John (30 June 146816 August 1532), known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant (''Johann, der Beständige''), was Elector of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

from 1525 until 1532 from 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 ...

. He is notable for organising the Lutheran Church in the Electorate of Saxony from a state and administrative level. In that, he was aided by

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

, whose "Saxon model" of a Lutheran church was also soon to be implemented beyond Saxony, in other territories of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. Luther turned to the Elector for secular leadership and funds on behalf of a church largely shorn of its assets and income after the break with Rome.Brecht, 2:260–63, 67; Mullett, 184–86. He played a part in the Protestation at Speyer.

Biography

Born in

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

, John was the fifth of the seven children of Ernest, Elector of Saxony and Elisabeth of Bavaria. From 1486 onward he was the heir presumptive of his childless brother Frederick the Wise. John received a part of the paternal inheritance and afterwards assisted his kinsman,

Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed hi ...

, in several campaigns. On his brother's death in 1525 John inherited the title of elector and as an early adherent of Luther was soon prominent among Protestant reformers. As his nickname "The Steadfast" indicates, he resolutely continued the policies of his brother toward protecting the progress of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

. Having assisted in suppressing an uprising during the German Peasants' War in 1525, John helped

Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567), nicknamed (), was a German nobleman and champion of the Protestant Reformation, notable for being one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany. He was ...

, found the League of Gotha, formed in 1526 for the protection of the Reformers. He was active at the Diet of Speyer in 1526, and signed a protest against the recess of the diet. That gave him an opportunity to reform the church in Saxony, where a plan for divine service was drawn up by Luther. Thus in 1527 the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

was established as the state church in Ernestine Saxony, with the Elector as Chief Bishop. John, who had already been a zealous

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

for some time, now exercised full authority over the Church, introduced the Lutheran Confession, ordered the deposition of all priests who continued in the Catholic faith, and directed the use of a vernacular liturgy drawn up by Luther. He was a leader of the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheranism, Lutheran Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, principalities and cities within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. It received its name from the town of Schm ...

of Protestant states formed in 1530 to defend the Reformation, and assented to the Nuremberg religious peace in 1532. As his nickname betrays, he had the same positive attitude to the Reformation as his older brother. His steadfastness and his courage to maintain his confessional position probably brought him the most fame with his contemporaries. Christian beliefs were the basis of his political decisions, which were regarded as very just. In political matters, he was often very hesitant. In his collaboration with Philip I, with whom he was closely connected by virtue of his common religious beliefs, Philip was the driving force for and outspoken advocate of a more for an aggressive foreign policy while John, on the other hand, was particularly concerned with the question of whether to defend himself as a Protestant against the Emperor. Portrait of Johann of Saxony

As the patron of Martin Luther, John maintained a very close, almost friendly relationship with the leading theologian of the Protestants. Luther often expressed a positive opinion about John, especially for his behavior at the

Diet of Augsburg The diets of Augsburg were the meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire held in the German city of Augsburg. Both an Imperial City and the residence of the Augsburg prince-bishops, the town had hosted the Estates in many such se ...

in 1530, and praised him thus: "I am sure that the Elector Johann of Saxony had the Holy Spirit. In Augsburg he proved this admirably by his confession. John said, 'Tell my scholars that they are doing what is right, praise and honor God, and take no regard for me or my country.'" By his insistence on the Protestant profession of faith, John even went so far as to dismiss those Protestant theologians who were too compliant to the Emperor. In 1529, John belonged to the princely representatives of the Protestant minority ( protestation) at the Reichstag in Speyer. In the almost 40 years that John governed as a duke over the

Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony ( or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a ...

, he was often overshadowed by the person of his brother Frederick, who, as the eldest of the

and the incumbent Elector, decisively determined the policy of Saxony. John is sometimes wrongly portrayed in the history and politics of the Electorate of Saxony as a background figure at the beginning of the Reformation, in contrast to his brother Frederick and his son and successor John Frederick. The Evangelical Church in Germany honors John's significance during the Reformation, with a memorial day in the Evangelische Namenkalender on 16 August. He died in Schweinitz. After his death he was, like his brother Frederick, buried in the famous Castle Church in

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

with a grave by Hans Vischer. He was succeeded by his eldest son Johann Frederick.

Marriage and children

In Torgau on 1 March 1500 Johann married firstly Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of

Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow (1441 – 20 November 1503) was duke of Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1477 until his death. Biography He was the son of Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg, Henry IV, Duk ...

. They had one son: # Johann Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (30 June 1503, Torgau3 March 1554, Weimar). On 13 November 1513 Johann married secondly Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen in Torgau. They had four children: # Maria (15 December 1515, Weimar7 January 1583, Wolgast), married on 27 February 1536 Duke Philip I of Pomerania-Wolgast #Margaret (25 April 1518, Zwickau10 March 1545), married Hans Buser #John (born and died 26 September 1519, Weimar) died at birth. # John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Coburg (10 May 1521, Coburg8 February 1553, Coburg). Sophie of Mecklenburg (1481–1503).jpg, Sophie of Mecklenburg (1481–1503) Lucas Cranach d. Ä. 044.jpg, Johann Frederick I Güstrow Dom - Grabmal Ulrich 3c Margarete von Anhalt.jpg, Margaret of Anhalt-Köthen Margaretha of Saxony.jpg, Maria of Saxony (1515–1589), by

Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach the Elder ( ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German ...

1521 Johann Ernst.JPG, John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Coburg 1521–1553

Ancestry

References

External links

Longer biography
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Elector of Saxony Prince-electors of Saxony House of Wettin Burials at All Saints' Church, Wittenberg People from Meissen 1468 births 1532 deaths Saxon princes Converts to Lutheranism from Roman Catholicism