John IV
- Also called:
- Earl of Richmond
- Byname:
- John of Montfort, or John the Valiant, or the Conqueror
- French:
- Jean De Montfort, or Jean Le Vaillant, or Le Conquérant
- Born:
- c. 1340
- Died:
- Nov. 1, 1399, Nantes, Fr.
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Joan of Navarre
John IV (or V) (born c. 1340—died Nov. 1, 1399, Nantes, Fr.) was the duke of Brittany from 1365, whose support for English interests during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) nearly cost him the forfeit of his duchy to the French crown. The instability of his reign is attributable not only to his alliances with England but also to his imposition of harsh taxes on his subjects.
John was educated at the court of King Edward III of England. He ended the War of the Breton Succession in September 1364 by defeating Charles of Blois at Auray; he was recognized as duke of Brittany by King Charles V of France in the Treaty of Guérande (April 12, 1365). John secretly aided Edward’s cause in 1370, giving the English soldier Robert Knowles a haven in Brittany when Knowles faced defeat at the hands of French forces. In 1372, after making an alliance with Edward, John was granted the earldom of Richmond for allowing the English to garrison his fortresses in Brittany.
After the French drove the English from most of the duchy, however, John fled to England (April 1373). Charles’s confiscation of John’s property in 1378 met with condemnation from the people of Brittany, but John lost this support when he made an alliance with King Richard II of England in 1380. He managed to reverse his loss by making peace with the regents for King Charles VI through the second Treaty of Guérande (Jan. 15, 1381). In 1392 he was again in ill repute with the crown for instigating an assassination attempt on Charles VI’s constable of France, Olivier de Clisson, with whom he had had a long personal feud.