John Frederick

duke of Saxony
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Also known as: Johann Friedrich der Mittlere
Quick Facts
Byname:
John Frederick The Middle One
German:
Johann Friedrich Der Mittlere
Born:
Jan. 8, 1529, Torgau, Saxony
Died:
May 9, 1595, Steyr, Austria (aged 66)
House / Dynasty:
Wettin dynasty

John Frederick (II) (born Jan. 8, 1529, Torgau, Saxony—died May 9, 1595, Steyr, Austria) was an Ernestine duke of Saxony, or Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach, whose attempts to regain the electoral dignity, lost by his father to the rival Albertine branch of the House of Wettin, led to his capture and incarceration until his death. On the imprisonment of his father, the former elector John Frederick the Magnanimous, John Frederick II and his brothers John William and John Frederick III the Younger ruled the remaining Ernestine lands jointly. In 1565, on John Frederick III’s death, John Frederick II became sole ruler, after ceding ...(100 of 191 words)