Christian I, Elector of Saxony

Christian I
Christian of Saxony as a prince, medal, 1574
Elector of Saxony
Reign	11 February 1586 – 25 September 1591
Predecessor	Augustus I
Successor	Christian II
Born	29 October 1560 Dresden
Died	25 September 1591 (aged 30) Dresden
Spouse	Sophie of Brandenburg
Issue	Christian II, Elector of Saxony John George I, Elector of Saxony Sophie, Duchess of Pomerania Prince Augustus Dorothea, Abbess of Quedlinburg
House	House of Wettin
Father	Augustus I, Elector of Saxony
Mother	Anna of Denmark
Religion	Lutheranism

Christian I of Saxony (Dresden, 29 October 1560 – Dresden, 25 September 1591) was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591. He belonged to the Albertine line of the House of Wettin.

He was the sixth but second surviving son of Elector Augustus of Saxony and Anna of Denmark. The death of his older brother, Alexander (8 October 1565), made him the new heir apparent to the Electorate of Saxony.

Christian succeeded his father when he died, in 1586. His chancellor was Nikolaus Krell. During his reign, the first measurement was made of the Electorate of Saxony by Matthias Oeder. Later, the work of Oeder was continued by Balthasar Zimmermann until 1633 and completed as far as possible.

Family

In Dresden on 25 April 1582, Christian married Sophie, daughter of John George, Elector of Brandenburg. They had seven children:

1. Christian II (b. Dresden, 23 September 1583 – d. Dresden, 23 June 1611), successor of his father as Elector.
2. John George I (b. Dresden, 5 March 1585 – d. Dresden, 8 October 1656), successor of his brother as Elector.
3. Anna Sabine (b. Dresden, 25 January 1586 – d. Dresden, 24 March 1586).
4. Sophie (b. Dresden, 29 April 1587 – d. Stettin, 9 December 1635), married on 26 August 1610 to Duke Francis I of Pomerania.
5. Elisabeth (b. Dresden, 21 July 1588 – d. Dresden, 4 March 1589).
6. Augustus (b. Dresden, 7 September 1589 – d. Naumburg, 26 December 1615), married on 1 January 1612 to Elisabeth of Brünswick-Wolfenbüttel. This marriage was childless.
7. Dorothea (b. Dresden, 7 January 1591 – d. Quedlinburg, 17 November 1617), Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg (1610).

Ancestry

Ancestors of Christian I, Elector of Saxony

16. Frederick II, Elector of Saxony               8. Albert, Duke of Saxony                       17. Margarete of Austria-Styria               4. Henry IV, Duke of Saxony                             18. George Podiebrad, King of Bohemia               9. Sidonie Podiebrad                       19. Kunigunde of Sternberg               2. Augustus, Elector of Saxony                                   20. Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin               10. Magnus II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                       21. Dorothea of Brandenburg               5. Catherine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                             22. Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast               11. Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin                       23. Sophia of Pomerania-Stolp               1. Christian I, Elector of Saxony                                         24. Christian I, King of Denmark               12. Frederick I, King of Denmark                       25. Dorothea of Brandenburg               6. Christian III, King of Denmark                             26. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg               13. Anna of Brandenburg                       27. Margaret of Thuringia               3. Anna of Denmark                                   28. John V of Saxe-Lauenburg               14. Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg                       29. Dorothea of Brandenburg               7. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg                             30. Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg               15. Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel                       31. Catherine of Pomerania-Wolgast

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "^{article name needed}". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Literature

• Christa Schille (1957), "Christian I.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) (in German) 3, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 230–231; (full text online)
• Ilse Schunke: Beitraege zur Politik des Kurfürsten Christian I. v. Sachsen 1586-1591 vornehmlich in den Jahren 1586/89, Munich, 1922 (German)

External links

• Media related to Christian I, Elector of Saxony at Wikimedia Commons