[May 3] John I, duke of Brabant

Surname: The Victorious
Parents: Henry III, duke of Brabant, and Adelaide of Burgundy

Date of Birth: circa 1252

House: Reginar
Spouse: Margaret, daughter of Louis IX, king of France, and Margaret of Provence, then Margaret, daughter of Guy, count of Flanders, and Matilda of Béthune

Predecessor: Henry IV

Reign: 1267 – 1294

Summary: A close relative of the French kings, John was not originally destined to become the ruler of Brabant & Lothier in north-eastern France. His brother, Henry IV, became mentally ill and the populace deposed him in favor of John. John's sister, Maria, was married to King Philip III of France and so he was double related and indebted to his French overlord.

John I was a warrior and in 1283 he purchased the rights to Limburg, a duchy that would enlarge his hereditary lands to nearly the size of the old Duchy of Lower Lorraine. At the Battle of Woeringen, John courageously marched into the Rhineland. He was outnumbered but defeated a loose confederacy of Rhineland countries as well as the Archbishopric of Cologne. The battle was thought to be one of the largest field battles fought in the Middle Ages, with nearly 10,000 soldiers fighting and 1,100 casualties on the side of the confederacy. For his success, he was recognized as the legitimate duke of Limburg in 1288. John's fame was universal. He was raised as the very example of a chivalric knight and good prince. He loved jousting and ballads from his time still survive to this day. Among his other acts, John was known to indulge in women and produced numerous illegitimate children. He was married to the daughter of the king of France but she died in 1272. He later married the daughter of the Count of Flanders and through her he produced his legitimate offspring. He had at least five surviving illegitimate children through various mistresses. John I died in 1294 during a marriage celebration. His tomb was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation.

Date of Death: 3 May 1294

Successor: John II

Other Monarch Deaths:

Béla IV, king of Hungary (1270)

Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1481)

Benedict IV, pope of Rome (1758)