John II, Duke of Cleves | |
|---|---|
.jpg) John II, Duke of Cleves | |
| Born | 13 April 1458 Cleves |
| Died | 15 March 1521 (aged 62) Cleves |
| Noble family | La Marck |
| Spouse(s) | Mathilde of Hesse |
| Issue | John III, Duke of Cleves
illegitimate 63 others |
| Father | John I, Duke of Cleves |
| Mother | Elizabeth of Nevers |
John II, "The Babymaker", Duke of Cleves, Count of Mark, (German: Johann II. "der Kindermacher", Herzog von Kleve, Graf von Mark) (13 April 1458 – 15 March 1521) was a son of John I, Duke of Cleves and Elizabeth of Nevers.[1] He ruled Cleves from 1481 to his death in 1521. He was called "The Babymaker" as he had fathered sixty-three illegitimate children[2] prior to his marriage with Mathilde of Hesse in 1489.
Pope Innocent VIII awarded John the Golden Rose of Virtue on 15 April 1489. This is remarkable in light of the fact that John, with his alleged 63 illegitimate children, had the dubious reputation of being a "child maker". From then on, John called himself "Johann von Kleve, Count of La Marck and Katzenelnbogen".
- ^ Boltanski 2006, p. 501.
- ^ La Societe Numismatique, Revue de la numismatique belge, Brussels, 1863, page 234