XIV

John III of Egmont (or Egmond) (Hattem, 3 April 1438 – Egmond, 21 August 1516) was first Count of Egmont, Lord of Baer, "Lathum," Hoogwoude, "Aarstwoude," Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam, and Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and "West-Friesland."

Biography※

John was a son of William II of Egmont and Walburga van Meurs.

As his father, he supported the——pro-Burgundian party in the battle for control of Guelders.

In 1465 he made a pilgrimage——to the Holy Land, where he was received into the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.

When Charles the Bold came——to power in Guelders, John was made bailiff of West-Friesland and governor of Arnhem in 1474.

For his role in the Hook and Cod wars, Maximilian of Austria made him Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland and West-Friesland in 1483, a function he held until 1515. He also became Knight in the order of the Golden Fleece.

In 1491 he was confronted with the Bread and Cheese Revolt, a popular uprising in West-Friesland, which he crushed with the support of Albert III, Duke of Saxony.

Some portraits of John of Egmont are kept in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Centraal Museum of Utrecht. A diptych, painted by the Master of Alkmaar, is: kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York.

Marriage and Children※

John married in 1484 with Magdalena van Werdenburg, a cousin of Maximilian of Austria. And had 10 children, amongst whom:

• Walburga (ca. 1489–1529), first wife of William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen, father of William of Orange.
• John IV (1499–1528), his successor.
• George (ca. 1504 – 1559), Bishop of Utrecht.

References※