August of Saxony (7 September 1589,

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 ...

– 26 December 1615,

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. ...

) 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 ...

was Administrator of the diocese of

-Zeitz.

Life

August was the youngest son of the elector

Christian I Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within ...

of Saxony (1560–1591) from his marriage to

Sophie of Brandenburg Sophie of Brandenburg (6 June 1568 – 7 December 1622) was Electress of Saxony by marriage to Christian I, Elector of Saxony. She was regent from 1591 to 1601 during the minority of their son Christian II. Biography Sophie was born at ...

(1568–1622), daughter of the elector John George of Brandenburg. His older brothers

Christian II Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...

and John George I were successively

Electors 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 ...

. From the latter August received an annual pension of 21,000 florins and the district of

Senftenberg Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. Geography Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...

. August graduated from the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...

, where

Wolfgang Hirschbach Wolfgang Hirschbach (19 January 1570, Gotha – 13 September 1620, Wittenberg) was a German legal scholar. Life Wolfgang was the son of mayor Christoph Hirschbach and his wife Anna, who was the daughter merchant Hieronymus Poppe from Gotha. ...

had been entrusted the task to guide this young nobleman in his training. During this period he held from the winter semester 1601 until 1606, the position of

Rector Magnificus A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world the rector is often the most senior official in a un ...

; the academic aspect of this office was performed by a pro-rector. He married on 1 January 1612 in Dresden to

Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 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'' (sch ...

(1593–1650), daughter of the Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. They had no children, as Elisabeth repeatedly miscarried. He died suddenly at the age of 26 in

and was buried in the

Freiberg Cathedral The Freiberg Cathedral or Cathedral of St Mary (german: Dom St. Marien) is a church of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony in Freiberg in Saxony. The term Dom, a German synecdoche used for collegiate churches and cathedrals alike, is ofte ...

Ancestors

References

* * * Heinrich August Pierer, ''Universal-Lexikon der Gegenwart und Vergangenheit'', 4th edition, Volume 2, Altenburg, 1857, p. 21. {{DEFAULTSORT:August Of Saxony House of Wettin Saxon princes 1589 births 1615 deaths Nobility from Dresden Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg alumni Albertine branch Burials at Freiberg Cathedral Sons of monarchs