| Wenceslaus I | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrait of George I, 1570 | |
| Duke of Saxe-Lobnitz | |
| Reign | 1567-1605 |
| Coronation | 15 August 1567 |
| Predecessor | Wenceslaus II |
| Count of Wurzen | |
| Reign | 1568-1605 |
| Predecessor | Maria of Wurzen |
| Born | 5 January 1536 Lobnitz, Duchy of Saxe-Lobnitz, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 16 April 1605 Lobnitz, Duchy of Saxe-Lobnitz, Holy Roman Empire |
| Spouse | Maria of Wurzen |
| House | House of La Marck |
| Father | Wenceslaus II |
| Mother | Henrietta Edwardina de la Marck |
| Religion | Jungism |
George I (5 January 1536 - 16 April 1605) was Duke of Saxe-Lobnitz from 1567 until his death. He succeeded his father, Wenceslaus II, and was the third Duke of Saxe-Lobnitz since its creation in 1534.
As ruler of Lobnitz, George was considered a more level-headed administrator than his father. The year after his ascension to that of duke, George negotiated an important marriage to Maria of Wurzen. After the Wolfen War, many ecclesiastic territories in the Saxon region had been secularized into hereditary titles, the most important of which being from the Bishopric of Meissen. After Meissen's disintegration into a number of independent principalities, the County of Wurzen emerged as one such territory, which later fell to Countess Maria. George's marriage and inheritance of Wurzen gave new life to Saxe-Lobnitz, which up to this point had been severely diminished in size by its neighbors, and was expected to be dissolved soon after George's death.
He used his new found wealth to buy back some territory lost by his father, and to construct new holdings in Wurzen, as the titular city alone easily outweighed the rest of Saxe-Lobnitz combined. He was supportive of his younger brother Wenceslaus, who became Count of Wasaborg and married Tosca, Duchess of Saxe-Torgau during the Grand Appanage, seemingly not wishing to take part in the contest himself. During the Forty Years' War the elderly George preferred neutrality, but did not impede the war effort. He died in 1605 at the age of 69.
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