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John George IVElector of Saxony from the Wettin dynasty
Date of Birth: 18.10.1668
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Johann Georg IV, Elector of Saxony
Johann Georg IV was the Elector of Saxony from the House of Wettin.Reign
He succeeded his father, Johann Georg III, in 1691. His reign was marked by his infatuation with Magdalena Sibylla Neitschütz, the daughter of a guard officer. This love was attributed to witchcraft at the time. Johann's political advisor, Schöning, attempted to divert the elector's attention from Neitschütz by arranging his marriage to Eleonore of Saxe-Eisenach. However, this marriage failed to extinguish Johann Georg's passion for Neitschütz.
Succession
Johann Georg IV had no legitimate heirs. In 1693, Neitschütz gave birth to his daughter, Wilhelmina Maria. Johann Georg's younger brother, August, became the new elector and assumed guardianship of Wilhelmina. He acknowledged her as his niece and provided her with a dowry when she married in 1720.
Legacy
Johann Georg IV's reign was a tumultuous period marked by political intrigue and personal tragedy. His untimely death from smallpox in 1694 left a void in the Saxon electorate. His daughter, Wilhelmina Maria, became an ancestral figure for the poet Antoni Malczewski.
