Count John IV of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources he is called John IV of Nassau(-Dillenburg). His official titles were Count of Nassau, Vianden and Diez, Lord of Breda. It is incorrect to refer to him as the only reigning Count of Nassau, because the County of Nassau was divided into Nassau-Beilstein, Nassau-Siegen, Nassau-Weilburg and Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein. Furthermore, there was the cadet branch of Nassau-Saarbrücken, which ruled the County of Saarbrücken. John ruled the County of Nassau-Siegen, which is erroneously called Nassau-Dillenburg in many sources. See note 2. (1 August 1410 – 3 February 1475), , official titles: Graf zu Nassau, Vianden und Diez, Herr zu Breda, was since 1442 Count of Nassau-SiegenThe County of Nassau-Siegen is erroneously called Nassau-Dillenburg in many sources. The county was not named after the small, unimportant city of Dillenburg, which did not even have a church at that time, but after the, for that time, large city of Siegen, the economic centre of the county and the counts' main residence. See Lück (1981), passim. It is also evident from the numbering of the reigning counts with the given name John. One John without regal number who ruled the County of Nassau-Dillenburg in the period 1303–1328, and eight counts by the name of John who ruled the County of Nassau-Siegen in the period 1362–1638. (a part of the County of Nassau), of Vianden and of half Diez, and Lord of and of . He descended from the Ottonian Line of the House of Nassau.
Since the death of his father, John owned many fiefs in the Netherlands, which he managed to expand.Pennings & Schreuder (1995), pp. 70–72. Through his marriage he obtained that many fiefs in the Duchy of Jülich, that he possessed of that duchy.Huberty, et al. (1981), p. 219.Lück (1981), p. 24. John was a loyal servant of the Dukes of Burgundy in the Netherlands, who was still called up for military service even when he was well into his fifties, but he was not one of the closest noble advisors.Jansen (1979), p. 30. John can best be characterised as a wealthy nobleman who faithfully fought in the campaigns for which he was called up; he was not known for spectacular deeds or revolutionary ideas. The campaigns he took part in are therefore more typical of the politics of the Dukes of Burgundy than of his own preferences and interests.Jansen (1979), p. 31. For the administration of justice, the County of Nassau-Siegen had a Schultheiß in most of the districts. The oldest preserved ordinance for the Schultheiß of the Dillenburg district is from John's reign.Becker (1983), p. 26. A not inconsiderable source of income for the Counts of Nassau-Siegen has always been the iron toll. A charter from John's reign concerning the tariffs lists the individual taxes in detail.Lück (1981), p. 61.
Biography John was born in Breda CastleDe Vries Feyens (1933), p. 14.Most of the sources do not mention a place of birth. Van Ditzhuyzen (2004), p. 151 states Dillenburg as place of birth, but that place of birth is very unlikely as his parents resided in the Netherlands in those days. on 1 August 1410Van Ditzhuyzen (2004), p. 151.Schutte (1979), p. 41.Dek (1970), p. 69.Blok (1911), p. 1218.Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 93. as the eldest son of Count Engelbert I of Nassau-Siegen and Lady Joanne of Polanen.Becker (1983), p. 12.Schutte (1979), pp. 40–41.Dek (1970), p. 67.Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), pp. 91–92.Van der Aa (1860), p. 87.
In the period between his marriage and the death of his father, John lived in the house De Herberghe in the Reigerstraat in Breda.Van Ditzhuyzen (2004), p. 152.
John was interested in religion and science and owned a library in Breda Castle. This castle was his main residence in the Netherlands, from where he managed his domains located there.
In the service of the Dukes of Burgundy John was a loyal servant of the Dukes of Burgundy, who was still called up for military service even when he was well into his fifties, but he was not one of the closest noble advisors of Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. Like his father, John was never admitted to the Order of the Golden Fleece. John can best be characterised as a wealthy nobleman who faithfully fought in the campaigns for which he was called up; he was not known for spectacular deeds or revolutionary ideas. The campaigns he took part in are therefore more typical of the politics of the Dukes of Burgundy than of his own preferences and interests.
Philip the Good, who since 1430 had been Duke of Brabant and since 1433 Count of Holland, the countries in which John's father's possessions lay, appointed John already in 1435 or 1436Van Ditzhuyzen (2004), p. 151, Dek (1970), p. 69, Blok (1911), p. 1218 and Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 93 state the year 1436. Jansen (1979), p. 30 and Schutte (1979), p. 41 state the year 1435. – so before the death of his father – as drost of Brabant. As drost, he was the highest judicial officer in the duchy who dealt with the cases that did not ressorted to a specific court. It was not a very politically sensitive office, although he could be assisted by archers on foot and horseback and received an annual payment of 600 Philippusguilders. John held this office until his death. In 1447 or 1448 John was also appointed drost (castellan) of the Land van Heusden.Van Ditzhuyzen (2004), p. 152 and Dek (1970), p. 69 state the year 1448. Schutte (1979), p. 41 and Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 93 state the year 1447.
