Which elector of Saxony signed the Peace of Prague with Ferdinand II in 1635?
Answer
John George I
The elector of Saxony who signed the Peace of Prague with Ferdinand II in 1635 was John George I.
John George I ruled Saxony from 1611 to 1656 and played a cautious, shifting role in the Thirty Years’ War. Although Saxony initially fought against the emperor, John George was wary of placing his state completely under Swedish leadership. After Gustavus Adolphus died at Lützen in 1632, Saxony moved toward reconciliation with the Habsburg emperor.
The Peace of Prague was signed on 30 May 1635. John George concluded the agreement with Ferdinand II, ending Saxony’s support for the anti-imperial coalition led by Sweden. The settlement also helped Emperor Ferdinand align several German territories against Sweden and France, although it did not end the wider war.
George William was elector of Brandenburg, Maximilian I was elector of Bavaria, and Frederick V was the former “Winter King” of Bohemia. Their prominence in the same conflict makes them plausible distractors, but none signed this treaty as elector of Saxony.