Christian II (Saxony)

Christian II

Duke Friedrich Wilhelm I of Saxe-Weimar led the reign until 1601 when Christian II was a minor

Grand armor of Christian II.

Christian II (born September 23, 1583 in Dresden ; † June 23, 1611 ibid) was from the Albertine line of the Wettins and since 1591 Elector of Saxony .

Life

Christian was the eldest son of Elector Christian I of Saxony (1560–1591) from his marriage to Sophie (1568–1622), daughter of Elector Johann Georg von Brandenburg . After the early death of his father, Christian, still a minor, became elector of Saxony in 1591. His mother raised her son strictly Lutheran and otherwise kept him away from government affairs. The regency was led by the Ernestine Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Saxe-Weimar , but Christian's mother, in cooperation with the nobility and theologians, also had a decisive influence on the government, which Nikolaus Krell , the influential Chancellor of Christian I, had immediately arrested and again became a reactionary Turned to politics.

After he came of age, Christian took over the government himself in 1601, which was continued in the spirit of the Regency Government. When Nikolaus Krell took office, he was executed in Dresden, mainly at the instigation of Christian's mother. The estates strengthened and Saxony clearly returned to Orthodox Lutheranism , which made it difficult for the Protestant parties in Germany to have a uniform policy, and Christian also stood faithfully on the side of the Catholic Habsburgs. However, Emperor Rudolf II failed to clearly support the feudal entitlement of the Electorate of Saxony to the Duchy of Kleve in the Jülich-Klevischen succession dispute. The judiciary in Saxony made progress through an appeal court order of 1605.

After the death of Duke Johann von Sachsen Weimar on October 31, 1605, he took over the guardianship of his eight underage sons (see Achtbrüdertaler ).

On September 12, 1602 Christian married Hedwig (1581–1641), daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, in Dresden .

Christian was considered a man of strong physical appearance and good-natured character, but was intellectually barely capable of conducting state affairs and was completely dependent on advisors. This was also reflected in the coinage of his time, in the coin image of the Dreibrüdertaler . Although the Electorate of Saxony had only minted in the name of the sovereign since Elector Moritz, it was minted under Christian in the name of his two brothers until the end of his life.

The elector got into the hunt and his passion for food and drink. Due to its inadequate economic policy, the national debt increased considerably. He died childless and presumably of a stroke at the age of 27 after drinking a large amount of cold beer overheated. He was buried in Freiberg Cathedral . His younger brother Johann Georg followed him in the government .

ancestors

Pedigree of Christian II of Saxony
Great-great-grandparents	Duke Albrecht the Courageous (1443–1500) ⚭ 1464 Sidonia of Bohemia (1449–1510)	Duke Magnus II (1441–1503) ⚭ 1478 Sophie of Pomerania (1460–1504)	King Friedrich I (1471–1533) ⚭ 1502 Anna of Brandenburg (1487–1514)	Duke Magnus I of Saxony-Lauenburg (1470–1543) ⚭ 1509 Katharina von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1488–1563)	Elector Joachim I (1484–1535) ⚭ 1502 Elisabeth of Brandenburg (1485–1555)	Duke Georg of Saxony (1471–1539) ⚭ 1496 Barbara of Poland (1478–1534)	Margrave Friedrich II of Brandenburg (1460–1536) ⚭ 1479 Sofia Jagiellonka (1464–1512)	Charles I (1476–1536) ⚭ 1488 Anna von Sagan
Great grandparents	Duke Heinrich the Pious (1473–1541) ⚭ 1512 Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487–1561)		King Christian III (1503–1559) ⚭ 1525 Dorothea von Sachsen-Lauenburg (1511–1571)		Elector Joachim II (1505–1571) ⚭ 1524 Magdalene of Saxony (1507–1534)		Duke Georg von Brandenburg-Ansbach (1484–1543) ⚭ 1525 Hedwig von Münsterberg-Oels (1508–1531)
Grandparents	Elector August of Saxony (1526–1586) ⚭ 1548 Anna of Denmark (1532–1585)				Elector Johann Georg von Brandenburg (1525–1598) ⚭ 1548 Sabina von Brandenburg-Ansbach (1529–1575)
parents	Elector Christian I of Saxony (1560–1591) ⚭ 1582 Sophie of Brandenburg (1568–1622)
Christian II of Saxony

literature

Frank-Lothar Kroll (Ed.): The rulers of Saxony: Margraves, Electors, Kings 1089-1918 , Verlag CH Beck, Munich 2004, p. 133 ff. ( Digitized version )

Heinrich Theodor Flathe : Christian II, elector of Saxony . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, p. 172 f.

Christa Schille: Christian II. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 3, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1957, ISBN 3-428-00184-2 , p. 231 f. ( Digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Christian II. - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Julius Erbstein , Albert Erbstein : Discussions in the field of the Saxon coin and medal history with the listing of the Hofrath Engelhardt'schen collection , Dresden 1888, p. 88
^ Johann Friederich Klotzsch: Attempt of a Chur-Saxon coin history. (1770), p. 415

predecessor	Office	successor
Christian I.	Elector of Saxony 1591–1611	Johann Georg I.

personal data
SURNAME	Christian II
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Elector of Saxony from the House of Wettin (Albertine line)
DATE OF BIRTH	September 23, 1583
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dresden , Germany
DATE OF DEATH	June 23, 1611
Place of death	Dresden , Germany

[1] Julius Erbstein , Albert Erbstein : Discussions in the field of the Saxon coin and medal history with the listing of the Hofrath Engelhardt'schen collection , Dresden 1888, p. 88

[2] Johann Friederich Klotzsch: Attempt of a Chur-Saxon coin history. (1770), p. 415