# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/frederick-iii-elector-of-saxony
# Generated: 2026-09-01T13:06:15.602Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/frederick-iii-elector-of-saxony"
name: "Frederick III, Elector of Saxony"
slug: "frederick-iii-elector-of-saxony"
description: "He stayed Catholic but shielded the man who split the church. Frederick III kept Martin Luther alive when emperor and pope both wanted him silenced — not from conviction in the new theology, but from a colder principle: his subjects deserved a fair hearing under law."
tagline: "Elector and Duke of Saxony (1463-1525)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Lucas_Cranach_d.%C3%84._-_Bildnis_Kurf%C3%BCrst_Friedrich_des_Weisen_von_Sachsen%2C_1532.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "Germany"
  isoCode: "DE"
category:
  name: "Models"
  slug: "models"
profileType:
  name: "Model"
  slug: "model"
birthDate: "1463-01-17"
deathDate: "1525-05-05"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           54.71
  momentum:             1.114237478897018
  historical:           22.75711466666667
  currentAttention:     6.190208216094542
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  70
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Model"
    slug: "model"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "Germany"
    slug: "germany"
  - name: "Europe"
    slug: "europe"
  - name: "Medieval Era"
    slug: "medieval-era"
sources:
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q77233"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III,_Elector_of_Saxony"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Frederick%20III%2C%20Elector%20of%20Saxony"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B4_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA_%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%A8_%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7"
    title: "فريدرش التالت ناخب ساكسونيا"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be_x_old.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%B4%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%85_III_%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D1%96"
    title: "Фрыдрых III Саксонскі"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%B4%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%85_III_%D0%9C%D1%83%D0%B4%D1%80%D1%8B"
    title: "Фрыдрых III Мудры"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%85_III_(%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F)"
    title: "Фридрих III (Саксония)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_III_de_Sax%C3%B2nia"
    title: "Frederic III de Saxònia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridrich_III._Sask%C3%BD"
    title: "Fridrich III. Saský"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_3._af_Sachsen"
    title: "Frederik 3. af Sachsen"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_III._(Sachsen)"
    title: "Friedrich III. (Sachsen)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A6%CF%81%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%B4%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%93%CE%84_%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%A3%CE%B1%CE%BE%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82"
    title: "Φρειδερίκος Γ΄ της Σαξονίας"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III%2C_Elector_of_Saxony"
    title: "Frederick III, Elector of Saxony"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederiko_la_3-a_(Saksio)"
    title: "Frederiko la 3-a (Saksio)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_III_de_Sajonia"
    title: "Federico III de Sajonia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederiko_III.a_Saxoniakoa"
    title: "Frederiko III.a Saxoniakoa"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9_%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%85%D8%8C_%D8%AD%DA%A9%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%B3%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C"
    title: "فردریک سوم، حکمران ساکسونی"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrik_Viisas"
    title: "Fredrik Viisas"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_III_de_Saxe"
    title: "Frédéric III de Saxe"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9A_%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%99%2C_%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9A_%D7%94%D7%91%D7%95%D7%97%D7%A8_%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%A7%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%94"
    title: "פרידריך השלישי, הנסיך הבוחר מסקסוניה"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/III._Frigyes_sz%C3%A1sz_v%C3%A1laszt%C3%B3fejedelem"
    title: "III. Frigyes szász választófejedelem"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_III_dari_Sachsen"
    title: "Friedrich III dari Sachsen"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fri%C3%B0rik_3._af_Saxlandi"
    title: "Friðrik 3. af Saxlandi"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_il_Saggio"
    title: "Federico il Saggio"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E3%83%AA%E3%83%923%E4%B8%96_(%E3%82%B6%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BB%E3%83%B3%E9%81%B8%E5%B8%9D%E4%BE%AF)"
    title: "フリードリヒ3世 (ザクセン選帝侯)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%A4%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%93%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%AE_III_(%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%A5%E1%83%A1%E1%83%9D%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%E1%83%90)"
    title: "ფრიდრიხ III (საქსონია)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_III_van_Sakse"
    title: "Frederik III van Sakse"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B4_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB_%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%A8_%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7"
    title: "فريدرش الثالث ناخب سكسونيا"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Frederick III became Prince-elector of Saxony in 1486, son of Ernest and Elisabeth of Bavaria, holding one of the most powerful positions in the Holy Roman Empire. When Martin Luther nailed his theses and the Reformation ignited, Frederick positioned himself between Rome's fury and his subject's life. He refused to hand Luther over, citing imperial law's guarantee of fair trial — a legal shelter that let the Reformation take root while he himself remained outwardly Catholic. For nearly four decades he ruled Saxony through the church's fracture, inclining toward the new doctrines only gradually. He died in May 1525, reportedly converting in his final hours.