Friedrich of Saxe-Altenburg (12 February 1599,

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 best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...

– in battle: 24 October 1625,

Seelze Seelze () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approximately west of Hanover. Today Seelze mainly plays the role of a bedroom town for commuters working in Hanover. Division of the ...

) was a member of the Ernestine branch of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...

and a Duke of

Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Altenburg () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in present-day Thuringia. It was one of the smallest of the German states with an area of 1323 square kilometers and a population of 207,000 (190 ...

and Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. Friedrich is sometimes called "Friedrich the younger" to distinguish him from Prince Frederick of Saxe-Weimar, as they were both called "Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar".

Life

Frederick was the second son of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm I of Saxe-Weimar (1562–1602) from his second marriage to Anna Maria (1575–1643), daughter of

Philipp Ludwig, Count Palatine of Neuburg Philipp Ludwig of Neuburg (2 October 1547 – 22 August 1614) was Count Palatine of Neuburg from 1569 until 1614. Life Philipp Ludwig was born in Zweibrücken in 1547 as the eldest son of Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken. After his fathe ...

. After the death of his father Frederick inherited the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg jointly with his brothers Johann Philipp, Johann Wilhelm and Friedrich Wilhelm II. Their guardians were the Elector

Christian II A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Ch ...

of Saxony and their uncle, Duke Johann II. After John II died in 1605, Christian II was their sole guardian. After the

War of the Jülich Succession The War of the Jülich Succession, also known as the Jülich War or the Jülich-Cleves Succession Crises (German language, German: ''Jülich-Klevischer Erbfolgestreit''), was a war of succession in the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. The fi ...

, the brothers were

enfeoffed In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of t ...

with the Duchies of Jülich, Cleves and Berg. However, they were still minors and were only allowed to use the title and the coat of arms. In 1612, the brothers enrolled at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

to complete their education. Frederick and John Philip participated in the Princess Congress at

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNES ...

in 1614, where the inheritance alliance between Brandenburg, Hesse and Saxony was created. In 1618, the oldest brother Johann Philipp came of age and began to rule independently. The younger brothers decided to allow John Philip to continue to rule alone, when they came of age, in exchange for a

jointure Jointure was a legal concept used largely in late mediaeval and early modern Britain, denoting the estate given to a married couple by the husband's family. One of its most important functions was providing a livelihood for the wife if she became ...

. At first, this was agreed for a limited number of years. In 1624, however, the arrangement was made permanent. Friedrich went into the service of the Elector John George I of Saxony and fought in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

in Lusatia and Bohemia. From 1622, he led his own corps of troops, however, these scattered due to lack of pay. Frederick then went into the service of Duke Christian the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. During the

Battle of Stadtlohn The Battle of Stadtlohn was fought on 6 August 1623 between the armies of the Electoral Palatinate and of the Catholic League during the Thirty Years' War. The League's forces were led by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, the Protestants by ...

of 1623, Friedrich and

William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (Altenburg, 11 April 1598 – Weimar, 17 May 1662), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar. Wilhelm was the fifth (but third surviving) son of Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Dorothea Maria of Anhalt. He was brother to Bernard o ...

were captured by Tilly, who surrendered the Dukes to the Emperor. Friedrich remained imprisoned for a while. In 1624, John George I intervened and he was released. In 1625 Friedrich became a cavalry commander in Danish service. With his regiment he formed a Danish outpost in Seelze. They were attacked by Tilly and he died of a head wound.

Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut Hans Michael Elias of Obentraut (also known as ''Johann Michel Elias von Obentraut''; 1574 at the Stromburg near Stromberg – 25 October 1625 in Seelze) was a German cavalry general, who fought on the side of the Protestant Union during the Th ...

died during the same skirmish. Frederick's body was first interred in Hanover and later moved the Brothers' Church in Altenburg. He died unmarried and without heirs.

References and sources

* Johann Samuel Ersch: ''Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste'', Leipzig 1849, p. 64 ff
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedrich Of Saxe-Altenburg House of Wettin 1599 births 1625 deaths Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg