The Mad Count’s Antics In 1747 Johan Baptist married Maria Benonina, Countess of Lodron. Before his wedding day, he had only seen his wife on a portrait. When he saw her in the flesh during the wedding ceremony, he did not think her pretty at all. He complained with the court master, who, to the count’s dislike, went as far as praising Maria. Johan Baptist then suggested to swap wives, since the court master had a very pretty wife indeed. Much to his dismay, however, the court master did not want to part from his wife, upon which Johan Baptist climbed into the marital bed dressed in his full suit of armour and armed with two loaded pistols. After this eventful night, Johan Baptist’s weird behaviour was far from over. For no known reason, he stabbed a man to death in the town of Boxmeer and managed to hush up this brutal murder. On another occasion he had a visitor while a slater was working on the roof. He asked the no doubt flabbergasted visitor if he cared to see the slater roll over, after which he shot him from the roof. In 1757, his court master and steward finally managed to get the count arrested and jailed. By then, Johan Baptist had squandered all the family-money and was to bequeath substantial debts as well.
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