Frederick II (; 30 November 1310 – 18 November 1349) was the

margrave of Meissen This article lists the margraves of Margraviate of Meissen, Meissen, a March (territorial entity), march and territorial state on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire. History King Henry the Fowler, on his 928–29 campaign against the S ...

from 1323 until his death.

Early life

Frederick was born on 30 November 1310 in

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

. His parents were Margrave

Frederick I of Meissen Frederick I, called the Brave or the Bitten (German: ''Friedrich der Freidige'' or ''Friedrich der Gebissene''; 1257 – 16 November 1323) was Margrave of Meissen and Landgrave of Thuringia. Life Born in Eisenach, Frederick was the son of Albert ...

and Elisabeth von Lobdeburg-Arnshaugk. In 1323, under the guardianship of his mother, he succeeded his father in the

Margraviate of Meissen The Margravate or Margraviate of Meissen () was a medieval principality in the area of the modern German state of Saxony. It originally was a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, created out of the vast ''Marca Geronis'' ( Saxon Eastern March ...

and

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

Personal rule

After reaching the

age of majority The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when a person ceases to be considered a minor (law), minor, and assumes legal control over their person, actions, and decisions, thus te ...

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 (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 ...

(southwest of

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

) against Frederick II, in what would be known as the

Thuringian Count's War The Thuringian Counts' War (), or Thuringian Counts' Feud (''Thüringer Grafenfehde'') was a conflict between several ancient aristocratic families and the House of Wettin for supremacy in Thuringia. The war lasted from 1342 to 1346.

. The conflict would last up to 1346. After the death of

Emperor Louis IV Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. 20 October 1314 imperial election, Louis' election a ...

, 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 Bautzen () or Budyšin (), until 1868 ''Budissin'' in German, is a town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the Bautzen (district), district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree (river), Spree river, is the eighth most ...

both recognized the existing possession states. Frederick died on 18 November 1349 in Wartburg.

Family

Frederick II married May 1323 in

Nürnberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the largest city in Franconia, the second-largest city in the German state of Bavaria, and its 544,414 (2023) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. ...

Mathilde of Bavaria, daughter of

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. 20 October 1314 imperial election, Louis' election a ...

and had 9 children: # Elisabeth (22 November 1329 – 21 April 1375), married to

Frederick V of Nuremberg Frederick V of Nuremberg (before 3 March 1333 – 21 January 1398) was a Burgrave (''Burggraf'') of Nuremberg, of the House of Hohenzollern. Life He was the elder son of John II, Burgrave of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Henneberg. From the ...

. #Frederick (born and died 1330) # Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia # Balthasar (1336-1406) #Beatrice (1 September 1339 – 15 July 1399), nun in Weißenfels #

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

(25 February 1340 – 17 February 1382),

Bishop of Bamberg This is a list of bishops and archbishops of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and the modern Archdiocese of Bamberg in Germany. __TOC__ Bishops, 1007–1245 * Eberhard I 1007-1040 * Pope Clement II, Suidger von Morsleben 1040-1046 (Later Pope Clemen ...

# 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 Landgraves of Thuringia House of Wettin Medieval child monarchs 1310 births 1349 deaths Burials at Altzella Abbey