JOHN GEORGE I

born March 5, 1585, Dresden, Saxony died Oct. 8, 1656, Dresden elector of Saxony from 1611, whose irresolution lost for Saxony, then the richest and most powerful of the German states, opportunities for ascendancy and territorial expansion. An easygoing, indolent drunkard whose chief wish was to drink his beer in peace, he was a faithful adherent of the house of Habsburg. As a result of his inability to grasp political opportunities, he lost the leadership of the German Protestants, first to Frederick V of the Palatinate, then to Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden, and last to Frederick William of Brandenburg. During the Thirty Years' War, his vacillation and half-hearted efforts lost him the Bohemian crown and the chance to acquire permanently the archbishopric of Madgeburg. The Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years' War, determined the ascendance of Brandenburg over Saxony.