Frederick II (; 30 November 1310 – 18 November 1349) was the
margrave of Meissen from 1323 until his death.
Early life
Frederick was born on 30 November 1310 in
Gotha. His parents were Margrave
Frederick I of Meissen and
Elisabeth von Lobdeburg-Arnshaugk
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...
. In 1323, under the guardianship of his mother, he succeeded his father in the
Margraviate of Meissen
The Margravate of Meissen (german: Markgrafschaft Meißen) was a medieval principality in the area of the modern German state of Saxony. It originally was a frontier march
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of bor ...
and
Thuringia.
Personal rule
After reaching the
age of majority in 1329, he had to pass long-term fights with the vassals and neighbours. These conflicts mainly rose due to Frederick's declaration of peace in 1338, which drastically diminished the rights and influence of the small landlords and the local rulers, and which goal was the subjugation of the latter two groups. In 1342, dissatisfied nobles, whose concerns were their rights and independence, banded together in
Arnstadt
Arnstadt () is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, on the river Gera about south of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Arnstadt is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia, and has a well-preserved historic centre with a partially preserved town ...
(southwest of
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...
) against Frederick II, in what would be known as the
Thuringian Count's War. The conflict would last up to 1346. After the death of
Emperor Louis IV, the Bavarian party tried to move him to the acceptance of the German crown, however, he mistrusted the inconstancy of his voters and rejected such strange request in favour of
Charles IV. Frederick II limited himself to consolidate his rule and to defend against the danger going out from Charles IV. At a meeting 1348 in
Bautzen both recognized the existing possession states. Frederick died on 18 November 1349 in
Wartburg.
Family
Frederick II married May 1323 in
Nürnberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...
Mathilde of Bavaria, daughter of
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV (german: Ludwig; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328.
Louis' election as king of Germany in ...
and had 9 children:
#
Elisabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...
(22 November 1329 – 21 April 1375), married to
Frederick V of Nuremberg.
#Frederick (born and died 1330)
#
Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia
#
Balthasar (1336-1406)
#Beatrice (1 September 1339 – 15 July 1399), nun in
Weißenfels
#
Louis (25 February 1340 – 17 February 1382),
Bishop of Bamberg
#
William the One-eyed
#Anne (7 August 1345 – 22 March 1363), nun in
Seußlitz
#Clara Elisabetta (born 7 August 1345)
References
Sources
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 02 of Meissen, Margrave
People from Gotha (town)
Margraves of Meissen
Rulers of Thuringia
Landgraves of Thuringia
House of Wettin
Medieval child rulers
1310 births
1349 deaths
Burials at Altzella Abbey