John George, Elector of Brandenburg

John George of Brandenburg (Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1571–1598) and a Duke of Prussia. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the son of Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg, and his first wife Magdalena of Saxony.

Faced with large debts accumulated during the reign of his father, John George instituted a grain tax which drove part of the peasantry into dependence on a nobility that was exempt from taxation. Though a staunch Lutheran opposed to the rise of Calvinism, he permitted the admission of Calvinist refugees from the wars in the Spanish Netherlands and France. He was succeeded by his son Joachim Frederick.

Upon the death of his kinsman Sophie of Legnica (ca. 1525 – 6 February 1546), whom he married in 1545. They had one child together:

1. Joachim Frederick (27 January 1546 – 1608)

Secondly, he married Margravine George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, in 1548. They had the following children:

1. George Albert (1555–1557)
2. John
3. Albert
4. Magdalena Sabina
5. Erdmuthe (26 June 1561 – 13 November 1623), married in 1577 to Duke John Frederick of Pomerania
6. Marie
7. Magdalena
8. Margaret
9. Anna Maria (3 February 1567 – 4 November 1618), married in 1581 to Duke Barnim X of Pomerania
10. Sophie (6 June 1568 – 7 December 1622), married in 1582 to Elector Christian I of Saxony

Thirdly, he married Princess Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst (15 September [O.S. 5 September] 1563 – 5 October 1607) in 1577. They had the following children:

1. Christian (1581–1655)
2. Magdalena (7 January 1582