Glimpse of European History Thread #121
Posted by RB Kollannur on August 20, 2021
An Emperor brings a priest to trial.
An informal, but permanent division of the Church begins.
A young noble, defending his faith, loses his rights.
Johann Friedrich von Sachsen was born in 1503 to Johann von Sachsen and Sophie von Mecklenburg. Johann’s elder brother, Friedrich, was the Elector of Saxony, a title their family had received from Holy Roman Emperor Sigmund in 1423. 1/10
The Electorate of Saxony was added along with the existing Wettin possessions in Meissen and Thuringia. In 1485, it was divided between the brothers Ernst and Albrecht, with the elder brother receiving the electoral dignity. Johann Friedrich belonged to the Ernestine line. 2/10
A likely heir of his unmarried uncle, Johann Friedrich was taught by Georg Spalatin, a German humanist and theologian. Spalatin was also closely associated with another theologian of the time, Martin Luther. Johann Friedrich became an early follower of Martin Luther. 3/10
Martin Luther's reforms led the Emperor to call him to the Imperial Diet at Worms in 1521. He came under the protection of Johann Friedrich's uncle, Elector Friedrich, and presented his case. But his teachings were banned and he was declared an outlaw. 4/10
But Friedrich protected Luther and so did Johann, when he succeeded his brother as Elector in 1525. The Lutheran movement continued to gain ground especially after the Diet of Speyer in 1526. Elector Johann also brought together an alliance of Lutheran rulers in the Empire. 5/10
In 1529, the Diet of Speyer once again banned Luther, leading to 6 princes, led by Elector Johann, and 14 imperial cities issuing a Letter of Protestation. Johann Friedrich, in the meantime, briefly took over the reins of the government while his father was away. 6/10
In 1531, Johann Friedrich and Landgrave Philipp of Hesse founded the Schmalkaldic League, a military alliance of the "Protestant" states. The next year, Johann Friedrich officially became the Elector of Saxony after his father's death. 7/10
The League avoided conflict with the Emperor and grew in size. However, there were smaller takeovers of cities like Naumburg. Eventually, they got into war against the Emperor. But the war lasted less than a year, ending with the Capitulation of Wittenberg in 1547. 8/10
Johann Friedrich was deprived of his electoral dignity and his capital, Wittenberg, and his second cousin, Moritz von Sachsen, gained both. He was imprisoned till 1552. After that, he paved way for setting up a university at Jena. 9/10
The Electorate of Saxony remained with the Albertine line of Moritz von Sachsen, and they became Kings of Saxony after 1815. But the Ernestine line of Johann Friedrich became Kings in Belgium, United Kingdom, Portugal and Bulgaria, and still rules in UK and Belgium. 10/10
Originally tweeted by Ranjith Kollannur (@Arby_K) on August 20, 2021.
Johann Friedrich von Sachsen, Elector of Saxony (1532-1547), Duke of Saxony (1547-1554) – The beginning of the Protestant movement, which got its name from the Protestation at Speyer led by Johann Friedrich’s father. The war by Schmalkaldic League led by Johann Friedrich against the Holy Roman Empire was the first of its kind in the Empire. It was the role of the Saxon princes that led to the growth of the Protestantism in Germany.
A View From My Disjointed Laptop 
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