John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen

John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen
Spouse(s)	Sophie Charlotte of Salm-Dhaun
Noble family	House of Wittelsbach
Father	John Charles, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen
Mother	Esther Maria of Witzleben-Elgersburg
Born	(1698-05-24)24 May 1698 Gelnhausen
Died	Mannheim

John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen (24 May 1698 in Gelnhausen – 10 February 1780 in Mannheim) was Count Palatine and Duke of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld at Gelnhausen.

Life

John was the younger son of the Duke and Count Palatine John Charles of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen (1638-1704) from his second marriage with Esther Maria (1665-1725), a daughter of Baron George Frederick of Witzleben-Elgersburg.

He was a Feldzeugmeister in the army of the Electoral Palatinate and commander of all troops and knights of the Palatinate Order of St. Hubert. John was also a governor of Palatine Duchy of Jülich and commander of the fortress of Jülich. He mainly lived in Mannheim. After the death of his brother Frederick Bernard in 1739, he succeeded as Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen.

Marriage and issue

Johann married in 1743 in Dhaun with Sophie Charlotte (1719-1770), a daughter of the Wild- and Rhinegrave Charles of Salm-Dhaun. They had the following children:

• Charles John Louis (1745-1789)
• Louise (1748-1829)

married Count Henry XXX of Reuss-Gera (1727-1802)

• Johanna Sophie (1751-1752)
• William (1752-1837), Duke in Bavaria

married in 1780 Countess Palatine Maria Anna of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (1753-1824)

• Friederike * (1753-1753)
• Sophia (1757-1760)
• Christian (1760-1761)
• John (1764-1765)

Ancestors

Family of John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen

16. Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken               8. Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld                       17. Anna of Hesse               4. Christian I, Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler                             18. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               9. Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg                       19. Dorothea of Denmark               2. John Charles, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen                                   20. John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken               10. John II, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken                       21. Magdalene of Jülich-Cleves-Berg               5. Countess Palatine Magdalena Katharina of Zweibrücken                             22. René II, Viscount of Rohan               11. Catherine de Rohan                       23. Catherine of Parthenay               1. John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen                                         24. Job William of Witzleben               12. Eric Frederick of Witzleben                       25. Maria Magdalena of Wangenheim               6. George Frederick of Witzleben-Elgersburg                             26. George Frederick of Erffa               13. Anna Agnes of Erffa                       27. Sabina of Dohlau               3. Esther Maria of Witzleben-Elgersburg                                   28. Caspar of Hantein               14. Rudolf of Hanstein                       29. Sibylla of Hoheneck               7. Maria Magdalena of Hanstein                             30. Bernard of Bibra               15. Maria Sibylla of Bibra                       31. Sibylla of Witzleben

References

• Johann Samuel Ersch: Allgemeine Encyklopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste: in alphabetischer Folge, section 2: H–N, part 21: Johann (Infant von Castilien) - Johann-Boniten, p. 189
• Maximilian V. Sattler: Lehrbuch der bayerischen Geschichte, Lindauer, 1868, p. 412

John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausen House of Wittelsbach Born: 24 May 1698 Died: 10 February 1780
Preceded by Frederick Bernard	Count Palatine of Gelnhausen 1739-1780	Succeeded by Charles John Louis