John, Elector of Saxony
Encyclopedia
John of Saxony known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant, was Elector
of Saxony
from 1525 until 1532. He was a member of the House of Wettin
.
, he was the fifth of the seven children of Ernest, Elector of Saxony
and Elisabeth of Bavaria
.
The deaths of his older brothers Ernest (1513) and Albert (1484) made him the heir of his brother Frederick the Wise; when he died in 1525, John inherited the title of Elector. As his nickname "The Steadfast" indicates, he resolutely continued the policies of his brother toward protecting the progress of the Protestant Reformation
. In 1527 the Lutheran Church was established as the state church
in Ernestine Saxony, with the Elector as Chief Bishop. He was a leader of the Schmalkaldic League
of Protestant states formed in 1530 to protect the Reformation.
He died in Schweinitz
. After his death he was, like his brother Frederick, buried in the famous Castle Church
in Wittenberg
with a grave by Hans Vischer. He was succeeded by his eldest son John Frederick
.
on 1 March 1500 Johann married firstly Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg. They had one son:
In Torgau
on 13 November 1513 John married secondly Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen
. They had four children:
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
from 1525 until 1532. He was a member of the House of Wettin
Wettin (dynasty)
The House of Wettin is a dynasty of German counts, dukes, prince-electors and kings that once ruled the area of today's German states of Saxony, the Saxon part of Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia for more than 800 years...
.
Biography
Born in MeissenMeissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
, he was the fifth of the seven children of Ernest, Elector of Saxony
Ernest, Elector of Saxony
Ernst, Elector of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486.-Biography:Ernst was founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of George I of Great Britain, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as well as his wife and cousin Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and their...
and Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony
Elisabeth of Bavaria-Munich was a princess of Bavaria-Munich by birth and by marriage Electress of Saxony.- Life :...
.
The deaths of his older brothers Ernest (1513) and Albert (1484) made him the heir of his brother Frederick the Wise; when he died in 1525, John inherited the title of Elector. As his nickname "The Steadfast" indicates, he resolutely continued the policies of his brother toward protecting the progress of the Protestant 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...
. In 1527 the Lutheran Church was established as the state church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in Ernestine Saxony, with the Elector as Chief Bishop. He was a leader of the Schmalkaldic League
Schmalkaldic League
The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant Reformation, its members eventually intended for the League to replace the Holy...
of Protestant states formed in 1530 to protect the Reformation.
He died in Schweinitz
Schweinitz
Schweinitz is a village and a former municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2009, it is part of the town Möckern....
. After his death he was, like his brother Frederick, buried in the famous Castle Church
All Saints' Church, Wittenberg
All Saints' Church, commonly referred to as Schlosskirche, meaning "Castle Church" — to distinguish it from the "town church", the Stadtkirche of St. Mary — and sometimes known as the Reformation Memorial Church, is a Lutheran church in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany...
in Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
with a grave by Hans Vischer. He was succeeded by his eldest son John Frederick
John Frederick, Elector of Saxony
John Frederick I of Saxony , called John the Magnanimous, was Elector of Saxony and Head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany , "Champion of the Reformation".-Early years:...
.
Marriage and children
In TorgauTorgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
on 1 March 1500 Johann married firstly Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg. They had one son:
- John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. Torgau, 30 June 1503 – d. Weimar, 3 March 1554).
In Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
on 13 November 1513 John married secondly Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen
Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen
Margaret of Anhalt was a member of the House of Ascania and was a princess of Anhalt by birth and by marriage Duchess of Saxony.- Life :...
. They had four children:
- MariaMaria of Saxony, Duchess of Pomeraniathumb|Croÿ Carpet of 1554 or 1556Maria of Saxony was a member of the Ernestine line of the house Wettin and a Princess of Saxony by birth and by marriage a Duchess of Pomerania.- Life :...
(b. Weimar, 15 December 1515 – d. Wolgast, 7 January 1583), married on 27 February 1536 to Duke Philip I of Pomerania-WolgastPhilip I, Duke of PomeraniaPhilip I of Pomerania was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast.- Life :Philip was the only surviving son of Duke George, from his first marriage to Amalie of the Palatinate. After his mother died, on 6 January 1525, he received his education at the court of his maternal grandfather in Heidelberg...
. - Margaret (b. Zwickau, 25 April 1518 – d. Weimar, 10 March 1535).
- John (b. and d. Weimar, 26 September 1519).
- John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-CoburgJohn Ernest, Duke of Saxe-CoburgJohn Ernest was a Duke of Saxe-Coburg.John Ernest was born in Coburg as the third son of John, Elector of Saxony, and his second wife Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen...
(b. Coburg, 10 May 1521 – d. Coburg, 8 February 1553).