstein-Plön. In 1316 John III inherited Holstein-Kiel from his father's cousin John II the One-Eyed and thus left Holstein-Plön for his brother Gerhard IV as sole ruler. A wealthy man by inheritance John very early acted as a powerful local prince funding Danish warfare and co-operating with his cousin Gerhard III.

His financial support of the Danish kings quickly made him one of their leading creditors with his chief possession in Funen. During the rebellion against Christopher II 1326 John supported Gerhard III and the Danish magnates and enlarged his Danish possessions. The growing rivalry between John III and Gerhard III led him to support the restoration Christopher as a king 1330 but the co-operation between the two half-brothers in 1331 against Gerhard III ended in a defeat. John politically survived this setback but had to accept Gerhard III as his superior.

From 1332 to 1340 John was the master of Denmark east of the Great Belt. However by 1332 he lost Scania which rebelled against the German rule submitting to the Swedish king. Though a kind of a co-ruler with Gerhard III, John did not play a very great political role and preferred to concentrate on his economic profit – like Gerhard III he was pestered by his own minor creditors. After Gerhard III's death and the collapse of Holstein-Rendsburg's rule 1340 John at first co-operated with King Valdemar IV in order to get his money back but during the following years he was slowly but surely outmaneuvered from his Danish possessions by war and by economic transactions.

In 1350 his nephew, Gerhard V, Count of Holstein-Plön, bequeathed Holstein-Plön to John. At his death he ruled his German possessions of Holstein-Plön and Holstein-Kiel, then inherited by his son Adolph IX.

In Danish tradition John is overshadowed by Gerhard III as a Holstein ruler in Denmark. In fact not much is known about John’s character but he seems to have been a clever diplomat whose ambitions owing to circumstances were gradually limited to economic demands.

Marriage and issue

John III married on 27 January 1319 Catherine (c. 1300-1323), widow of John V, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel and daughter of Matilda of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Wolfenbüttel) and Henry III, Duke of Silesia-Glogau. Catherine and John had the following children:

• Adolphus IX of Schauenburg and Holstein-Plön (d. 1390)
• Agnes of Schauenburg and Holstein-Plön (d. 1386) married Duke Eric II of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1342 or 1349.
• Matilda (Mechthild) of Schauenburg and Holstein-Plön married (after 1341) Nicholas III, Lord of Werle-Güstrow, Prince of Wenden
• Elisabeth of Schauenburg and Holstein-Plön married in 1341 Bernard II, Lord of Werle-Waren, brother of Nicholas III.

In second marriage his spouse was Merislawa of Schwerin-Wittenburg, daughter of Nicolotus I, Count of Schwerin-Wittenburg.

Ancestry

Family of John III, Count of Holstein-Plön

16. Adolf III, Count of Holstein               8. Adolf IV, Count of Holstein                       17. Adelheid of Querfurt               4. Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe                             18. Hermann II, Lord of Lippe               9. Heilwig of Lippe                       19. Oda of Tecklenburg               2. Gerhard II, Count of Holstein-Plön                                   20. Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg               10. John I, Lord of Mecklenburg                       21. Christine of Sweden               5. Elisabeth of Mecklenburg                             22. Poppo VII, Count of Henneberg               11. Luitgard of Henneberg                       1. John III, Count of Holstein-Plön                                         24. Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg               12. Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg                       25. Ada of Holland               6. John I, Margrave of Brandenburg                             26. Conrad II, Margrave of Lusatia               13. Mathilde of Landsberg                       27. Elisabeth of Poland               3. Agnes of Brandenburg                                   28. Bernard III, Duke of Saxony               14. Albert I, Duke of Saxony                       29. Brigitte of Denmark               7. Jutta of Saxony                             30. Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia               15. Agnes of Thuringia and Meissen                       31. Sophia of Bavaria

References

• Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, vol. 7, Copenh. 1980.
• Politikens Danmarkshistorie, vol. 4 by Erik Kjersgaard, Copenh. 1962.

John III, the Mild House of Schaumburg Born: ca. 1297 Died: 27 September 1359
Regnal titles
Preceded by Gerhard II the Blind	Count of Holstein-Plön 1312–1316 with his brother Gerhard IV (1312–1323)	Succeeded by Gerhard IV
Preceded by John II the One-Eyed	Count of Holstein-Kiel 1316–1359	Succeeded by Adolphus IX (aka VII)
Preceded by Gerhard V	Count of Holstein-Plön 1350–1359	Holstein-Plön merged into Holstein-Kiel