John II (20 March 1492 – 18 May 1557) was the Count Palatine of Simmern

Palatinate-Simmern

Palatinate-Simmern was one of the collateral lines of the Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach.The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided into four lines after the death of Rupert III in 1410, including the line of Palatinate-Simmern with its capital in Simmern. This line...

 from 1509 until 1557.

John II was born in Simmern

Simmern

Simmern is a town of 8,000 inhabitants in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde...

 in 1492 as the eldest surviving son of John I, Count Palatine of Simmern. In 1508 he married Beatrix of Baden, daughter of Margrave Christopher I. He succeeded his father in 1509. John II allowed printing to be established in Simmern and was a patron of sculpture. He introduced the Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

 into Simmern which lead to increased tensions with his neighbours, the Archbishoprics of Trier

Archbishopric of Trier

The Archbishopric of Trier was a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany, that existed from Carolingian times until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Its suffragans were the dioceses of Metz, Toul and Verdun. Since the 9th century the Archbishops of Trier were simultaneously princes and since the 11th...

 and Mainz

Archbishopric of Mainz

The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...

.

Children

With Beatrix of Baden:

1. Katherine (27 March 1510 – 22 March 1572)
2. Joanna (1 July 1512 – 2 February 1581)
3. Ottilie (4 November 1513 – 6 September 1553)
4. Frederick
   Frederick III, Elector Palatine
   Frederick III of Simmern, the Pious, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach, branch Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim. He was a son of John II of Simmern and inherited the Palatinate from the childless Elector Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine in 1559...
   
    (14 February 1515 – 26 October 1576)
5. Brigitte (18 August 1516 – 13 April 1562)
6. George
   George, Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim
   George was the Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim from 1559 until 1569.George was born in 1518 to John II, Count Palatine of Simmern. In 1559 his elder brother Frederick inherited the Electoral Palatinate and gave George his old territories inherited from his father in 1557...
   
    (20 February 1518 – 17 May 1569)
7. Elizabeth (13 February 1520 – 18 February 1564)
8. Richard
   Richard, Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim
   Richard was the Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim from 1569 until 1598.Richard was born in Simmern in 1521 to John II, Count Palatine of Simmern. In 1569 he succeeded his brother George as Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim. Richard died in Simmern in 1598...
   
    (25 July 1521 – 13 January 1598)
9. Maria (29 April 1524 – 29 May 1576)
10. William (24 July 1526 – 9 March 1527)
11. Sabina
    Sabina, Duchess of Bavaria
    Sabina, Duchess of Bavaria was the daughter of John II, Count Palatine of Simmern and Beatrix of Baden.In 1544 she married Lamoral, Count of Egmont with whom she had twelve children. When her husband was arrested and accused of treason in 1567, she wrote king Philip II, the king of Spain, a letter...
    
     (13 June 1528 – 19 June 1578)
12. Helene (13 June 1532 – 5 February 1579)