Johann I of Alessandri
File:JohannAlessandri.jpg His Majesty King Johann I | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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His Majesty King Johann I (Johann Karl Leopold Ludwig Ernest Andreas), (October 2, 1650 - December 3, 1665) (1665 DE) was the sixth child of King Eduard IV and Queen Frances of Alessandri.
Childhood
Prince Johann was born at Neues Palais on October 2, 1650. From the offset, he was marked different from his siblings. He did not say his first words until he was almost 16 months, and did not respond to his name. He would scream and cry when brought to his parents, and as he grew up, was very easily distracted and tended to wander off for hours at a time. He was described as very emotional and fragile, and would burst into tears for no apparent reason, then stop just as spontaneously as he'd begun. He did not excel at any of his studies, and did not successfully learn to read until he was almost ten. Palace observers reported that he was spoiled, lazy and inclined to be cruel. He shared a room and a nanny with his younger brother Peter, but the brothers did not get along. Their nanny favoured Peter, marking him to be the "most cleverest of all these children," and was rather neglectful towards Johann. His shortcomings have been linked to autism, something that was not detected until he was entering his teens. His mother reportedly simply thought he was "slow."
Johann's condition was worsened by the neglectful attitude that his nurse showed towards him. His digestion was poor and he was frequently ill. He was often sent to Dessau near the sea, and became attached to the naval lifestyle. He lived with a small household near the Naval Base and often awoke with the bugle and dressed in the naval costume and attempted to practise drills. His parents were content to leave him in Dessau where he was at least free from the restraints of palace life. However this was abruptly changed when his brother Georg died in March of 1665.
Reign
Johann was abruptly moved to Jetternacht and proclaimed king. The sudden change severely disturbed him and he was deemed unsuitable to rule. As the next in line for the throne, Prince Peter, was still a minor, their mother, Queen Frances, ruled as a temporary Regent.
Death
Unlike his other brothers, who were murdered, Johann died on his own accord, probably a direct cause of his autism. He was reported missing on December 2 from his bedroom and feared kidnapped. However, the following morning he was found half-buried in a snow mountain built by the royal children the previous week. His tendency to wander had led him to the mountain and from the looks of it, he had attempted to crawl through it. The cause of death was hypothermia. He was buried at the Royal Masoleum near Schloss Hanover.
| Preceded by: Georg I |
King of Alessandri 1665 |
Followed by: Peter I |
