GHDI logo


Elector John of Saxony, called "the Constant" (undated)

Elector John (“the Constant”) of Saxony (r. 1525-32) was the younger brother of and successor to Frederick (“the Wise”) of Saxony. A strong supporter of Luther and the Protestants, John co-founded, together with Landgrave Philip of Hesse (1504-67), the Protestant Schmalkaldic League. This portrait is part of a triptych depicting the last three Saxon electors of the Ernestine line: Frederick (“the Wise”), John (“the Constant”) and John’s son, John Frederick (“the Magnanimous”). Oil painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), c. 1532-35.

print version     return to image list previous image      next image

Elector John of Saxony, called "the Constant" (undated)

© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Original: Nürnberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum