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Maurice, Elector of Saxony

Type Figure Region Holy Roman Empire Time 1521–1553 Also known as Maurice

Elector of Saxony (1547–1553), a key military and political figure of the religious wars: he first served the Empire to defeat the Schmalkaldic Leagu…

Timeline

  1. 1521–1546Dresden · SaxonyIn 1526 he succeeded his brother John Frederick as Duke of Saxony, sympathizing with Lutheranism in his early years; when the Schmalkaldic War broke out in 1546 he still belonged to the camp of Protestant princes.
  2. 1546–1548Mühlberg · SaxonyIn 1547 he switched to Charles V's side, defeated the Schmalkaldic League at the Battle of Mühlberg and captured Philip of Hesse; after the war he received the electoral title, replacing the imprisoned John Frederick.
  3. 1551–1553Innsbruck · TyrolAfter the siege of Magdeburg in 1551–1552 he turned to support the imprisoned Protestant princes; in 1552 he made a surprise strike on Innsbruck, bringing about the Treaty of Passau guaranteeing freedom of belief, becoming the central figure in the Empire's religious settlement of the 1550s.

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