View source for Christian II, Elector of Saxony

{{Short description|Elector of Saxony from 1591 to 1611}}
{{Expand German|topic=bio|Christian II. (Sachsen)|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Christian II
| full name =
| image          =Zacharias Wehme - Prince Elector Christian II of Saxony (ca. 1601-1606) - Google Art Project.jpg
| caption =
| succession =  [[Elector of Saxony]]
| reign          =25 September 1591 &ndash; {{nowrap|23 June 1611}}
| regent        =<small>[[Frederick William I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar]]</small>
| predecessor    =[[Christian I, Elector of Saxony|Christian I]]
| successor      =[[John George I, Elector of Saxony|John George I]]
| spouse       ={{marriage|[[Hedwig of Denmark]]|12 September 1602}}
| issue          =
| house    =[[House of Wettin|Wettin]]
| father         =[[Christian I, Elector of Saxony]]
| mother         =[[Sophie of Brandenburg]]
| birth_date  ={{Birth date|1583|9|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Dresden]], [[Electorate of Saxony]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| death_date  ={{Death date and age|1611|6|23|1583|9|23|df=y}}
| death_place = Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire
| place of burial= [[Freiberg Cathedral]]
| religion= [[Lutheran]]
}}

[[File:Christian II of Saxony by Adriaen de Vries 1603, Museum of Old Masters, Dresden.jpg|thumb|Christian II of Saxony by Adriaen de Vries 1603, Museum of Old Masters, Dresden]]

'''Christian II''' (23 September 1583 – 23 June 1611)<ref>Kolb, Robert, ed. ''Lutheran Ecclesiastical Culture, 1550-1675.'' Leiden, Netherlands: Koninklijke, 2008. 513.</ref> was [[Elector of Saxony]] from 1591 to 1611.<ref> Schuckelt, Holger. "Relations between Saxony and the Crimean Tatars in the 17th and Early 18th Centuries." In ''Islamic Art and Architecture in the European Periphery: Crimea, Caucasus, and the Volga-Ural Region.'' Edited by Barbara Kellner-Heinkele, Joachim Gierlichs, & Brigitte Heuer. Germany: Deutsche Morgenlaendische Gesellschaft, 2008. 95.</ref>

==Early life and background==
He was born in [[Dresden]], the eldest son of [[Christian I, Elector of Saxony]] and [[Sophie of Brandenburg]], the daughter of [[John George, Elector of Brandenburg]]. He belonged to the [[Albertine branch]] of the [[House of Wettin]]. The Albertine Wettins had become enfeoffed with the Saxon electorate in 1547 after Duke [[Maurice, Elector of Saxony|Moritz of Saxony]] backed the emperor in the [[Schmalkaldic War]], siding against his cousin, Elector [[John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony|Johann Friedrich I]], of the agnatically senior [[Ernestine line]]. Moritz was succeeded in the electorate by his brother [[Augustus, Elector of Saxony|August]], who remained staunchly Lutheran and a steadfast ally of the emperor, well-aware that the Albertine Wettins owed their status to imperial favour. August established much of Saxony's politically moderate tactics and policies that would be closely followed by Christian II.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=201-202}}

When August died in 1586, Christian I succeeded him as the Elector of Saxony and rejected his father's orthodoxy; Christian I was a committed [[Philippist]] and his chancellor [[Nikolaus Krell]] introduced a Philippist bible in 1589, despite mounting popular opposition. An alcoholic and gambling addict, Christian I allowed Krell to dominate his court. The internal shift at the Saxon court also saw a rapprochement with the Palatinate in January 1591, which Christian I intended to steer towards a more moderate course. This alliance quickly collapsed upon Christian I's sudden death in September, leading to Christian II succeeding his father at the age of eight.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=213-214}}

==Elector of Saxony==
===Minority and regency===
Christian succeeded to the electorship of Saxony and as a result of his youth, his cousin, Duke [[Friedrich Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar|Friedrich Wilhelm I of Saxe-Weimar]], and maternal grandfather, Elector [[John George, Elector of Brandenburg|Johann Georg of Brandenburg]], assumed the regency of the electorate. The young elector's reign was immediately hit with internal strife; Christian I's unexpected death had sparked rumours that he had been poisoned by a Lutheran establishment in Saxony to forestall a Calvinist reformation. From 1591 to 1593, Christian's mother Sophie of Brandenburg orchestrated a reactionary purge of Philippists and [[crypto-Calvinists]], imprisoning Krell and obliging all pastors to swear allegiance to the Lutheran [[Book of Concord]], earning approval from Saxony's Lutheran populace. Convinced that he had corrupted her late husband, Sophie worked to have Krell executed, though found herself obstructed by the imperial courts.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=213-214}}

Over the course of Christian's minority, Saxony returned to its orthodox stance in imperial politics and drifted into political passivity, as Christian's regents were reluctant to take any risks. Christian II came of age in September 1601.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=213-214}}

===Imperial politics===
Like his father, Christian II suffered from alcoholism and was even less able to assert himself than his father, allowing his mother to dominate Saxon politics. Sophie worked to maintain Saxony's support of Emperor [[Rudolf II]] despite the lack of any tangible benefits, with a Saxon privy councillor noting in 1610 "politically, we're papists". Despite numerous delays from the imperial courts of justice, eventually the ''[[Reichshofrat]]'' confirmed the death sentence of Krell, despite lack of evidence of any conspiracy and pleas of mercy from [[Elizabeth I of England]] and [[Henri IV of France]]. On 9 October 1601, Krell was publicly executed in Dresden, with Sophie taking the seat of honour. This act of revenge was widely interpreted across the empire as Christian's determination to oppose Calvinism.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=213-214}} In Dresden, on 12 September 1602, Christian married [[Hedwig of Denmark|Hedwig]], daughter of the King [[Frederick II of Denmark]].<ref>Johannsen, Hugo. "The Writ on the Wall: Theological and Political Aspects of Biblical Text-Cycles in Evangelical Palace Chapels of the Renaissance." In ''The Arts and the Cultural Heritage of Martin Luther.'' Edited by Nils Holger Petersen. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 2002. 83.</ref> This marriage was childless.

