Maurice, Elector of Saxony
| Maurice | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1559 | |
| Elector of Saxony | |
| Reign | 24 April 1547 – 9 July 1553 |
| Predecessor | John Frederick I |
| Successor | Augustus |
| Duke of Saxony | |
| Reign | 18 August 1541 – 24 April 1547 |
| Predecessor | Henry IV |
| Successor | John Frederick I |
| Margrave of Meissen | |
| Reign | 18 August 1541 – 9 July 1553 |
| Predecessor | Henry IV |
| Successor | Merged into the Electorate |
| Born | 21 March 1521 Freiberg, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 9 July 1553 (aged 32) Sievershausen (near Lehrte), Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Agnes of Hesse |
| Issue | Anna, Princess of Saxony and Orange-Nassau Prince/Duke Albrecht of Saxony |
| House | Wettin (Albertine line) |
| Father | Henry IV, Duke of Saxony |
| Mother | Catherine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Religion | Roman Catholic (1521–1536) Lutheran (1536–1553) |
| Signature | |
Maurice (German: Moritz; 21 March 1521 – 9 July 1553) was Duke of Saxony from 1541 to 1553, who became Prince-Elector and Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire in 1547. Through shrewd political maneuvering, skillfully exploiting alliances and rivalries, he secured extensive territories and the electoral title for the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty.
Maurice succeeded his father as duke of Saxony in 1541. Though a Protestant, he initially backed Emperor Charles V in several wars, then in 1545 accepted the Emperor's promise of the Saxon electorship and turned against the rival Ernestine branch—helping seize Electoral Saxony. After John Frederick's defeat at Mühlberg (1547), Maurice was rewarded with the electoral title and large new lands.
He soon broke with Charles, angered by plans to restore Catholicism in Protestant territories and by the continued imprisonment of his father-in-law, Philip I of Hesse. Although sent to subdue Magdeburg in 1550, Maurice used the mission to raise an army and forge alliances with France and Protestant princes. In 1552, their campaign forced the Emperor to flee and Philip to be released, and the Treaty of Passau (1552) temporarily safeguarded Lutheran interests. Maurice later returned to the imperial side, but was killed in 1553 after defeating Albert Alcibiades at the Battle of Sievershausen.