Frederick III, Elector of Saxony

From Freepedia

Friedrich III (January 17, 1463 – May 5, 1525), also known as Frederick the Wise, was Elector of Saxony (from the House of Wettin) from 1486 to his death.

Frederick was the son of Ernest, Elector of Saxony and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Albert, Duke of Bavaria. He succeeded his father as Elector in 1486; in 1502, he founded the University of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon taught. He greatly supported Martin Luther's teachings.

Frederick was Pope Leo X's candidate for Holy Roman Emperor in 1519—the pope had awarded him the Golden Rose of virtue on September 3, 1518—, but he helped secure the election of Charles V. Frederick ensured Luther would be heard before the Diet of Worms in 1521, and subsequently secured an exemption from the Edict of Worms for Saxony. He protected Luther from the Pope's enforcement of the Edict by taking him into custody at Wartburg Castle following the Diet of Worms. Frederick himself had little personal contact with Luther and remained a Roman Catholic. He was succeeded by his brother Duke John the Constant as Elector of Saxony.