The chapters had elected John of Bronkhorst, but Pope Benedict XII had appointed Nicola Capocci.
The eventual appointment of John of Arkel as bishop was due to the influence of Count William IV of Holland.
He was supported in these actions by the city of Utrecht, which understood that without a strong central authority, the minor nobility had free rein, which had resulted in the appearance of robber barons and pirates.
John of Arkel, who had moved to Grenoble in 1343 to save the costs of a household, was called back by his brother and deputy Robert of Arkel in 1345, when Count William IV of Holland decided to deal with the wayward city of Utrecht by sending a large force, besieging the city on 8 July.
He loaned the entire Oversticht, except for Vollenhove, to Frederick Eese, who had helped him defeat the Zutphen bannerlord Gijsbrecht of Bronkhorst, in order to pay him off.
Moreover, the Pope sent a mandate to seize John's goods, because he had not paid the Serviti, or papal confirmation tax.
Following the Protestant Reformation, parts of his tomb were incorporated in a fence that seals off a chapel named after him.