Jan II the Mad
| Jan II the Mad | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Spouse(s) | Katharina of Opava |
| Noble family | House of Piast |
| Father | Jan I of Żagań |
| Mother | Scholastika of Saxe-Wittenberg |
| Born | 16 April 1435 |
| Died | 22 September 1504 (aged 69) Wołów |
| Buried | Parish church in Wołów |
Jan II the Mad also known as the Bad, the Wild or the Cruel (Polish: Jan II Szalony or Zły or Dziki or Okrutny; 16 April 1435 – 22 September 1504), was a Duke of Żagań-Przewóz since 1439 (with his brothers as co-rulers until 1449), from 1449 Duke of Przewóz (as co-ruler of his younger brother), during 1461–1468 and briefly in 1472 Duke of Żagań and during 1476–1488 Duke of half-Głogów (the Duchy was finally reunited in 1480).
He was the fourth and youngest son of Duke Jan I of Żagań by his wife Scholastika, daughter of Rudolf III, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg and Elector of Saxony.
After his father's death in 1439, Jan II was still a minor and was placed with his brother Wenceslaus under the care of their older brothers Balthasar and Rudolf. The division of their domains was effective in 1449: Jan II and Wenceslaus received Przewóz as co-rulers. However, because at that time Wenceslaus was mentally ill, the full government of the Duchy was taken by Jan II.
The small Duchy of Przewóz did not satisfy the ambitions of Jan II, who demanded an equal division from his older brothers. The dispute ended in 1453, due to the mediation of Frederick of Saxony.
After Rudolf's death in 1454 and during the absence of Balthasar, who was in Prussia, Jan II declared himself Governor of the Duchy of Żagań. He then forced the Duchy states to pay tribute to him, an order that was eventually revoked when Balthasar return to Silesia in 1458.
The disputes erupted again in 1461, when Jan II, with the help of George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia invaded Żagań and deposed his brother, who was forced to escape. In the same year, after the death of his mother Scholastika, he inherited her Oprawa wdowia, the town of Nowogród Bobrzański. Seven years later, in 1468, Jan II lost Żagań, when Balthasar managed to recover the duchy, with the help of his cousin Henry XI of Głogów.
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Wikipedia