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John Casimir of Saxe-Coburg (
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 ...
, 12 June 1564 –
Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...
, 16 July 1633) was the
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
of Saxe-Coburg. He was a descendant 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 ...
. Under his rule, the town of Coburg prospered and many
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
buildings were erected that still remain today.


Youth

John Casimir was born at Grimmenstein Castle 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 ...
on 12 June 1564 as the third son of Duke John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony and his wife Countess Palatine Elisabeth of Simmern-Sponheim. Because of the Holy Roman Empire's sanctions (''
Reichsexekution In German history, a ''Reichsexekution'' (sometimes "Reich execution" in English) was an imperial or federal intervention against a member state, using military force if necessary. The instrument of the ''Reichsexekution'' was constitutionally a ...
'') against Gotha, his father lost his dominions and freedom on 15 April 1567. Subsequently, John Casimir lived with his brothers, Frederick Henry (who died in 1572 at the age of 11) and
John Ernest John Ernest (May 6, 1922 – July 21, 1994) was an American-born constructivist abstract artist. He was born in Philadelphia, in 1922. After living and working in Sweden and Paris from 1946 to 1951, he moved to London, England, where he lived and w ...
, and their mother, first in
Eisenach Eisenach () is a Town#Germany, town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hesse, Hessian re ...
, then at the court of the children's guardian, their uncle John William,
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, and finally in
Eisenberg, Thuringia Eisenberg () is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Saale-Holzland. Neighboring municipalities are Jena ( in west) and Gera ( in south east). West of Eisenberg runs the motorway A 9 from Berlin to Munich. A tradition ...
. In 1570 the Diet of Speyer restored to the brothers the rights and privileges of their father. Two years later, in the summer of 1572, their mother moved to
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
to join her husband in captivity. A few months later, on 6 November 1572, her two sons were awarded by the Division of Erfurt the Principality of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach. The Principality consisted of southern and western areas of
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 ...
, including the cities of Eisenach, Gotha and
Hildburghausen Hildburghausen () is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the Hildburghausen district. Geography It is situated in the Franconian part of Thuringia south of the Thuringian Forest, in the valley of the Werra River. The town centre ...
. The additional guardians of the children were
John George, Elector of Brandenburg John George of Brandenburg (; 11 September 1525 – 8 January 1598) was a prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1571–1598). Early life Born as a member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the son of Joachim II Hector, Elector ...
(since 1578 Margrave George Frederick of Brandenburg-Anspach) and the material grandfather, Frederick III, Elector of the Palatinate, and also the enemy of his father,
Augustus, Elector of Saxony Augustus (31 July 152611 February 1586) was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586. First years Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third (but second surviving) son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He c ...
, who supervised the education of John Casimir as well as the regency of the new Principality in Coburg. John Casimir and his brother moved to Coburg on 5 December 1572. His guardians undersigned in the name of John Casimir the
Formula of Concord Formula of Concord (1577) (; ; also the "''Bergic Book''" or the "''Bergen Book''") is an authoritative Lutheran statement of faith (called a confession, creed, or "symbol") that, in its two parts (''Epitome'' and ''Solid Declaration''), makes up ...
(''Konkordienformel'') of 1577 and the
Book of Concord ''The Book of Concord'' (1580) or ''Concordia'' (often referred to as the ''Lutheran Confessions'') is the historic doctrinal standard recognized as authoritative by many Lutheran church bodies since the 16th century. It consists of ten creeda ...
(''Konkordienbuch'') of 1580, the two authoritative statements of the
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 ...
faith. Between 1578 and 1581 Johann Casimir studied 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 ...
. On 6 May 1584 he became engaged, without the consent of his father, to Anna, the daughter of Augustus of Saxony, whom he married on 16 January 1586 in
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
. Only after the death of the Elector Augustus of Saxony on 11 February 1586 was Duke John Casimir able to undertake the government of the Principality with the assistance of his brother, John Ernest.


