John George IV, Elector of Saxony
| John George IV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Elector of Saxony | |
| Reign | 12 September 1691 – 27 April 1694 |
| Predecessor | John George III |
| Successor | Frederick Augustus I |
| Born |
18 October 1668 Dresden |
| Died | 27 April 1694 (aged 25) Dresden |
| Burial | Freiberg Cathedral |
| Spouse | Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach |
| Issue | Wilhelmina Maria Fryderyka von Rochlitz (illegitimate) |
| House | Wettin |
| Father | John George III, Elector of Saxony |
| Mother | Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark |
| Religion | Lutheran |
John George IV (18 October 1668 in Dresden – 27 April 1694 in Dresden) was Elector of Saxony from 1691 to 1694.
He belonged to the Albertine line of the House of Wettin and was the eldest son of the Elector John George III and Anna Sophie of Denmark.
John George succeeded his father as Elector when he died, on 12 September 1691.
At the beginning of his reign his chief adviser was Hans Adam von Schöning, who counselled a union between Saxony and Brandenburg and a more independent attitude towards the emperor. In accordance with this advice certain proposals were put before Leopold I to which he refused to agree; and consequently the Saxon troops withdrew from the imperial army, a proceeding which led the chagrined emperor to seize and imprison Schöning in July 1692. Although John George was unable to procure his minister's release, Leopold managed to allay the elector's anger, and early in 1693 the Saxon soldiers rejoined the imperialists.
In Leipzig on 17 April 1692, John George married Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach, Dowager Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach. The young Elector was forced to marry by his mother, the Dowager Electress Anna Sophie, supposedly to produce legitimate heirs to the Electorate. The real reason for the marriage was to end the liaison between John George and Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz.
John George III, the late Elector had tried to separate the lovers, perhaps because he was aware of a close blood relationship between them — for Magdalena Sybilla may have been his own illegitimate daughter by Ursula Margarethe of Haugwitz, and therefore John George IV's half-sister. By order of the Elector, Ursula had married Colonel Rudolf of Neidschutz, who officially appears as the father of her daughter.
John George may never have known of his possible blood relationship to Magdalena Sibylla or regarded the claim as a rumor spread by ill-wishers. Immediately after he assumed the Electorate, he openly lived with her, and she became the first ever Official Mistress (Favoritin) of an Elector of Saxony.
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Wikipedia