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Elector of Brandenburg from 1571 to 1598 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John George of Brandenburg (German: Johann Georg von Brandenburg; 11 September 1525 – 8 January 1598) was a prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1571–1598).
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| John George | |
|---|---|
John George, Elector of Brandenburg (Oil on canvas by Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1564) | |
| Elector of Brandenburg | |
| Reign | 3 January 1571 – 8 January 1598 |
| Predecessor | Joachim II Hector |
| Successor | Joachim Frederick |
| Born | 11 September 1525 Cölln, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 8 January 1598 (aged 72) Cölln, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue among others… |
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| House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg |
| Mother | Magdalena of Saxony |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Born as a member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the son of Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg, and his first wife Princess Magdalena of Saxony.
Faced with large debts of 2.5 million guilder accumulated during the reign of his father, John George instituted a grain tax which drove part of the peasantry into dependence on a nobility that was exempt from taxation. He had Jews expelled from Brandenburg in 1573, stripped of their assets and prohibited from returning. Though a staunch Lutheran opposed to the rise of Calvinism, he permitted the admission of Calvinist refugees from the wars in the Spanish Netherlands and France. On 13 July 1574, he founded the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster, the first humanistic educational institution in Berlin. He was succeeded by his son Joachim Frederick.
Upon the death of his kinsman Albert I, Duke of Prussia in 1568, the Duchy of Prussia was inherited by the latter's underage son Albert Frederick. John George's father was a co-inheritor of the Duchy of Prussia. In 1577 the Brandenburg electors became co-regent with Duke Albert Frederick of Prussia.
John George was married three times.
His first wife was Princess Sophie of Legnica (ca. 1525 – 6 February 1546), whom he married in 1545. They had one child together:
Secondly, he married Margravine Sabina of Brandenburg-Ansbach (12 May 1529 – 2 November 1575), daughter of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, in 1548. They had the following children:[1][2]
Thirdly, he married Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst (15 September [O.S. 5 September] 1563 – 5 October 1607) in 1577. They had the following children:
| John George, Elector of Brandenburg | Father: Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg |
Paternal Grandfather: Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg |
Paternal Great-grandfather: John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Margaret of Thuringia | |||
| Paternal Grandmother: Elisabeth of Denmark |
Paternal Great-grandfather: John of Denmark | ||
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Christina of Saxony | |||
| Mother: Magdalena of Saxony |
Maternal Grandfather: George, Duke of Saxony |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Albert, Duke of Saxony | |
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Sidonie of Poděbrady | |||
| Maternal Grandmother: Barbara Jagiellon |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Casimir IV Jagiellon | ||
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Elisabeth of Austria |
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