Duke Frederick of Saxony (26 October 1473 – 14 December 1510), also known as Friedrich von Sachsen or Friedrich von Wettin, was
the 36th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1498–1510. He was the third (and youngest surviving) son of
Albert III, Duke of Saxony, and
Sidonie of Poděbrady
Sidonie of Poděbrady ( cs, Zdenka z Poděbrad; 11 November 1449 – 1 February 1510) was a duchess consort of Saxony. She was a daughter of George of Poděbrady, King of Bohemia, and his first wife Kunigunde of Sternberg. She was the twin sis ...
, daughter of
George of Podebrady.
Born prematurely seven months after
his immediate elder sibling in
Torgau, Frederick was a member of the Albertine line, the junior branch of the prestigious
House of Wettin which ruled
Saxony. Frederick should not be confused with
his cousin of the same name from the Ernestine line, who ruled the
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz.
In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...
. Frederick's older brother George had married Barbara, a sister of King
John I Albert of Poland
John I Albert ( pl, Jan I Olbracht; 27 December 1459 – 17 June 1501) was King of Poland from 1492 until his death in 1501 and Duke of Głogów (Glogau) from 1491 to 1498. He was the fourth Polish sovereign from the Jagiellonian dynasty, the s ...
.
The Teutonic Order had been in a long power struggle with Poland over
Prussia. The Order's fortunes had declined throughout the 15th century, and they hoped that selecting someone connected by marriage to the ruling
Jagiellon dynasty of Poland would strengthen their position. The young duke was elected Grand Master in 1498.
When John I Albert summoned Frederick to do
homage
Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to:
History
*Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance
*Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts
*Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
for the Order's holdings, he referred the matter to the
Imperial Reichstag. The Reichstag informed John I Albert that he could not interfere in the Grand Master's free exercise of power in Prussia. Frederick's delaying tactics were assisted by
the quick succession of three Polish kings during his 12 years in office.
Frederick died in
Rochlitz. By custom, Grand Masters of the Order did not marry, so he had neither wife nor descendants.
References
* Friedrich Borchert: "Die Hochmeister des Deutschen Ordens in Preußen." In: ''Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung'', 6 October 2001.
Official website of the Teutonic Knights(in German)
by
Guy Stair Sainty
1473 births
1510 deaths
People from Torgau
Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order
House of Wettin
People from the Electorate of Saxony
Albertine branch
{{Germany-duke-stub