Johann of Saxony (1801-1873) - Find a Grave Memorial

King of Saxony. Son of Prince Maximilian Wettin, he succeeded his brother Friedrich August II in 1854. He dedicated himself to the studies of the classic Greek and Roman authors, studied the Sanskrit and wrote linguistic papers. His interest in Italy, the homeland of his deceased mother Karoline of Parma, led to his first journey there in 1821/22. He extensively visited the upper Italian cities and his sister Maria, the wife of Leopold II of Tuscany, in Florence. During this journey, the prince bought an edition of the "Divine Comedy." His will to understand Dante motivated the young prince to busy himself with the Italian language. His admiration for the poet went so far that he translated Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" from the 14th century. Between 1833 and 1848 he published his work under the alias "Philalethes" (friend of the truth). It was important for him to protect his anonymity, because he did not want to distort the evaluation of the work by his name. Up to his death, only a few friends knew who hid himself behind "Philalethes". He fought for Prussia in the German-Danish war of 1864 and against Prussia in the German-Austrian war of 1866. He was married to Amalie Auguste of Bayern in November 1822 in Dresden. They had 9 children. They celebrated the 50th anniversary of their marriage at the Castle of Pillnitz in 1872. He died there the following year.

Bio by: Lutetia