John (German: Johann; Polish: Jan; 12 December 1801 – 29 October 1873) was King of Saxony from 9 August 1854 until his death in 1873. He was a member of the House of Wettin. During his reign, Saxony became a part of the German Empire.
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Early life
John was born in Dresden, the third son of Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Saxony—younger son of the Elector Frederick Christian of Saxony—by his first wife, Carolina of Bourbon, Princess of Parma. Highly regarded as a scholar-king, he studied law and humanities at Leipzig University where he famously translated Dante's Divine Comedy into German under the pseudonym "Philalethes" and Leipzig University's historic Johanneum building was named in his honour.
During most of his life, John stood little chance of inheriting the Saxon Crown: he was preceded by his father and two older brothers, Frederick Augustus and Clement. However, in 1822 Clement died unmarried in Italy, and John was now only preceded in the line of succession by his older brother Frederick Augustus.
When his uncle Anton succeeded his older brother as king (1827), John became the third in line to the throne, and after his father Maximilian renounced his succession rights in 1830, John became in the second in line. John's older brother became King Frederick Augustus II in 1836; now he was the first in line of succession to the throne. The King, married twice, was childless. John remained as heir presumptive during all the reign of his brother.