Duke Frederick of Saxe-Altenburg (1599–1625)

Duke Frederick of Saxe-Altenburg
Noble family	House of Wettin
Father	Frederick William I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar
Mother	Countess Palatine Anna Maria of Neuburg
Born	12 February 1599(1599-02-12) Torgau
Died	24 October 1625(1625-10-24) (aged 26) Seelze
Burial	Hanover, later Altenburg

Frederick of Saxe-Altenburg (12 February 1599, Torgau – in battle: 24 October 1625, Seelze) was a member of the Ernestine branche of the House of Wettin and a Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. Frederick is sometimes called "Frederick the younger" to distinguish him from Prince Frederick of Saxe-Weimar, as they were both called "Frederick of Saxe-Weimar".

Life

Frederick was the third son of Duke Frederick William I of Saxe-Weimar (1562–1602) from his second marriage to Anna Maria (1575–1643), daughter of Count Palatine Philip Louis of Neuburg.

After the death of his father Frederick inherited the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg jointly with his brothers John Philip, John William and Frederick William II. Their guardians were the Elector Christian II of Saxony and their uncle, Duke John II. After John II died in 1605, Christian II was their sole guardian.

After the War of the Jülich succession, the brothers were enfeoffed with the Duchies of Jülich, Cleves and Berg. However, they were still minors and were only allowed to use the title and the coat of arms. In 1612, the brothers enrolled at the University of Leipzig to complete their education. Frederick and John Philip participated in the Princess Congress at Naumburg in 1614, where the inheritance alliance between Brandenburg, Hesse and Saxony was created.

In 1618, the oldest brother John Philip came of age and began to rule independently. The younger brothers decided to allow John Philip to continue to rule alone, when they came of age, in exchange for a jointure. At first, this was agreed for a limited number of years. In 1624, however, the arrangement was made permanent.

Frederick went into the service of the Elector John George I of Saxony and fought in the Thirty Years' War in Lusatia and Bohemia. From 1622, he led his own corps of troops, however, these scattered due to lack of pay. Frederick then went into the service of Duke Christian the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. During the Battle of Stadtlohn of 1623, Frederick and William, Duke of Saxe-Weimar were captured by Tilly, who surrendered the Dukes to the Emperor. Frederick remained imprisoned for a while. In 1624, John George I intervened and he was released.

In 1625 Frederick became a cavalry commander in Danish service. With his regiment he formed a Danish outpost in Seelze. They were attacked by Tilly and he died of a head wound. Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut died during the same skirmish. Frederick's body was first interred in Hanover and later moved the Brothers' Church in Altenburg. He died unmarried and without heirs.

References and Sources

• Johann Samuel Ersch: Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste, Leipzig 1849, p. 64 ff (Digitized)
• This page is a translation of its German equivalent.

Persondata
Name	Duke Frederick of Saxe-Altenburg
Alternative names	Frederick the Younger, Friedrich von Sachsen-Altenburg (German)
Short description	Third son of Duke Freederick William I of Saxe-Weimar
Date of birth	12 February 1599
Place of birth	Torgau
Date of death	24 October 1625
Place of death	Seelze