Genealogy Wylie » John George II Elector of (John George II, Elector of) Saxony (1613-1680)

Personal data John George II Elector of (John George II, Elector of) Saxony 

• First name John George II, Elector of.
• He was born on May 31, 1613 in Dresden.
• He died on August 22, 1680 in Freiberg, Saxony, he was 67 years old.
• He is buried in Freiberg Cathedral, Freiberg, Saxony.
• A child of John George I Elector of Saxony and Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia
• This information was last updated on September 5, 2023.

Household of John George II Elector of (John George II, Elector of) Saxony

Notes about John George II Elector of (John George II, Elector of) Saxony

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John George II, Elector of Saxony

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johann George II

Portrait by Johann Finck, 1675.
Elector of Saxony
Reign8 October 1656 - 22 August 1680
PredecessorJohn George I
SuccessorJohn George III
Born31 May 1613
Dresden
Died22 August 1680 (aged 67)
Tübingen
BurialCathedral of Freiberg
SpouseMagdalene Sybille of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
IssueJohn George III, Elector of Saxony
HouseHouse of Wettin
FatherJohn George I, Elector of Saxony
MotherMagdalene Sybille of Prussia
ReligionLutheran
SignatureJohann George II's signature
Johann George II (31 May 1613 - 22 August 1680) was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680. He belonged to the Albertine line of the House of Wettin.

Biography

17th century Order of the Garter stall plate for John George II, Elector of Saxony. Located in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England
He was the third but eldest surviving son of the Elector Johann George I, Elector of Saxony[1] and Magdalene Sybille of Prussia, his second spouse.[2][3] He succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony when John George I died on 8 October 1656.[1]

In 1657 John George made an arrangement with his three brothers with the object of preventing disputes over their separate territories, and in 1664 he entered into friendly relations with Louis XIV. He received money from the French king, but the existence of a strong anti-French party in Saxony induced him occasionally to respond to the overtures of the emperor Leopold I.[1]

John George II, picture from 1658.
The elector's primary interests were not in politics, but in music and art. He adorned Dresden, which under him became the musical centre of Germany; welcoming foreign musicians and others he gathered around him a large and splendid court, and his capital was the constant scene of musical and other festivals.[1] He commissioned the building of the first opera house, the Opernhaus am Taschenberg.

In 1658 John George was accepted into the Fruitbearing Society, through the patronage of Duke William of Saxe-Weimar.[4]

His enormous expenditure on the arts compelled John George in 1661 to grant greater control over monetary matters to the estates, a step which laid the foundation of the later system of finance in Saxony. Also, his government was less effective in establishing absolutist rule and a standing army than were Bohemia or Prussia.[1]

John George's reign saw the slow economic reconstruction of Saxony after the Thirty Years' War. New trades and manufactures developed, such as textiles, hard coal and glass. Locally mined silver filled the Electorate's empty treasury, and the Leipzig Trade Fair and the Bohemian Exulanten of 1654 also stimulated economic activity.[5]

John George died in Freiberg on 22 August 1680.[1]

Family
In Dresden on 13 November 1638 John George married his cousin Magdalene Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. They had at least two children;

Erdmuthe Sophie (25 February 1644 - 22 June 1670), married on 29 October 1662 to Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
John George III (20 June 1647 - 12 September 1691), his successor as Elector.
A third child, Sibylle Marie, is believed to have died in childhood.

Ancestors

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Ancestors of John George II, Elector of Saxony
16. Henry IV, Duke of Saxony (1473–1541)
8. Augustus, Elector of Saxony (1526–1586)
17. Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487–1561)
4. Christian I, Elector of Saxony (1560–1591)
18. Christian III of Denmark (1503–1559)
9. Anne of Denmark (1532–1585)
19. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1511–1571)
2. John George I, Elector of Saxony (1585–1656)
20. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (1505–1571)
10. John George, Elector of Brandenburg (1525–1598)
21. Magdalena of Saxony (1507–1534)
5. Sophie of Brandenburg (1568–1622)
22. George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1484–1543)
11. Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1529–1575)
23. Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels (1508–1531)
1. John George II, Elector of Saxony
24. Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1460–1536)
12. Albert, Duke of Prussia (1490–1568)
25. Sophia Jagiellon (1464–1512)
6. Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia (1553–1618)
26. Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1470–1540)
13. Anna Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1532–1568)
27. Elisabeth of Brandenburg (1510–1558)
3. Duchess Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia (1586–1659)
28. John III, Duke of Cleves (1490–1539)
14. William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1516–1592)
29. Maria of Jülich-Berg (1491–1543)
7. Marie Eleonore of Cleves (1550–1608)
30. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (1503–1564)
15. Archduchess Maria of Austria (1531–1581)
31. Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (1503–1547)
See also
List of famous big game hunters
Notes
Chisholm 1911, p. 459.
European Heraldry website
Golden website
Just Coins And Medals website
Just Coins And Medals website
References
Mary E. Frandsen: Crossing Confessional Boundaries. The Patronage of Italian Sacred Music in 17th Century Dresden. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-517831-9
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "John George I. § John George II". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 459.
John George II, Elector of Saxony
House of Wettin
Born: 31 May 1613 Died: 22 August 1680
Regnal titles
Preceded by
John George I
Elector of Saxony
1656–1680Succeeded by
John George III
vte
Electors of Saxony
vte
Princes of Saxony
Authority control Edit this at Wikidata
Categories: Prince-electors of SaxonyHouse of WettinKnights of the Garter1613 births1680 deathsNobility from DresdenImperial vicarsElectoral Princes of SaxonyAlbertine branchBurials at Freiberg Cathedral
This page was last edited on 4 July 2023, at 13:52 (UTC).
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