WI: Catholic Saxony (Surviving Descent of Georg the Bearded)

Kellan Sullivan

Wasn't quite sure about the title. But oh well.

Georg the Bearded of Saxony was a Catholic and big opposer of Martin Luther (ISTR there being a story that he sent death threats to Luther or something). With two sons, it seemed like the Albertine Catholic succession was secure.

However, Georg's elder son, Johann was married to Elisabeth of Hesse and predeceased his dad with no issue. Georg's younger son, Friedrich, was unfortunately (FWIG) retarded/disabled and likewise had no children before shuffling of before dad. Georg then attempted to name Archduke Ferdinand (later Emperor Ferdinand I) as heir to Saxony but was unsuccessful.

My question is this: what if Johann-Elisabeth's marriage had produced kids? Or better yet, she maybe dies early enough for Johann to remarry elsewhere (Hedwig Jagiellon might be an option) and we get a surviving Catholic line of Wettins.

How does this affect things?

@Jan Olbracht @isabella
 

Jan Olbracht

Elisabeth of Hesse had Protestant leanings, so if she had kids with Johann they may also switch to Lutheranism, IMHO making Friedrich healthy and staunch Catholic like father and then married to Hedwig Jagiellon, who also was devout Catholic, is better idea.
 

Kellan Sullivan

Jan Olbracht said:
Elisabeth of Hesse had Protestant leanings, so if she had kids with Johann they may also switch to Lutheranism, IMHO making Friedrich healthy and staunch Catholic like father and then married to Hedwig Jagiellon, who also was devout Catholic, is better idea.
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I like that idea. Something tells me that Poland's queens won't be just Habsburgs here?
 

Kellan Sullivan

If things between the Habsburgs and Johann Friedrich still go to the shitter like OTL, will Karl V go with Moritz/August of Saxony? Or transfer things to the Catholic Albertines instead?
 

Kellan Sullivan

Aguss said:
It reduces the possibility of inbreeding in the Habsburgs, and to a lesser extent the Wittelsbach and Savoy.
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This is true. But I was wondering if Brandenburg would make the jump here? They only converted in 1539. However, Magdalene of Saxony, Georg's daughter, was the wife to Joachim II. Joachim remarried to Hedwig of Poland, but if Magdalene were either to live longer or Joachim were to remarry differently (Hedwig not being available because as @Jan Olbracht pointed out, she'd make a nice daughter-in-law for Georg), one wonders if Brandenburg would make the switch.
 

Kellan Sullivan

Aguss said:
It reduces the possibility of inbreeding in the Habsburgs, and to a lesser extent the Wittelsbach and Savoy.
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I like that idea. Especially since I was reading recently that there was an attempt to make Moritz of Saxony go into the church, as well as to betrothe Severinus of Saxony (Moritz's brother) to Anna of Austria (OTL duchess of Bavaria). Severinus was apparently being raised at Ferdinand I's court at Innsbruck with this goal in mind.

So if Erbprinz Johannwere to have a son (Elisabeth of Hesse dies and he remarries to someone with suitably Catholic credentials) would this plan be implemented with Johann's son instead?

@Jan Olbracht @Zygmunt Stary @Dr. Waterhouse @isabella
 
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Zygmunt Stary

Kellan Sullivan said:
So if Erbprinz Johannwere to have a son (Elisabeth of Hesse dies and he remarries to someone with suitably Catholic credentials) would this plan be implemented with Johann's son instead?
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I think that it's possible, Saxony is better match for her than Bavaria, bc Saxony is an electorate, while Bavaria .... isn't.
 

Jan Olbracht

Saxony is electorate, but Albertine line only get it after Schmalkaldic War, when their cousins from Ernestine line were placed under Imperial ban.
 

Kellan Sullivan

Zygmunt Stary said:
I think that it's possible, Saxony is better match for her than Bavaria, bc Saxony is an electorate, while Bavaria .... isn't.
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Reasonably small potatoes, since had the betrothal been considered during Severinus' lifetime, nothing could've predicted that he (or his father) would end up heir to Saxony. I suspect it was just planned to keep Saxony from "uniting" in heresy.
 

Zygmunt Stary

Kellan Sullivan said:
Reasonably small potatoes, since had the betrothal been considered during Severinus' lifetime, nothing could've predicted that he (or his father) would end up heir to Saxony. I suspect it was just planned to keep Saxony from "uniting" in heresy.
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Maybe, but since it was planned I don't see why the switch to Johann's son wouldn't be possible.
 

Zygmunt Stary

Kellan Sullivan said:
Will confess surprise that (when looking back over @Jan Olbracht's trees earlier) I found only single mentions of individuals as being a grandson/granddaughter of Georg, never an outline of exactly how Georg's descent might shape up.
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If the tree wasn't about Saxony it's no wonder he didn't want to flood it with exact descent of said person from Georg.
 
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