John of Gorlitz ****************************************************************************************** * ****************************************************************************************** By Tomáš Velička John of Gorlitz was the youngest son of Charles IV. He was born on June 22, 1370, his moth Charles’s wife Elisabeth of Pomerania. He was therefore brother of Sigismund and stepbroth of Bohemia, Wenceslas IV. While Charles made Sigismund the monarch of Brandenburg in his t (1376 and 1377) and also negotiated a convenient wedding that enabled Sigismund to take ov Central European royal crowns (Hungarian or Polish), John’s ambitions were lower from the reserved for him the eastern part of the Brandenburg margraviate, the New Mark east from t yet the elector’s title, associated with the whole of the Brandenburg margraviate, went to also received the eastern part of Lower Lausitz, and the new duchy in Upper Lausitz, named Gorlitz for his town of residence. The latter duchy was associated with John the most; the sources agree that he considered himself the Duke of Gorlitz in the first place. The newly duchy partially followed up on the administrative division of Upper Lausitz in the 13th ce territory belonged to the Askan house of Brandenburg, but the connection was pretty loose. became the residential town for the young duke with the royal blood, and it was the first was a residence of a monarch.  The duke began to rule independently in 1383/1384 when he turned 14, which was at that tim the coming of age. In the end of 1370 and in the beginning of 1380 he lived primarily in G the later years he spent more and more time in Bohemia, at the court of his brother Wences often he stayed in Prague, but also in other destinations such as Žebrák, Karlštejn or Čes (Budweis). He, however, didn’t neglect his own countries either; in addition to Gorlitz, h Lower Lausitz and even the New Mark. In 1382 he let his brother Sigismund rule the territo tried to get the Polish crown, but in 1388, Sigismund gave the New Mark back to John. 1388 the beginning of John’s reign here. He also visited other parts of Europe, including Luxem stayed at Sigismund’s in Hungary. In 1388, John married Richardis Catherine, daughter of Albert III, Duke of Mecklenburg and This is a clear legacy of Charles’s politics, who focused on the northern part of the empi years, and this was where he tried to find a wife for his youngest son (even though the fi Euphemia of Mecklenburg). The central point of John’s reign was Gorlitz – this is where he established his court, wh course accompanied him on his travels. Some of them were Bohemian aristocrats (Anselm of R Dubá), others were noblemen from Upper Lausitz, or even clergymen. In Gorlitz, John regula festivals with tournaments, very popular among the important members of other dynasties (e Silesian counts). John’s most notable intervention to the Bohemian history came in spring/summer 1394 when h his brother Wenceslas, then arrested by the aristocrats. Wenceslas ordered to write fierce addressed to various lands of the crown, calling for defense of the lawful king. He put co expenses into building an army that should liberate the King of Bohemia, at that time impr Austria. The campaign was successful in the end, but rather costly for John, due to the ne troops. Wenceslas then appointed John the judge of the imperial court, so his activities h the Empire. In 1395, the relationships between the two brothers became probably worse. In the end of his rather short life, John of Gorlitz befriended Wenceslas’s opponent – Pra John of Jenstein. His relationships with his residential town of Gorlitz also became diffi years, he seldom went there. However, his bad reputation, reflected in local historiograph age, probably developed later. The duke of Gorlitz died unexpectedly on March 1, 1396, in Neuzelle Monastery in Lower Lau of his death are still unknown. The sudden death probably caused speculations and rumors a poisoned, which was typical for similar cases in the Middle Ages. Whatever was the cause, young duke ended abruptly at only 26 years of age. Both his brothers outlasted him by doze due to his short life, John is a bit forgotten and neglected son of Charles IV. However, h went far beyond the territory allocated for him by his father, and he left an indelible tr residential town Gorlitz as well. Bibliography: BOBKOVÁ, Lenka – BARTLOVÁ, Milena. Velké dějiny zemí Koruny české IV.b (1310-1402). Praha: BOBKOVÁ, Lenka – ŠMAHEL, František, a kol. Lucemburkové: česká koruna uprostřed Evropy. Pr SPĚVÁČEK, Jiří. Václav IV. 1361-1419: k předpokladům husitské revoluce. Praha: Svoboda, 19