John I, Count of Waldeck

He was the second son of Count Phlip III from his second marriage to Anne of Cleves. Like his older brother Philip V, he studied at the University of Marburg from 1537. After his father's death in 1539, the inheritance was divided between John I, who became the founder of the younger Waldeck-Landau line, and his half-brother from his father's first marriage, Wolrad II, who became the founder of the younger Waldeck-Eisenberg line.

John fought on the Protestant side in the Schmalkaldic War, against Emperor Charles V. Since he had rebelled against the emperor, John and several other members of the House of Waldeck were summoned to appear in Augsburg on 26 November 1547. In Augsburg, he was sharply reprimanded by Bishop Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, who represented the Emperor. They had to beg for forgiveness on bended knees and their mother had to pay a considerable fine.

In 1550, John I married Anna, the daughter of Simon V. They had eight children: Philip VI, Francis III, Simon, Anastasia, John, Margaret, Bernard and Agnes.

In 1553, John I visited his uncle, Bishop Francis of Münster. His uncle asked him to mediate in a dispute between the Münster city council and the guilds. After this dispute had been resolved, Francis repealed the privileges he had granted to the Baptists after the Münster Rebellion. John I is mentioned in this decree.

After the Peace of Augsburg of 1555, John proposed to the other counts of Waldeck to hold a meeting with all ministers in the county to improve the Lutheran church. The counts were represented at the meeting by their councillors. Preachers from Lippe were also present; the goal was to draw up a uniform Church Order for both Lippe and Waldeck. The synod decided that visitors and superintendents should be appointed in each county. After the visitors had visited all churches, another synod was convened, where the results of the visitations were discussed and the church order was prepared. The church order was decided and was printed for the first time in 1557 in Marburg.

In 1561, Jobst Schaden, who was the governor of Volkmarsen, from the Bishopric of Cologne, invaded John's part of Waldeck. John I requested the assistance of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse. Due to an inheritance dispute, he had a troubled relationship with his mother. Duke William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg and landgrave Philip I mediated and a compromise was reached in 1561. His mother would administer the district of Arolsen until her death; after her death, the district would fall back to Waldeck-Landau. Also in 1561, he added a new entrance gate and a chancellery office to Landau Castle. After Bernard VIII died, John I became the guardian of his children.

John I died on 9 April 1567 and was buried in the city church in Mengeringhausen. An iron plate and a stone epitaph mark his grave.

• Adolph Theodor Ludwig Varnhagen: Grundlage der Waldeckischen Landes- und Regentengeschichte, vol. 2 Arolsen, 1853, p. 165 ff