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Johann George II
Johann George II
	Portrait by Johann Finck, 1675.
Elector of Saxony
Reign	8 October 1656 - 22 August 1680
Predecessor	John George I
Successor	John George III
Born	31 May 1613; Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire
Died	22 August 1680 (aged 67); Tübingen, Duchy of Württemberg, Holy Roman Empire
Burial	Cathedral of Freiberg
Spouse	Magdalene Sybille of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Issue	John George III, Elector of Saxony
House	House of Wettin
Father	John George I, Elector of Saxony
Mother	Magdalene Sybille of Prussia
Religion	Lutheran
Signature

Johann George II (31 May 1613 – 22 August 1680) was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin.

Biography

He was the third but eldest surviving son of John George I, Elector of Saxony^[1] and Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia, his second spouse.^[2]^[3] He succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony when John George I died on 8 October 1656.^[1]

In 1657 John George made an arrangement with his three brothers with the object of preventing disputes over their separate territories, and in 1664 he entered into friendly relations with Louis XIV. He received money from the French king, but the existence of a strong anti-French party in Saxony induced him occasionally to respond to the overtures of the Emperor Leopold I.^[1]

The elector's primary interests were not in politics, but in music and art. He adorned Dresden, which under him became the musical centre of Germany; welcoming foreign musicians and others he gathered around him a large and splendid court, and his capital was the constant scene of musical and other festivals.^[1] He commissioned the building of the first opera house, the Opernhaus am Taschenberg.

In 1658 John George was accepted into the Fruitbearing Society, through the patronage of Duke William of Saxe-Weimar.^[4]

His enormous expenditure on the arts compelled John George in 1661 to grant greater control over monetary matters to the estates, a step which laid the foundation of the later system of finance in Saxony. Also, his government was less effective in establishing absolutist rule and a standing army than were Bohemia or Prussia.^[1]

John George's reign saw the slow economic reconstruction of Saxony after the Thirty Years' War. New trades and manufactures developed, such as textiles, hard coal and glass. Locally mined silver filled the electorate's empty treasury, and the Leipzig Trade Fair and the Bohemian Exulanten of 1654 also stimulated economic activity.^[5]

John George died in Freiberg on 22 August 1680.^[1]

Family

In Dresden on 13 November 1638 John George married his cousin Magdalene Sibylle of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. They had at least two children;

Erdmuthe Sophie (25 February 1644 - 22 June 1670), married on 29 October 1662 to Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
John George III (20 June 1647 - 12 September 1691), his successor as Elector.

A third child, Sibylle Marie, is believed to have died in childhood.

Ancestors

Ancestors of John George II, Elector of Saxony

16. Henry IV, Duke of Saxony (1473–1541)

8. Augustus, Elector of Saxony (1526–1586)

17. Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487–1561)

4. Christian I, Elector of Saxony (1560–1591)

18. Christian III of Denmark (1503–1559)

9. Anne of Denmark (1532–1585)

19. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg (1511–1571)

2. John George I, Elector of Saxony (1585–1656)

20. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (1505–1571)

10. John George, Elector of Brandenburg (1525–1598)

21. Magdalena of Saxony (1507–1534)

5. Sophie of Brandenburg (1568–1622)

22. George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1484–1543)

11. Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1529–1575)

23. Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels (1508–1531)

1. John George II, Elector of Saxony

24. Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1460–1536)

12. Albert, Duke of Prussia (1490–1568)

25. Sophia Jagiellon (1464–1512)

6. Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia (1553–1618)

26. Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1470–1540)

13. Anna Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1532–1568)

27. Elisabeth of Brandenburg (1510–1558)

3. Duchess Magdalene Sibylle of Prussia (1586–1659)

28. John III, Duke of Cleves (1490–1539)

14. William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1516–1592)

29. Maria of Jülich-Berg (1491–1543)

7. Marie Eleonore of Cleves (1550–1608)

30. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (1503–1564)

15. Archduchess Maria of Austria (1531–1581)

31. Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (1503–1547)

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Chisholm 1911, p. 459.
^ European Heraldry website
^ Golden website
^ Just Coins And Medals website
^ Just Coins And Medals website

References

Mary E. Frandsen: Crossing Confessional Boundaries. The Patronage of Italian Sacred Music in 17th Century Dresden. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-517831-9

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "John George I. § John George II". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 459.

Regnal titles
John George II, Elector of Saxony House of Wettin Born: 31 May 1613 Died: 22 August 1680
Preceded by John George I	Elector of Saxony 1656–1680	Succeeded by John George III