John William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar

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Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (b. Torgau, 11 March 1530 - d. Weimar, 2 March 1573), was a duke of Saxe-Weimar.

He was the second son of Johann Frederick, Elector of Saxony and Sybille of Cleves.

His father, on that time, had still carried the title of Elector of Saxony; but he lost this title in 1547 after his defeat and capture by the Emperor, because he supported the Reformation. Johann Frederick was released and forced to retained only the title of a duke of Saxony in an area substantially smaller compared to this former lands in Thuringia. In 1554, after the death of his father, Johann Wilhelm inherited the duchy of Saxony with his older brother, Johann Frederick II and his younger brother, Johann Frederick III (namesake of his older brother).

The three brothers divided the duchy: Johann Frederick II as Head take Eisenach and Coburg, Johann Wilhelm received Weimar and Johann Frederick III inherited Gotha; however, in 1565, when Johann Frederick III died without heirs, the two surviving brothers make a new divisionary treaty on his lands. The older brother retained his original lands and also occuped Gotha, and Johann William still with his lands in Weimar. The partition plan also planned that the two brothers should exchange every three years their regions among themselves. To such an exchange it did not come however any longer.

The politics of Johann Frederick II, which were directed to a recuperation of the lands and the title of Elector lost for his father in 1547 (he briefly recovered the Electorate during 1554-1556), as well as by his involving in several intrigues, make the anger of the Emperor Maximilian II. The Emperor finally imposed the Reichsacht (Imperial Ban) over him, that became Elector of Saxony assigned the Reichsexekution, in which also Johann William took part. After a siege of his castle in Gotha, Johann Friedrich was finally defeated in 1566 and came up to the rest of his life as imperial prissioner. His possessions were confiscated by the emperor and handed over to Johann Wilhelm, who became thus in the only ruler of the whole duchy of Saxony.

But Johann Wilhelm fell soon into imperial disgrace, when he entered to the service of the King Charles IX of France as General, in his campaign against the Huguenots. Thus he did not only cause the hate of his Protestant subjects (a member of the family of Wettin, which applied since Frederick the Wise as the protecting power of Protestantism in Germany, allied himself with the Catholic King of France against the Protestants Huguenots!) also the anger of the Emperor, since the French Kings were hereditary enemies of the Habsburgs.

The Emperor used the two surviving sons of Johann Frederick II against Johann Wilhelm; in 1572 the Division of Erfurt was made. The duchy of Saxony was divided into three parts. The older of the two sons of Johann Frederick II, Johann Casimir, received Coburg, and the younger, Johann Ernst, received Eisenach. Johann Wilhelm retained only the smaller part, the limited region of Weimar, but he can added to his duchy the districts of Altenburg, Gotha and Meiningen. Since has it several ernestine dynasties in Thuringia given this division, the total possession of the Wettins (the duchy of Saxony) became next to each other always thus no more not combined. From Johann William descends the house of Saxe-Weimar and the first house of Saxe-Altenburg, which separated later from Saxe-Weimar (see also Ernestine duchies).

[edit] Ancestry

16. Frederick II, Elector of Saxony

8. Ernest, Elector of Saxony

17. Margarete of Austria-Styria

4. John, Elector of Saxony

18. Albert III, Duke of Bavaria

9. Elizabeth of Bavaria-Munich

19. Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen-Einbeck

2. John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony

20. Heinrich IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Werle

10. Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Güstrow

21. Dorothea of Brandenburg

5. Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

22. Erich II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast

11. Sophie of Pomerania-Wolgast

23. Sophia of Pomerania-Stargard

1. Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar

24. John I, Duke of Cleves

12. John II, Duke of Cleves

25. Elizabeth of Nevers

6. John III, Duke of Cleves

26. Henry III, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg

13. Matilda of Hesse

27. Anna of Katzenelnbogen

3. Sybille of Cleves

28. Gerhard VII, Duke of Jülich-Berg

14. William IV, Duke of Jülich-Berg

29. Sophie of Saxe-Lauenburg

7. Maria of Jülich-Berg-Ravensburg

30. Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg

15. Sibylle of Brandenburg

31. Anna of Saxony

[edit] Children

In Heidelberg on 15 June 1560 Johann Wilhelm married Dorothea Susanne of Simmern, daughter of Frederick III, Elector Palatine. They had five children:

1. Frederick Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (b. Weimar, 25 April 1562 - d. Weimar, 7 July 1602).
2. Sibylle Marie (b. Weimar, 7 November 1563 - d. Altenburg, 20 February 1569).
3. stillborn son (Weimar, 9 October 1564).
4. Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (b. Weimar, 22 May 1570 - d. Weimar, 18 July 1605).
5. Marie (b. Weimar, 7 October 1571 - d. Quedlinburg, 7 March 1610), Abbess of Quedlinburg (1601-1610).

Preceded by Johann Frederick II	Duke of Saxony 1566–1572	Succeeded by Himself as Duke of Saxe-Weimar Johann Casimir as Duke of Saxe-Coburg Johann Ernst as Duke of Saxe-Eisenach
Preceded by Himself as Duke of Saxony	Duke of Saxe-Weimar 1572-1573	Succeeded by Frederick Wilhelm I