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JOHN (1801-1873)

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 445 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JOHN (1801-1873) , See also:king of See also:Saxony, son of See also:Prince See also:Maximilian of Saxony and his wife See also:Caroline of See also:Parma (d. 1804), was See also:born at See also:Dresden on the 12th of See also:December 18or. As a boy he took a keen See also:interest in literature and See also:art (also in See also:history, See also:law, and See also:political See also:science), and studied with the greatest ardour classical and See also:German literature (See also:Herder, See also:Schiller, See also:Goethe). He soon began to compose See also:poetry himself, and See also:drew See also:great See also:inspiration from a See also:journey in See also:Italy (1821-1822), the See also:pleasure of which was however darkened by the See also:death of his See also:brother Clemens. In See also:Pavia the prince met with Biagioli's edition of See also:Dante, and this gave rise to his lifelong and fruitful studies of Dante. The first See also:part of his German See also:translation of Dante was published in 1828, and in 1833 appeared the See also:complete See also:work, with a valuable commentary, which met with a great success. Several new See also:editions appeared under his See also:constant supervision, and he collected a complete library of See also:works on Dante. On his return from Italy he was betrothed to Princess Amalia of See also:Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian See also:Joseph. He thus became the brother-in-law of See also:Frederick See also:William IV., king of See also:Prussia, with whom he had a deep and lasting friendship. His wife Amalia died on the 8th of See also:November 1877, having See also:borne him nine See also:children, two of whom, See also:Albert and See also:George, later became See also:kings of Saxony. On his return to Dresden, John was called in 1822 to the privy See also:board of See also:finance (Geheimes Finanzkollegium) and in 1825 became its See also:vice-See also:president. Under the leadership of the president, Freiherr von See also:Manteuffel, he acquired a thorough knowledge of See also:administration and of political See also:economy, and laid the See also:foundations of that conservatism which he retained throughout See also:life.

These new activities did not, however, interrupt his See also:

literary and See also:artistic studies. He came into still closer relations with politics and See also:government after his entry into the privy See also:council in 1830. During the revolution in Saxony he helped in the pacification of the See also:country, became commandant of the new See also:national guard, the political tendencies of which he tried to check, and took an exceptionally active part in the organization of the constitution of the 4th of See also:September 1831 and especially in the deliberations of the upper chamber, where he worked with unflagging See also:energy and great ability. Following the example of his See also:father, he taught his children in See also:person, and had a great See also:influence on their See also:education. On the 12th of See also:August 1845, during a stay at See also:Leipzig, the prince was the See also:object of hostile public demonstrations, the See also:people holding him to be the See also:head of an alleged ultramontane party at See also:court, and the revolution of 1848 compelled him to interrupt his activities in the upper chamber. Immediately after the suppression of the revolution he resumed his See also:place and took part chiefly in the discussion of legal questions. He was also interested in the amalgamation of the German See also:historical and archaeological See also:societies. On the death of his brother Frederick See also:Augustus II., John became, on the 9th of August 1854, king of Saxony. As king he soon won great popularity owing to his simplicity, graciousness and increasingly evident know-ledge of affairs. In his policy as regards the German See also:confederation he was entirely on the See also:side of See also:Austria. Though not opposed to a reform of the federal constitution, he held that its See also:maintenance under the See also:presidency of Austria was essential. This view he supported at the See also:assembly of princes at See also:Frankfort in August and September 1863.

He was unable to uphold his views against Prussia, and in the See also:

war of 1866 fought on the side of Austria. It was with difficulty that, on the conclusion of See also:peace, See also:Austrian See also:diplomacy succeeded in enabling the king to retain his See also:crown. After 1866 King John gradually became reconciled to the new See also:state of affairs. He entered the See also:North German confederation, and in the war of 1870–71 with See also:France his troops fought with conspicuous courage. He died at Dresden on the 29th of See also:October 1873. See J. Petzholdt, " Zur Litteratur See also:des Konigs Johann," Neuer A nzeiger f as Bibliographie (1858,1859,1871,1873,1874); "Aphorismen fiber unsern See also:Konig J., " Bote von Geising (1866–1869) ; Das Biichlein vom Konig Johann (Leipzig, 1867) ; H. v. See also:Treitschke, Preussische Jahrbucher 23 (1869); A. See also:Reumont, " Elogio di Giovanni, Re di Sassonia," Dagli Atti della Accademia della Crusca (See also:Florence, 1874) ; J. P. von Winterstein, Johann, Konig von Sachsen (Dresden, 1878), and in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1881) ; H. Ermisch, See also:Die Wet-See also:liner and die Landesgeschichte (Leipzig, 1902) ; O. Kaemmel, Sachsische ,Geschichte (Leipzig, 1899, Sammlung See also:Goschen).

(J.

End of Article: JOHN (1801-1873)

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