John II, Lord of Polanen


John III, Lord of Polanen was Lord of Polanen, Lord of De Lek and Lord of Breda.

Life

He was a son of John I, Lord of Polanen and Catherine of Brederode. He succeeded his father in 1342 and also took over his father's position as councillor of the Count of Holland and Zeeland. In the autumn of 1343, he accompanied Count William IV on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He also participated in a crusade against the Prussians, but not in the campaign against the West Frisians, so that he was not present when William IV was killed during the disastrous Battle of Warns. In 1350, John II and his uncle William of Duivenvoorde travelled to Hainaut to pay homage to Countess Margaret II. In this way, they supporte the Hook faction in the Hook and Cod wars.
In 1339, John purchased the Lordship of Breda and built Breda Castle, together with his father. Somewhere between 1347 and 1350, John was appointed Burgrave of Geertruidenberg. In 1350, he purchased the Land of Breda for florins from John III, Duke of Brabant. He also acquired high justice over Breda.
During the Hook and Cod wars, he lost his castle in Polanen and the Lordship of De Lek. In 1358, he was compensated with other fiefs and possessions. In this period, he concentrated his efforts on extending his holdings in the Breda area.
John II was captured during the Battle of Baesweiler in 1371. He was released several months later, after his relatives had paid a ransom. In 1375, he was appointed stadtholder of the Great Holme.
John II died in 1378 and was buried in the Church of Our Lady in Breda.

Marriages and issue

John II of Polanen married three times.
In 1340, he married Oda of Horne-Altena. They had three children:
In 1353, he married Matilda, an illegitimate daughter of John III, Duke of Brabant. They had two sons:
In 1370, he married Margaret, a daughter of Otto, Lord of Lippe and Irmgard of the Marck. They had one son: