John IV of Chalon-Arlay
| John IV lord of Arlay, prince of Orange |
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Blason of the Chalon Orange family
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| Spouse(s) | Jeanne de Bourbon Philiberte de Luxembourg |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | House of Chalon-Arlay |
| Father | William VII lord of Arlay, prince of Orange |
| Mother | Catherine of Brittany |
| Born | c. 1443 |
| Died | 15 April 1502 |
| Buried | Convent of Cordeliers Lons-le-Saunier, County of Burgundy |
John IV of Chalon-Arlay or John of Chalon (c. 1443-15 April 1502) was a prince of Orange and lord of Arlay. He played an important role in the Mad War, a series of conflicts in which aristocrats sought to resist the expansion and centralisation of power under the French monarch.
He was the son of William VII of Chalon and the father of Philibert of Chalon and Claudia of Châlon. He was also the nephew of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and thereby a first cousin to Anne, Duchess of Brittany who would marry two French kings to become their Queen Consort.
John incurred the enmity of King Louis XI of France when he supported the interests of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. After the defeat and death of Charles, Louis confiscated much of John's property. John's subsequent attempt to marry Charles's widow to Maximilian of Austria led to his exile from France.
Nephew of Duke Francis II of Brittany, John IV now took an active role in the affairs of the duchy, prompted by Maximilian. An enemy of Pierre Landais, the duke's chief minister, John IV attempted to organise a coup against him, which failed. The duke confiscated his Breton properties. With king Louis now dead, John created an alliance with the new regent of France, Anne of Beaujeu. With her support, he was later able to force Francis to dismiss Landais, who was then convicted of various crimes in a show trial, tortured, and executed. John now became one of the main decision makers in the duchy. He advised Francis to marry his heir Anne to Maximilian of Austria, as a counterbalance to French influence, but the French invaded the duchy. This act of marriage contravened the rights of the King of France to approve Anne's marriage under the treaties which had ended the wars between the Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Brittany.
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