John, Elector of Saxony

John, Elector of Saxony, known as John the Steadfast or John the Constant (born 1468 at Schweinitz Castle - August 16, 1532) was Elector of Saxony from 1525 until 1532 (from the House of Wettin).

He was the son of Ernest, Elector of Saxony, and followed his brother Frederick the Wise as ruler. As his nickname "the steadfast" indicates, he resolutely continued the policies of his brother toward protecting the progress of the Protestant Reformation. In 1527 the Lutheran Church was established as the state church in Ernestine Saxony, with the Elector as Chief Bishop. He was a leader of the Schmalkaldic League of protestant states formed in 1530 to protect the Reformation.

After his death he was, like his brother Frederick, buried in the famous Castle Church in Wittenberg. He was succeeded by his son John Frederick.

John the Steadfast married Sophie of Mecklenburg, who died in 1503, from whom son Johann Frederich was born. In 1513 he married Margaret of Anhalt, who died in 1521, a union that produced Maria (future wife of Duke Philip I of Pommerania), Margaret, Johann Ernst and the short-lived John II.

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