John of Saxony (24 August 1498 in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

– 11 January 1537 in Dresden), also known as "John the Younger" or "Hans of Saxony" was Hereditary Prince of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

from the Albertine line of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...

Life

Early years

John was the eldest son of the Duke

George the Bearded George the Bearded (Meissen, 27 August 1471 – Dresden, 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism, the Albertines (headed by George) were r ...

(1471-1539), from his marriage to Barbara Jagiellon (1478-1534), daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland. Because of the good relationship between his father to the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

family, he was raised in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, together with the future Charles V. John was introduced at an early age to the business of government by his father, but he soon developed a penchant for idleness, and was more interested in good food, alcohol and parties.

Marriage and death

On 8 March 1505, George agreed with Landgrave William II of Hesse to the future marriage of George's then 7-year-old son John with William's 3-year-old daughter

Elisabeth of Hesse Elisabeth of Hesse (13 February 1539 – 14 March 1582) was a German noblewoman. She was a daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse and Christine of Saxony, daughter of George, Duke of Saxony. On 8 July 1560 she married Louis VI, Elector Pal ...

(1502-1557). She was the sister of Philip the Magnanimous. William received 25,000 guilders marriage money. The marriage took place on 20 May 1516 in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

. Elisabeth leaned towards the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

teachings and soon fell in conflict with her husband and his strict Catholic parents. John is said to have invited

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

, arguing that, if his father was adamantly against Luther, he would for Luther when he inherited the throne. After meeting Luther, and realizing that Luther would not outlive George, John became melancholic and fell ill and finally died.Friedrich Adolph Schumann, Albert Schiffner
/ref> Even at John's death bed, his wife and his father disputed religious issues. Elizabeth left

for her wittum in Rochlitz, where she introduced Lutheranism. John and Elisabeth's marriage was childless. He was buried in Meissen Cathedral and succeeded as hereditary prince of Saxony by his younger brother Frederick.

References

* Johann Samuel Ersch
General Encyclopedia of the sciences and arts in alphabetical ...
p. 201 * Martina Schattkowsky
Widow in the early modern period between royal and noble widows ...
p. 197 * Matthias Donat
The grave monuments in the cathedral of Meissen
p. 403 ff.

Footnotes

{{Authority control 1498 births 1537 deaths Crown Princes of Saxony House of Wettin Nobility from Dresden German people of Polish descent Albertine branch Heirs apparent who never acceded