John II, Lord of Polanen

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 43000 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.

John II of Polanen married three times.

In 1340, he married Oda of Horne-Altena (1318-1353). They had three children:

• John III, his heir
• Beatrice (c. 1344 – 1394); married Henry VIII, the son of Henry VII, Lord of Bautershem, who was also Lord of Bergen op Zoom as Henry I, and his wife, Maria Merxheim, Lady of Wuustwezel and Brecht
• Oda (c. 1351 – 15th century), married Henry III, Burgrave of Montfoort

In 1353, he married Matilda (c. 1324 – 1366), an illegitimate daughter of John III, Duke of Brabant. They had two sons:

• Dirck of the Leck (d. 1416), married Gilisje of Cralingen. He was outlawed for a while, because he was suspected of having participated in the murder of Aleid van Poelgeest
• Henry of the Leck (d. 1427), married Jeanne of Ghistelles, and was a councillor of Countess Jacqueline of Holland

In 1370, he married Margaret, a daughter of Otto, Lord of Lippe and Irmgard of the Marck. They had one son:

• Otto (d. before 20 October 1428), married before 1396 to Sophia, a daughter of Count Frederick III of Bergh-'s-Heerenberg and Catherine of Buren

• H.M. Brokken: Het ontstaan van de Hoekse en Kabeljauwse twisten, p. 414 and footnote 139 on page 227
• Vereeniging tot Uitgaaf der Bronnen van het Oud-Vaderlandsche Recht: Werken, issue 17, Kemink, 1956

• Entry at genealogieonline.nl