Heinrich av Sachsen, "Heinrich 4"

Abt 1473 - Abt 1541  (68 years)

• Name	Heinrich av Sachsen
  Suffix	"Heinrich 4"
  Nickname	"Den fromme"
  Birth	Abt 16 Mar 1473	Dresden, Sachsen, Tyskland   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Abt 1539	Sachsen, Tyskland   [1]
  	Hertug av Sachsen, markgreve av Meissen og lord av Friesland.
  	Henry 4 the Pious, Duke of Saxony (German: Heinrich der Fromme) (Dresden, 16 March 1473 – Dresden, 18 August 1541) was a Duke of Saxony from the House of Wettin. Heinrich was the second son of Albert, Duke of Saxony, and his wife Sidonie Podiebrad, princess of Bohemia. When Albert died in 1500, his eldest son Georg succeeded to the Duchy of Saxony, and Heinrich became Lord of Friesland. Saxon rule of Friesland was disturbed by constant revolts. Consequently Heinrich, who was of a rather inert disposition, gave up his title there. In 1505 Heinrich ceded Friesland to Georg, in return for an annuity and the districts of Wolkenstein and Freiberg, where Heinrich made his residence. In 1517, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation in Germany, and a few years later Heinrich converted to Lutheranism. Georg remained a devout Catholic. Both of Georg's sons predeceased him without issue. When Georg's second son died in 1539, Heinrich (a Protestant) became heir presumptive to the Duchy under the Act of Settlement of 1499. To prevent a Protestant succession, Georg tried to override his father's will, disinherit Heinrich, and bequeath the Duchy to Ferdinand, brother of Charles 5. But Georg died only two months later, and Heinrich succeeded to the Duchy. He was then 66 years old, and reigned for only 2 years. Heinrich made Lutheranism the state religion of the Duchy of Saxony. In Freiberg, on 6 July 1512, Heinrich married Catherine of Mecklenburg, daughter of Duke Magnus 2 of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They had 6 children: 1. Sybille (b. Freiberg, 2 May 1515 – d. Buxtehude, 18 July 1592), married on 8 February 1540 to Duke Francis 1 of Saxe-Lauenburg. 2. Emilie (b. Freiberg, 27 July 1516 – d. Ansbach, 9 March 1591), married on 25 August 1533 to Georg, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. 3. Sidonie (b. Meissen, 8 March 1518 – d. Kloster Weissenfels, 4 January 1575), married on 17 May 1545 to Eric 2, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Calenberg). 4. Maurice (b. Freiberg, 21 March 1521 – d. of wounds received in action at Sievershausen, 11 July 1553), later Elector of Saxony. 5. Severinus (b. Freiberg?, 28 August 1522 – d. Innsbruck, 10 October 1533). 6. Augustus (b. Freiberg, 31 July 1526 – d. Dresden, 11 February 1586). [1]
  Death	Abt 18 Aug 1541	Dresden, Sachsen, Tyskland   [1]
  Person ID	I12592	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	25 Feb 2017

  
  

  Family	Katarina av Mecklenburg,   b. Abt 1487   d. Abt 06 Jun 1561, Torgau, Sachsen, Tyskland (Age 74 years)
  Marriage	06 Jul 1512	Freiberg, Sachsen, Tyskland   [1]
  	Catherine of Mecklenburg (1487 – 6 June 1561, Torgau), Duchess of Saxony, was the daughter of the Duke Magnus 2 of Mecklenburg and Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin. She married on 6 July 1512 in Freiberg Duke Henry the Pious of Saxony. Catherine sympathized early with Martin Luther's teachings, while her husband suppressed the Reformation until 1536 for fear of his brother, the reigning Duke George the Bearded. Later, the Freiberg area became Lutheran. When duke George tried bear down on Catherine, she told the envoy: You could do me a big favor by leaving Freiberg right now. In 1539, after the death of Duke George, the couple moved to Dresden and brought the Reformation there. Duke Henry died on 18 August 1541. Catherine outlived him by 20 years. She spent her days in Wolkenstein castle. In 1560, she published a book on etiquette for ladies, which is culturally and historically very interesting. [1]
  Children	+ 1. Sibylle av Sachsen,   b. 02 May 1515, Freiberg, Sachsen, Tyskland d. 18 Jul 1592, Buxtehude, Hamburg, Tyskland (Age 77 years)  [Birth]
  Family ID	F4936	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	11 Mar 2015

  
  

• Sources

  [S754] Wikipedia (Reliability: 1).