Augustus, Elector of Saxony
| Augustus | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Lucas Cranach the Younger
|
|
| Elector of Saxony | |
| Reign | 9 July 1553 – 11 February 1586 |
| Predecessor | Maurice |
| Successor | Christian I |
| Born |
31 July 1526 Freiberg |
| Died | 11 February 1586 (aged 59) Dresden |
| Consort |
Anne of Denmark Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt |
| Issue among others... |
Christian I, Elector of Saxony Elisabeth, Countess Palatine of Simmern Dorothea, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg Anna, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach |
| House |
House of Wettin Albertine Line |
| Father | Henry IV, Duke of Saxony |
| Mother | Catherine of Mecklenburg |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Augustus (31 July 1526 – 11 February 1586) was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.
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 consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. Brought up as a Lutheran, he received a good education and studied at the university of Leipzig.
When Duke Henry IV died in 1541, he decreed that his lands should be divided equally between his two sons; but as his bequest was contrary to the Albertine Law, it was not carried out, and the dukedom passed almost intact to his elder son, Maurice. Augustus, however, remained on friendly terms with his brother, and to further his policy spent some time at the court of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, in Vienna.
In 1544, Maurice secured the appointment of his brother as administrator of the bishopric of Merseburg; but Augustus was very extravagant and was soon compelled to return to the Saxon court at Dresden. Augustus supported his brother during the war of the Schmalkaldic League, and in the policy which culminated in the transfer of the Saxon electorate from John Frederick I, the head of the Ernestine branch of the Wettin family, to Maurice, head of the Albertine branch.
In Torgau on 7 October 1548 Augustus was married to Anna, daughter of King Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. They took up residence at Weissenfels. The couple had fifteen children:
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