Background
His father, Edzard the Great, had introduced primogeniture in the county of East Frisia, so that his older brother Enno II of East Frisia inherited the county alone and he had to hold back.
His father, Edzard the Great, had introduced primogeniture in the county of East Frisia, so that his older brother Enno II of East Frisia inherited the county alone and he had to hold back.
Despite his ambitions, he always acknowledged his brother"s rights and did not dispute the inheritance. After his father"s death, he joined the imperial army. Johan was unable to distinguish himself, and also took some unwise and ill-advised actions, such as those that lead to the Guelders feud.
This attempt was cut short when Enno died in 1540.
Johan had an endless series of conflicts with Anna. In 1538, Johan married Dorothea of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Maximilian I. In 1543, Emperor Charles V reminded Johan of the fact that he was still, technically, in the imperial service.
Charles appointed Johan as stadtholder of the Duchy of Limburg, Falkenburg and Dalheim. From that time onwards, Johan was colloquically called Count Johan of Falkenburg.
His descendants lived at Coldeborg Castle in the Rheiderland and were financially supported by the counts of East Frisia.