Alternative History
Wenceslaus I
Eb877504-a31d-4baf-b324-71e1719456c2 g
Portrait of Wenceslaus II, 1549
Duke of Saxe-Lobnitz
Reign 1545-1567
Coronation 14 August 1545
Predecessor Wenceslaus I
Successor George I
Born 4 October 1500
Torgau,
Duchy of Saxony,
Holy Roman Empire
Died 18 August 1567
Lobnitz, Duchy of Saxe-Lobnitz,
Holy Roman Empire
Spouse Henrietta Edwardina de la Marck
Issue George I
House House of La Marck
Father Wenceslaus I
Mother Joanna von Jenagotha
Religion

Jungism (1513-)
Roman Catholicism (-1513)

Wenceslaus II (4 October 1500 - 18 August 1567) was a Duke of Saxe-Lobnitz from 1545 until his death. He was the second Duke of Saxe-Lobnitz, succeeding his father Wenceslaus I, after the title was created in 1534 upon the death of Edmund Alwin, Elector of Saxony.

As a member of the disenfranchised line descending from Engelbert II, Wenceslaus II was often in the shadow of his more popular relatives descended from Edmund Alwin, and he desperately sought to prove himself to the rest of the family. After the Protestant Reformation, Wenceslaus adopted the Jungist faith in earnest, and as an adult married one of his relatives, Henrietta Edwardina de la Marck, a daughter of Edward, Count of Wasaborg, to further enmesh himself with the La Marck family. Initially Wenceslaus formed a close relationship with his cousin, Alwin I of Saxe-Lochau, and donated an estate to Alwin's son, also named Edmund Alwin. Wenceslaus' generosity apparently went unreciprocated.

Wenceslaus feuded with another one of his cousins, Louis, Duke of Saxe-Wolfen, as Louis often hunted on Wenceslaus' lands and stole animals from his care. Their conflict erupted into a brief series of skirmishes near Friedersdorp in 1540, which Wenceslaus lost. Wenceslaus was forced to compensate his cousin with minor lands and money by Wolfgang I, Elector of Saxony, after which Wenceslaus largely disappeared from the public eye.

A story soon formed that the defenders of Friedersdorp had been betrayed by a conniving Jewish merchant, allowing Louis' victory, and this was seemingly backed up by Louis' support for Josel von Rosheim and the state of Judenstadt. As such Wenceslaus became an outspoken anti-Semite later in life. He helped fuel the Leipzig Riot of 1560, which saw over 300 Jewish inhabitants massacred. Jews were also formally banned from the town of Lobnitz in 1552, although only a single Jewish family resided there. The family's assets were seized and used to buy expensive Italian clothes, as Wenceslaus was self conscious of his presentation when meeting with his relatives. Wenceslaus II died in 1567 and was succeeded by his eldest son George I.

This article is part of Merveilles des Morte.