John I (1249 – 30 July 1285) ruled as

duke of Saxony This article lists dukes, electors, and kings ruling over different territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 6th century to the end of the German monarchies in 1918. The electors of Saxony from John the Steadfast ...

from 1260 until 1282. John was the elder son of Duke Albert I of Saxony and his third wife Helen, a daughter of Otto the Child. John and his younger brother Albert II jointly ruled the

Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony () was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 CE and incorporated into the Carolingian Empire (Francia) by 804. Upon the 84 ...

after the death of their father Albert I in 1260. In 1269, 1272, and 1282 the brothers gradually divided their land within the three territorially unconnected Saxon areas (one called

Land of Hadeln Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in Northern Germany with its seat in Otterndorf on the Niederelbe, Lower Elbe, the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle between the estuaries of the E ...

around Otterndorf, another around Lauenburg upon Elbe and the third around

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 ...

), thus preparing a partition. As part of this arrangement John I became Burgrave of

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

in 1269. In the imperial election in 1273, Albert II represented the jointly ruling brothers. In 1270, John married Ingeborg (c. 1253–30 June 1302), possibly a daughter of

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl or Birger Magnusson (21 October 1266) was a Swedish statesman and regent, ''Swedish jarls, jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjälbo, who played a pivotal role in consolidating Sweden after the civil wars between the House of Eri ...

or King

Erik Eriksson Erik Eriksson (; 1216 – 2 February 1250), sometimes known as Erik XI or with the epithet the Lisp and Lame (), was King of Sweden from 1222 to 1229 and again from 1234 to 1250. Being the last ruler of the House of Erik, he stood in the shado ...

of Sweden.Gillingstam, Hans
"Recensioner: Gorm den gamles ättlingar."
''Personhistorisk tidskrift'' 65 (1967): 3. They had eight children, among them the following: * Helena (c. 1272–1337), married firstly to Count Günther IX of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (*?–1289*), secondly to Adolph VI, Count of Holstein-Schauenburg * Elisabeth (c. 1274– before 1306), married to Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig * John II (c. 1275–22 April 1321) * Eric I (1280/1282–1359/1361) * Albert III (c. 1281–October 1308) * Sophia (died on 13 December 1319), prioress in Plötzkau John I resigned in 1282 in favour of his three minor sons Eric I, John II and Albert III. Later John I entered the Franciscan monastery in Wittenberg, becoming its

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

(guardian), which position he held until he died. John I's sons and their uncle Albert II continued the joint rule in Saxony. John died in

.Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in: ''Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg'' e slevigske hertuger; German Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373–389, here p. 375.

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:John I, Duke Of Saxony 1249 births 1285 deaths John 01 John 01 John 01