Johann inherited the remainder of Rudolf's land and rights. He followed in his father's footsteps and entered a career in politics and the military. He was sent as an ambassador from the Swiss Confederation to Neuchâtel in 1511 and in 1512 met with the Duke of Savoy in Geneva and then traveled to Milan to meet with the Pope. In 1513 he led an army toward Dijon and in 1515 marched on Milan. He became the third Schultheiss in 1519 and served, with interruptions, for twenty years. In 1528, Bern adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and when the Oberland rebelled against the new faith, Johann marched as commander of an army to put down the rebellion. In the following years, he led the Protestant Bernese army in the First and Second Wars of Kappel.