Because of Philip the Good's interest in the Middle East, where his grandfather had suffered a grievous defeat at Nicopolis in 1396 that was still unreconciled, and the ever-increasing threat to Constantinople from the Ottoman Empire, John undertook a journey to the island of Rhodes on Philip's orders from May 1441 to February 1442, to see how the infidels could best be combated, but this led to nothing.
In the lands of Philip the Good there was still a lot of unrest, like in the County of Holland, where in the 1440s the struggle between the Hooks and Cods had flared up again. In 1445, Philip was obliged to personally put things in order and John was one of the commanders of the army. John is said to have advised to have the city councils consist of 50% Hooks and 50% Cods.De Vries Feyens (1933), p. 15. This was not a bad idea, but later historians exaggerate when they say that this ended all unrest.
More dangerous for Philip was the rebellion of the Flemish city of Ghent, which wanted to maintain its autonomy undiminished, and opposed the centralising policy of the Dukes of Burgundy. In 1452 John was part of the army that had to force the rebellious city to obedience. Also the aspirations for autonomy of the city of Liège clashed with the system of government of the Dukes of Burgundy. Formally, Liège was not even part of the Burgundian territory, but in 1456 a nephew of Philip, Louis of Bourbon, was forcibly appointed Prince-Bishop of Liège. In the same year Philip's illegitimate son David of Burgundy was appointed Bishop of Utrecht. On both occasions, John was commander of the army that had to force the newly appointed shepherds to their faithful.Jansen (1979), pp. 31–32. The citizens of Utrecht accepted the inevitable for the time being, but in Liège the unrest remained for many years, until in 1465 it came to an armed outburst. Again, John was part of the army that had to subdue the city liberties and in the Battle of Montenaken he was the commander of the victorious army division.Jansen (1979), p. 32. He was also present at the capture of Dinant in August 1466. Even during the reign of Charles the Bold, John still was, despite his advanced age, often in the field.
John's father had realised in time that the future lay with the Dukes of Burgundy; John drew the consequences and served the dukes faithfully, also by helping them to unscrupulously subdue city autonomy. This naturally benefited the position of his dynasty, from which his son Engelbert II and grandson Henry III were to benefit. They rose so high in the favour of the dukes that they could actively influence politics.
Count of Nassau-Siegen, Vianden and Diez
John succeeded his father in 1442 together with his brother Henry II.Van Ditzhuyzen (2004), p. 152 on the other hand, writes that John inherited all possessions of his father in 1442. However, the County of Vianden had already been assigned to Henry by the marriage contract on 18 May 1415. John, his brother Henry and their distant cousin Count John I of Nassau-Beilstein were granted Greifenstein Castle as a fief and a part of the proceeds from the toll in Lahnstein by Roman King Frederick III in 1442. Together with his brother, John inherited the property of their uncle Count John II with the Helmet in May 1443. On 22 February 1447 John and his brother Henry divided their possessions, whereby John received the possessions in the Netherlands, of the County of Vianden, as well as Herborn. The division treaty was signed in Cologne.
After the death of his brother in 1451, who had only one daughter, John inherited his brother's possessions and was granted the County of Diez as a fief by Archbishop of Trier on 4 November 1451. This put an end to the long-running dispute over that county between the archbishop and John's brother Henry. But this led to a conflict with his niece Ottilie of Nassau-Siegen, who also claimed her father part's of the County of Diez as her inheritance.The sources do not mention whether Ottilie also claimed her father's part of the County of Vianden. The conflict was complicated further due to the fact that another part of the County of Diez belonged to Ottilie's father-in-law Count Philip the Elder of Katzenelnbogen.
John took part in the Soest Feud at the side of Archbishop of Cologne, together with Count John I of Nassau-Beilstein, the latter's son Philip and brother Count . Philip died in that feud in 1446. John received the office of Marshal of WestphaliaSchutte (1979), p. 41, Dek (1970), p. 69 and Vorsterman van Oyen (1882), p. 93 state that John received this office in 1449 or 1450. in gratitude from the archbishop, but exchanged it for pledged Rhine tolls in 1455. The Rhine tolls had always been an important concern for the Counts of Nassau, because the iron trade and the exchange of vital goods with the Netherlands took place over the Rhine.Lück (1981), p. 26.
Approximately midway between their possessions in the Netherlands and their counties in Germany the Counts of Nassau owned a house in the city of Cologne (das achte Haus von der Goltgassenecken nach St. Cunibert hin), which made the connection between the two areas easier for them. His widespread possessions forced John to travel constantly, in order to govern his possessions well. When John was in his county, he governed it from Siegen or Dillenburg. The increasing citizenry in the city of Siegen was a thorn in John's side, but he did not succeed in enforcing any special rights there. Siegen's city privileges were co-granted by John's ancestor Count Henry I of Nassau-Siegen in 1303.Lück (1981), p. 21.