Christian I, Elector of Saxony

Christian I
Christian of Saxony as a prince, medal, 1574
Elector of Saxony
Reign	11 February 1586 – 25 September 1591
Predecessor	Augustus I
Successor	Christian II
Spouse	Sophie of Brandenburg
Issue
Christian II, Elector of Saxony John George I, Elector of Saxony Dorothea, Abbess of Quedlinburg
House	House of Wettin
Father	Augustus I, Elector of Saxony
Mother	Anna of Denmark
Born	29 October 1560(1560-10-29) Dresden
Died	25 September 1591(1591-09-25) (aged 30) Dresden
Religion	Lutheranism

Christian I of Saxony (Dresden, 29 October 1560 – Dresden, 25 September 1591) was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591.

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. Joha 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 Franz 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

16. Frederick II, Elector of Saxony

8. Albert, Duke of Saxony

17. Margarete of Austria-Styria

4. Henry IV, Duke of Saxony

18. George Podiebrad, King of Bohemia

9. Sidonie Podiebrad

19. Kunigunde of Sternberg

2. Augustus, Elector of Saxony

20. Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

10. Magnus II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

21. Dorothea of Brandenburg

5. Catherine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

22. Eric II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast

11. Sophie of Pomerania-Stettin

23. Sophia of Pomerania-Stolp

1. Christian I, Elector of Saxony

24. Christian I, King of Denmark

12. Frederick I, King of Denmark

25. Dorothea of Brandenburg

6. Christian III, King of Denmark

26. John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg

13. Anna of Brandenburg

27. Margaret of Thuringia

3. Anna of Denmark

28. John V of Saxe-Lauenburg

14. Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg

29. Dorothea of Brandenburg

7. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg

30. Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

15. Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

31. Catherine of Pomerania-Wolgast

Christian I, Elector of Saxony House of Wettin Born: 29 October 1560 Died: 25 September 1591
Preceded by Augustus	Elector of Saxony 1586–1591	Succeeded by Christian II

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Literature

• Christa Schille: Christian I.. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 3. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1957, p. 230 f. (full text online) (German)
• Ilse Schunke: Beitraege zur Politik des Kurfürsten Christian I. v. Sachsen 1586-1591 vornehmlich in den Jahren 1586/89, Munich, 1922 (German)

Persondata
Name	Christian 01 Of Saxony, Elector
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	29 October 1560
Place of birth	Dresden
Date of death	25 September 1591
Place of death	Dresden