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| Frederick I | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait byLucas Cranach the Younger | |
| Elector of Saxony | |
| Reign | 6 January 1423 – 4 January 1428 |
| Predecessor | Albert III |
| Successor | Frederick II |
| Margrave of Meissen | |
| Reign | 9 February 1407 – 4 January 1428 |
| Predecessor | William I |
| Successor | Frederick II |
| Born | 11 April 1370 Dresden,Margravate of Meissen,Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 4 January 1428(1428-01-04) (aged 57) Altenburg,Electorate of Saxony,Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | Princes Chapel inMeissen Cathedral |
| Spouse | Catherine of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Issue among others... | Frederick II, Elector of Saxony Anna, Landgravine of Hesse William III, Duke of Luxembourg |
| House | House of Wettin |
| Father | Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia |
| Mother | Catherine of Henneberg |
Frederick I, the Belligerent orthe Warlike (German:Friedrich der Streitbare; 11 April 1370 – 4 January 1428), a member of theHouse of Wettin, ruled asMargrave of Meissen from 1407 andElector of Saxony (as Frederick I) from 1423 until his death.
He is not to be confused with his cousin LandgraveFrederick IV of Thuringia, the son of LandgraveBalthasar.
He was the eldest son ofFrederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia, andCatherine of Henneberg. After the death of his uncleWilliam I, Margrave of Meissen in 1407, he was made governor of the Margraviate of Meissen together with his brotherWilliam II as well as with his cousinFrederick IV (son ofBalthasar), until their possessions were divided in 1410 and 1415.
In the German town war of 1388, he assistedFrederick V of Hohenzollern, burgrave ofNuremberg, and in 1391 did the same for theTeutonic Order againstWladislaus II of Poland. He supportedRupert III, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, in his struggle with KingWenceslaus for the German throne, probably because Wenceslaus refused to fulfill a promise to give him his sisterAnna in marriage.
The danger to Germany from theHussites induced Frederick to ally himself with EmperorSigismund; and he took a leading part in the war against them, during the earlier years of which he met with considerable success. For his victory at theBattle of Brüx in 1421, Frederick was granted the ranks ofDuke andElector. In the prosecution of this enterprise Frederick spent large sums of money, for which he received various places inBohemia and elsewhere in pledge from Sigismund, who further rewarded him on 6 January 1423 with the vacantelectoral Duchy ofSaxony-Wittenberg; and Fredericks formal investiture followed atOfen on the 1 August 1425. Thus ascended Frederick IV, who called himself Frederick I now as duke and elector. Thus spurred to renewed efforts against the Hussites, the elector was endeavouring to rouse the German princes to aid him in prosecuting this war when the Saxon army was almost annihilated atAussig on the 16 August 1426.
After the death of his brother William, Frederick became the ruler over the entire possession of theHouse of Wettin exceptThuringia.
In 1409, Frederick and his brother William founded theUniversity of Leipzig, for the benefit of German students who had left theUniversity of Prague after the events relating to theWestern Schism.
Frederick died in 1428 atAltenburg. He was buried as the firstWettin in the centre of what is now known as the Princes Chapel inMeissen Cathedral. The cathedral is now accessible to the public for a small fee and the tomb is readily seen.
Frederick I marriedCatherine of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1442), daughter ofHenry the Mild, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg on 7 February 1402 and had 7 children:[1]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Frederick I., Elector of Saxony".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 59.Frederick I, Elector of Saxony Born: 11 April 1370 Died: 4 January 1428 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Margrave of Meissen 1407–1428 With:William II &Frederick the Peaceful | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Elector of Saxony 1423–1428 | |
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