On 24 May 1501,Joachim (1881), pp. 252–253 states the date 24 May 1500. Emperor Maximilian I forbade William II ‘the Middle’ to violate the County of Katzenelnbogen or to take violent steps against the House of Nassau. John also received some fiefs of Katzenelnbogen from the Duke of Jülich and the Abbey of Prüm. Tensions between Hesse and Nassau increased when William II ‘the Middle’ took possession of Katzenelnbogen, disregarding the rights of Elisabeth.Lück (1981), p. 34. All of John’s attempts to gain his wife’s rights were in vain, despite several amicable negotiations. To settle the matter by force against the powerful House of Hesse did not occur to him. Therefore John filed a complaint with the Reichskammergericht. In 1507 the court ruled that half the county should be awarded to Elisabeth. William II ‘the Middle’ refused to accept this judgment.
