Christian I, Elector of Saxony

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

Christian I
Christian of Saxony as a prince, medal, 1574
Elector of Saxony
Reign11 February 1586 – 25 September 1591
PredecessorAugustus I
SuccessorChristian II
Born29 October 1560
Dresden
Died25 September 1591(1591-09-25) (aged 30)
Dresden
SpouseSophie of Brandenburg
Issue
Detail		Christian II, Elector of Saxony
John George I, Elector of Saxony
Sophie, Duchess of Pomerania
Prince Augustus
Dorothea, Abbess of Quedlinburg
HouseHouse of Wettin
FatherAugustus I, Elector of Saxony
MotherAnna of Denmark
ReligionLutheran
Christian I. in armor

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

References
  • Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Saxony" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 24 (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 (in German)
Christian I, Elector of Saxony
Born: 29 October 1560 Died: 25 September 1591
Preceded by
Augustus		 Elector of Saxony
1586–1591		 Succeeded by
Christian II
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