The internal strife and growing conservatism in Saxony allowed for the more militant Palatinate to reassert itself as the leading Protestant principality and seek the establishment of a new Protestant alliance, now with the backing of Prince [[Christian I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg|Christian I of Anhalt-Bernburg]]. While the Palatinate led six Protestant congresses with the intention of withholding assistance for the emperor's war against the Turks, Christian II boycotted these congresses which greatly depowered the Palatine's authority. The Palatinate and Anhalt managed to gain the support of [[Ansbach]] and [[Hessen-Kassel]] for a new Protestant Union, but Christian II refused to attach Saxony to the cause, and further lack of support from Denmark, England, and France saw Ansbach and Hessen-Kassel ultimately side with Saxony in imperial politics. The atmosphere became so hostile that when someone shot at Christian II while he was out riding in April 1603, Saxony accused Christian of Anhalt of planning an assassination.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=217-218}}

Christian II's support of imperial policy wavered during the 1608 [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|''Reichstag'']]; Christian had come to agree with the Palatinate's argument for ''[[itio in partes]]'' in imperial institutions. Saxon prestige meant that Christian II was now the spokesman of Protestant issues and the Palatinate began to fall in line with Saxony's moderate language. However, Saxony's moderation became untenable with the Habsburg counterdemand for the return of all Catholic church property confiscated by Protestant princes since 1552, a significant hardening of the Catholic position. The Protestant initiative passed back to the Palatinate and moderation from Saxony was drowned out amidst rising passions, culminating in a Palatine walkout. The collapse of the 1608 ''Reichstag'' suggested the futility in Christian II's faith in imperial institutions and safeguards for Protestant princes. Christian of Anhalt capitalised on the discontent and united his peers behind the [[Protestant Union]] on 14 May, under the leadership of [[Frederick IV, Elector Palatine]]. The union's Palatinate leadership was provisional, for there was hope that Christian II would join and lead the northern German principalities, however Saxony's continued refusal to join ensured that the northeastern princes remained neutral.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=224-226}} In 1609, the death of Duke [[John William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg|Johann Wilhelm of Jülich-Cleves-Berg]] saw [[War of the Jülich Succession|a succession crisis]] emerge over his rich and vast territories. The leading claimants were Brandenburg and [[Palatinate-Neuburg]] and their troops jointly occupied the duchies. Despite moderation from Saxony, Rudolf II was unable to decide on the matter and arbitrarily enfeoffed Christian II with the entire Jülich-Cleves inheritance on 7 July; Saxony was well-aware of its inability to hold the already occupied duchies and pushed for Rudolf to establish a new peace conference.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=232-233}}

Christian II died in Dresden on 23 July 1611; after having participated in a tournament in full armour, he climbed off his horse, drank a large amount of beer to cool down, and suddenly died from a heart attack. Having left no legitimate children with his wife, his brother [[John George I of Saxony|Johann Georg]] succeeded him as the Elector of Saxony.{{sfn|Wilson|2009|pp=246}}

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
| 1= 1. '''Christian II, Elector of Saxony''' 
| 2= 2. [[Christian I, Elector of Saxony]]
| 3= 3. [[Sophie of Brandenburg]]
| 4= 4. [[Augustus, Elector of Saxony]]
| 5= 5. [[Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony]]
| 6= 6. [[John George, Elector of Brandenburg]]
| 7= 7. [[Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
| 8= 8. [[Henry IV, Duke of Saxony]]
| 9= 9. [[Catherine of Mecklenburg]]
| 10= 10. [[Christian III of Denmark]]
| 11= 11. [[Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg]]
| 12= 12. [[Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg]]
| 13= 13. [[Magdalena of Saxony]]
| 14= 14. [[George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
| 15= 15. [[Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels]]
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Peter H. |title=Europe's Tragedy: A History of the Thirty Years War |publisher=Allen Lane |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7139-9592-3}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Wettin]]|23 September|1583|23 June|1611}}
{{s-reg}}
{{Succession box|
 before=[[Christian I, Elector of Saxony|Christian I]]|
 title=[[Rulers of Saxony|Elector of Saxony]]|
 years=1591&ndash;1611|
 after=[[John George I, Elector of Saxony|John George I]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Electors of Saxony}}
{{Princes of Saxony}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian 02, Elector of Saxony}}
[[Category:1583 births]]
[[Category:1611 deaths]]
[[Category:Nobility from Dresden]]
[[Category:Prince-electors of Saxony]]
[[Category:House of Wettin]]
[[Category:Child monarchs]]
[[Category:Albertine branch]]
[[Category:Burials at Freiberg Cathedral]]