A duke, for Pete's sake ...

Yep, terrible for a contrarian isn't it ? And the further one goes back, the more horrors one discovers in one's family tree.

But I am lucky : good duke Jan was a contrarian too. He should never have been the duke of Brabant to start with (he was called upon to replace his mentally disturbed older brother). He extended his duchy and was a good administrator and the object of many a legend. He liked hunting and tournaments (he died in one) ; he was an amateur of beer - see the horn in his hand and the big pot at his side - and he wrote poetry and songs, some of which have survived to the present time.

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If you want to know more : http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_I_van_Brabant.