MAURICE, Duke and Elector of Saxony (1521-53). lie was the eldest son of Duke Henry the Pious of the Albertine line. He was born at Freiburg, March 21, 1521, married in 1541 Agnes, daughter of the Landgrave Philip of Hesse, and later in the same year succeeded his father in the Duchy of Saxony. He was early involved in dis putes with his cousin, the Elector John Frederick of the Ernestine line. Though a Protestant. he (lid not join the Schmalkaldic League. and was finally won over by the Emperor Charles V.. who, pre paring to crush German Protestantism by force of arms, promised him (June 19, 1546) the pos sessions of the Ernestine line and the electoral dignity as soon as John Frederick, who was one of the leaders of the League. should be dispossessed. lie invaded electoral Saxony. but was driven from it and from his own domains and only saved by the timely assistance of the• Emperor and the Duke of Alva. who at the battle of Sliihlberg (1547) annihilated the army of the Schmalkaldie League and took John Frederick prisoner. Maurice now became ruler of the whole of Saxony, with the electoral dignity. The imprisonment of Philip of Hesse, whom Maurice had prevailed upon to submit to the Em peror, was the first cause of estrangement between Charles and Maurice. The attempts of the Em peror to increase his own preponderance, and. so to say, the influence of Spain in Germany, supplied another; a further source of trouble was the re fusal of the Emperor to hand over to Maurice the episcopal territories of Magdeburg, and Halber stadt, the prospect of whose possession had been held out to him ; in addition Maurice was alarmed for the safety of Protestantism. Although the new Elector zealously supported the Augsburg Interim of 1548, lie gradually came to see that his close alliance with the Emperor Ara* alien ating, from him the affections of his Protes tant subjects. He accordingly abandoned the
cause of the Emperor with as little !scruple as he had formerly sacrificed the interests of hii; relatives and co-religionists, and arranged an alliance against Charles V., comprising a num ber of German princes and Henry 11. of France, to whom the bishoprics of Metz, Told. and Ver dun were promised as a reward for his assist ance. In March, 1552. Maurice suddenly ap peared with an army in South Germany and compelled the Emperor, who was then at Inns bruck, to take refuge in flight, leaving to his brother Ferdinand the conduct of negotiations. Finally, at a convocation of the electors and princes of the Empire at Passau, the terms of a treaty of peace were arranged, in which it was agreed that the Lutheran States should be free to maintain their mode of worship. In the summer of 1553 Maurice took the field against Albert, Margrave of Brandenburg-Culmbach, who had re fused to accede to the terms of the Treaty of Pas sail, and w•ms raiding the Rhine bishoprics and Franconia, he was fatally wounded in the battle at Sievershausen, July 9th, dying July 11th. Although but thirty-two years of age, he had established his reputation as one of the ablest diplomat., administrators, and generals of his time; but lie united with a most agreeable per sonality a dissimulation and bad faith which lost hint the confidence of both parties.
Issleib, "Aloritz von Sachsen als pro testantischer Fiirst." a short study in Sainmiang 1:1011?'1111'r1'S1 411111101er irissenscha f t I icher Vort rage 1811$) Laligenn. M ori I l/coop 1111(1 (111111i11'81 it SaChSf'11 (Leipzig, 1841) ; Prutz, ".Moritz von Der )(cue Pie larch, vol. ix. (Leipzig, 1882). See REFORM ATION ; SAXONY.