Count Palatine John Casimir was born in
Simmern as the third son of
Frederick III, Elector Palatine, and
Marie of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, of the
Simmern middle electoral line of the
House of Wittelsbach. In 1564 John Casimir suggested himself as a bridegroom for
Elizabeth I of England and sent her his portrait via the Scottish courtier
Sir James Melville. Elizabeth, however, showed no interest in him. On 26 November 1568 he was engaged to the 16-year-old Lutheran
Elisabeth of Saxony, a daughter of
Augustus, Elector of Saxony and his first wife
Anne of Denmark. The wedding took place in
Heidelberg on June 6, 1570. The marriage was political, as John Casimir wanted to link
Calvinism to Saxony through the marriage. Their marriage turned out to be unhappy, and not only because of religious differences. John Casimir ordered his wife under
house arrest accusing her of adultery. Elisabeth gave birth to six children, three of whom were stillborn; the other three were daughters. She died in prison on April 2, 1590. of John Casimir encircled by the
Order of the Garter. . The text reads
"Ioannes Casimirus Palatinus Rheni Dux Bavariæ Etc." From March 1571, Johann Casimir resided in
Kaiserslautern for a decade. When his father died in 1576, he ordered in his will that the
Palatinate was to remain
Calvinist. His son,
Louis VI, inherited the main part of the Palatinate, including
Heidelberg, and John Casimir inherited a smaller portion, which became the independent
Count Palatine of Lautern (essentially consisting of the city of
Kaiserslautern and surrounding area). John Casimir's brother Ludwig, who had been secretly raised by his mother as a
Lutheran, did not honor his father's wish and instead supported Lutheranism. Many professors of theology, including
Zacharias Ursinus, left the
Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg and were welcomed to Lautern by Johann Casimir who built the
Collegium Casimirianum in Neustadt as a substitute university for them in 1578. John Casimir was in regular contact with
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and his nephew
Sir Philip Sidney who, as agent for
Elizabeth I, was sent to the continent to assist in the formation of a Protestant league. In 1576, John Casimir entered France leading four thousand troops. As a result of this campaign, he was made
duc d’Étampes by
Henry III of France for a few months, in 1576–1577. This was a theoretical position, as he never actually visited his French duchy. He visited England in 1579 to seek the Queen's financial support for his campaigns on behalf of the
United Provinces. In February 1579 the Earl of Leicester took him to
Oxford and he was entertained for three weeks at the English court. He hunted deer in
Hyde Park. When he left, the Queen gave him gold plate and the Earl of Leicester gave him gifts of hawks, hounds, and hunting equipment, the
Earl of Pembroke sent a gold chain. From 1583 to 1592 Casimir acted as
regent for his nephew
Elector Frederick IV. ==Issue==