Hochmeister Frederick of Saxony dies 25 years later

Frederick was the next to last Hochmeister (Grand Master) of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1498 to 1510. He was only 36 when he died, having been elected at the age of 24.

Besides Frederick, birth and death years are known for five of the last seven Grand Masters; all lived to at least 54, and their average span was 64. (Birth years are missing for many of the Grand Masters, as they were usually not of important noble birth.)

If Frederick had lived to age 61... that would have been 1531, well into the Reformation.

Frederick's OTL successor, Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach, was converted to Lutheranism in 1522 and secularized the State of the Teutonic Order, becoming Duke of Prussia.

Albert was a scion of the Hohenzollerns, being a grandson of an Elector of Brandenburg by his second son. His only son Albert Frederick had no sons. In 1618 Prussia passed to Albert Frederick's son-in-law, John Sigismund, who was also his second cousin thrice removed and Elector of Brandenburg. This put Prussia into personal union with Brandenburg.

If Frederick of Saxony remains Grand Master, then in all probabililty he secularizes the Teutonic State and Prussia becomes a domain of the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin (formed when Frederick's father Albert divided the Wettin lands with his brother Ernest in 1485).

Prussia may remain a separate realm under the Albertine-*Frederickine Wettin line, or end up in personal union with Saxony. The PoD probably butterflies Maurice of Saxony (1521-1553), a clever Albertine boy who took the Electorate from the Ernestine Wettins in 1547. So the union would probably be with the lesser Albertine realm.

But the Hohenzollerns lose out completely.

This has lots of knock-ons; OTL, Saxon rulers were often enmeshed in the affairs of Poland. This will drag them even deeper, and may give them a stronger position.

Any other thoughts?
 
I don't really know enough about the matter to comment on likely effects, but this does look interesting.
Although, of course, if it's [electoral] Saxony rather than Brandenburg to which Prussia gets linked, the lines of communication between the two areas are a bit more difficult to keep secure...
 
It's not like being a Wettin or Grand Master in the 1520s automatically makes you sympathize with Luther, y'know. There's no guarantee that the Teutonic Order ends up secularized as a Lutheran duchy, so a different Grand Master could easily end up losing the entire thing to Poland, or being forced to bend the knee as Grand Master rather than duke.
 
It's not like being a Wettin or Grand Master in the 1520s automatically makes you sympathize with Luther, y'know.

Not automatic, but pretty close to it. Just about everyone in the area went Lutheran.

There's no guarantee that the Teutonic Order ends up secularized as a Lutheran duchy, so a different Grand Master could easily end up losing the entire thing to Poland, or being forced to bend the knee as Grand Master rather than duke.

Again, not guaranteed, but it is by far the most likely outcome.
 
It's not like being a Wettin or Grand Master in the 1520s automatically makes you sympathize with Luther, y'know. There's no guarantee that the Teutonic Order ends up secularized as a Lutheran duchy, so a different Grand Master could easily end up losing the entire thing to Poland, or being forced to bend the knee as Grand Master rather than duke.

Not automatic, but pretty close to it. Just about everyone in the area went Lutheran.



Again, not guaranteed, but it is by far the most likely outcome.

Wasn't the fact that Albert was a nephew of Sigismund I (being the son of the king's sister Sophia) an important reason why the Polish king decided to allow him to become the hereditary duke of Prussia, as a Polish vassal? If so, in this case, Frederick - having no blood connection with the Jagellions - would have more difficulties in getting Sigismund's approval.
 
Fredericks older brother George was staunchly Catholic and supposedly was determined after his own son's death to disinherit brother #2 Henry b/c he was Lutheran and instead bequeath the Duchy to either Charles V or Ferdinand Habsburg. Henry inherited anyway, but it suggests that Frederick may not have gone Lutheran, especially if staying Catholic meant he might inherit the Duchy over Henry.
 
Wasn't the fact that Albert was a nephew of Sigismund I (being the son of the king's sister Sophia) an important reason why the Polish king decided to allow him to become the hereditary duke of Prussia, as a Polish vassal? If so, in this case, Frederick - having no blood connection with the Jagellions - would have more difficulties in getting Sigismund's approval.
Frederick was also elected Grand Master because of his family ties to the Jagellions. They weren't as close as in Albert's case though, so I suppose your point still stands.
 
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