Reign

In 1596 the brothers divided the Principality in two. John Ernest was given the Principality of Saxe-Eisenach and Casimir continued to reign alone in Coburg. His dominions were composed of the districts of Coburg with the subdivisions of Lauter, Rodach and Gestungshausen bei Sonnefeld, Heldburg with a subdivision of Hildburghausen,
Römhild Römhild () is a town in the Hildburghausen (district), district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 14 km west of Hildburghausen, and 21 km southeast of Meiningen. On 31 December 2012, it merged with the former muni ...
,
Eisfeld Eisfeld is a town and a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...
, Schalkau,
Sonneberg Sonneberg () in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg. Sonneberg became known as the "world toy city", and is home ...
, Neustadt, Neuhaus, Mönchröden and
Sonnefeld Sonnefeld () is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Districts of Germany, district of Coburg (district), Coburg in States of Germany, Bavaria in Germany. Geographical Location Sonnefeld lies on Bundesstraße 303 between Coburg and Kr ...
. Under John Casimir, the city of his residence, Coburg, had its first cultural peak with a boost to construction. The
Schloss Ehrenburg Ehrenburg Palace (German: ''Schloss Ehrenburg'') is a palace in Coburg, Franconia, Germany. It served as the main Coburg residence for the ruling princes from the 1540s until 1918. The palace's exterior today mostly reflects Gothic Revival style. ...
was rebuilt in the
Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
as the ''Stadtschloss'' (town castle). The former Schloss Callenberg was expanded into a hunting lodge; its chapel was consecrated in 1618 as the first Protestant sanctuary in Coburg. The
Veste Coburg The Veste Coburg (Coburg Fortress) is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses of Germany. It is situated on a hill above the town of Coburg, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. Geography Location Veste Coburg dominates the town of C ...
was converted to a ducal fortress, and the arsenal as well as the government buildings (''Stadthaus'') were rebuilt at the ''Marktplatz'' (Market Square). The
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
of Morizkirche was gifted a huge Renaissance epitaph by John Casimir in 1598 in honor of his parents – a 12-meter-tall (39-feet-tall) alabaster monument with a richly sculptured series of pictures. In addition, he founded the Gymnasium Casimirianum, extended the castle’s library to include his inheritance of book collections and in 1603 hired the composer Melchior Franck as the ''Hofkapellmeister'' (court master of music). The court’s household, for a time, held 213 people and 130 horses. Politically, John Casimir succeeded in getting the ''Reichsritterschaft'' (Community of the Imperial Knights) to submit to his sovereignty by guaranteeing their jurisdiction over their country estates. He issued the order to establish the State Lutheran Church with the Duke as the ''summus episcopus'' (Latin, “highest bishop”), a tactic later adopted by many of the Thuringian states. As the only supreme authority of justice and religion in the Principality, IN 1589 he built an ''Hofgericht'' (Special Court for the Nobles), an ''Appellationsrat'' (Court of Appeals), a ''Schöppenstuhl'' (Court of Justice) and in 1593 added a
consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...
for the Lutheran Church which also covered
Saxe-Weimar Saxe-Weimar () was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia. The chief town and capital was Weimar. The Weimar branch was the most genealogically senior extant branch of the House of W ...
but remained in
Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
. Above all, he built an administrative apparatus in his government in Coburg which persisted after his death and survived many political upheavals. Duke Casimir managed to remain neutral 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 European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...
until 1631. After he joined the Protestant side under
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, the Imperial and Bavarian troops under
Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...
carried out the occupation of Coburg and the unsuccessful siege of the Veste in 1632. During his reign, witch trials and burnings were at their height. He allowed 178 witch trials to proceed. In 1593 Duke John Casimir divorced his first wife for adultery and he then held her captive until her death at the Veste. In 1599, he married Margaret, the daughter of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He had a marriage medal struck in honor of his bride. John died in Coburg on 16 July 1633. Because he was childless, his inheritance fell to his brother John Ernst of Saxe-Eisenach. He is buried in Morizkirche at Coburg. His coffin is in the crypt below the church.


Ancestry


References


Literature

* (de) Thomas Nicklas: ''Das Haus Sachsen-Coburg – Europas späte Dynastie'' (The House of Saxe-Coburg – Europe’s Last Dynasty). Stuttgart,
Kohlhammer Verlag W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart. History Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-la ...
, 2003, . * (de) Gerhard Heyl:
Johann Casimir
In: ''
Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...
'' (NDB), ''Band 10'' (New German Biography DB Volume 10). Berlin, Duncker & Humblot, 1974, p. 531 ff. * (de) August Beck
Johann Casimir (Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg)
In: ''
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB; ) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences between 1875 and 1912 in 56 volumes, printed in Lei ...
'' (ADB), ''Band 14'' (General German Biography DB Volume 14). Leipzig, Duncker & Humblot, 1881, pp. 369–372. * (de) ''Herzog Johann Casimir von Sachsen-Coburg 1564 - 1633; Ausstellung zur 400. Wiederkehr seines Geburtstages'' (Duke John Casimir of Saxe-Coburg 1564 - 1633; Exhibition of the 400th Anniversary of His Birth); October–November 1964 (exhibition catalog), edited by the Art Collections of the Veste Coburg. * Hans-Joachim Böttcher: WENIG UND BÖS WAR DIE ZEIT MEINES LEBENS - Anna von Sachsen (1567-1613), Dresden 2016, .


External links

*
Herzog Johann Casimir von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha
{{DEFAULTSORT:John Casimir of Saxe-Coburg, Duke 1564 births 1633 deaths 17th-century people from the Holy Roman Empire People from Gotha (town) House of Wettin Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach Dukes of Saxe-Eisenach Dukes of Saxe-Coburg