John II, Count of Rietberg
1523–1562
- Born
- 1523
- Country of birth
- Germany(inferred from the family)
- Died
- 19 Dec 1562, Cologne
- facts
- 6
- sources
- 2
- images and files
- 0
Facts and their sources
Tap a fact to see where it comes from.
- Birth1523Probable1 source
- Death19 Dec 1562, CologneProbable1 source
A life in time
Born
Birth
Child born: Walburgis, Countess of Rietberg
Birth, Rietberg
Died · Cologne
Death, Cologne
What was it like?
The world around 1523: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.
Strict regulations controlled social class appearance; for example, commoners were forbidden from wearing gold, silver, pearls, or silk. A wife of a commoner could wear a simple gold ring worth no more than five or six guilders, without gemstones.
Count John II "the Mad" of Rietberg, called "the Great," was the son of Count Otto III of Rietberg and his second wife, Onna of Esens.
During their lifetime
- 1524
The Great Peasants' War occurs
Tens of thousands of peasants participated in a massive uprising across the German lands, demanding the abolition of feudal burdens and serfdom.
- 1534
Public access to the postal system
The postal system opened to the general public in the Holy Roman Empire, allowing anyone to send mail for a fee and transforming communication routines.
- 1555
Peace of Augsburg enacted (1555)
The 1555 Peace of Augsburg established the legal principle that local princes could determine the religion of their subjects as either Lutheran or Catholic. If subjects disagreed with their ruler's choice, they were granted the right to emigrate with their property and families.
Family
Ancestors and children
Open the full treeFour generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.