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26-586: The Münzkabinett is one of the three largest numismatic collections in Germany. Its nearly 300,000 objects include coins from most countries of the world from antiquity to present day, historic and modern medallions, medals and insignia, historic bank notes and bonds, minting dies for coins and medals, seals, models, early forms of money, and minting machines and equipment. The Münzkabinett is a Landesmünzkabinett or official state collection, and has claim to any hoards of coins found on Saxon territory. The Münzkabinett

52-549: A cousin of Duke George. George, as the eldest son, received an excellent training in theology and other branches of learning, and was thus much better educated than most of the princes of his day. As early as 1488, when his father was in East Frisia fighting on behalf of the emperor, George was regent of the ducal possessions, which included the Margraviate of Meissen with the cities of Dresden and Leipzig . He

78-472: A cross-section of the various parts of the collection. They are presented in four chapters (rooms). For research work, the collection has a library of some 30,000 volumes. The library and a study room are open to the public. George, Duke of Saxony George the Bearded ( Meissen , 27 August 1471 – Dresden , 17 April 1539) was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 known for his opposition to

104-784: A famous coin collection in Europe. The collection became a universal one during the Baroque period. Beginning in the second half of the 18th century, the Münzkabinett also developed into an important German center of scholarly research. The collection was kept in Dresden Castle until 1743, when it was moved to the Taschenbergpalais . In 1786, it was transferred to the Japanisches Palais by Augustus III ,

130-555: A number of reforms were introduced, and Humanism , as opposed to Scholasticism , was encouraged. From the beginning of the Reformation in 1517, Duke George directed his energies chiefly to ecclesiastical affairs. Hardly one of the secular German princes held as firmly as he to the Church, he defended its rights and vigorously condemned every innovation except those countenanced by the highest ecclesiastical authorities. At first he

156-532: Is also a center of scholarly research and has a public library of some 30,000 volumes. The Münzkabinett is one of Dresden’s oldest museums, dating back to the time of Duke George the Bearded (1500–1539). Over the centuries the collection has expanded through the constant acquisition of items by the Electors and Kings of Saxony. At the turn of the 18th century, the Dresden Münzkabinett was already

182-615: Is buried with his wife Barbara in the purpose-built Georgskapelle in Meissen Cathedral . The room contains a magnificent altarpiece by Lucas Cranach the Elder . In 1677 a highly ornate ceiling was added to the chapel, designed by Wolf Caspar von Klengel . George was married at Dresden, on 21 November 1496, to Barbara Jagiellon , daughter of Casimir IV, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and Elisabeth, daughter of Albrecht II of Hungary . They had ten children, but all, with

208-534: The League of Halle , formed in 1533, from which sprang in 1538 the Holy League of Nuremberg for the maintenance of the religious Peace of Nuremberg . The vigorous activity displayed by the duke in so many directions was not attended with much success. Most of his political measures stood the test of experience, but in ecclesiastico-political matters he witnessed with sorrow the gradual decline of Catholicism and

234-572: The Reformation . While the Ernestine line embraced Lutheranism , the Albertines (headed by George) were reluctant to do so. Despite George's efforts to avoid a succession by a Lutheran upon his death in 1539, he could not prevent it from happening. Under the Act of Settlement of 1499, Lutheran Henry IV became the new duke. Upon his accession, Henry introduced Lutheranism as a state religion in

260-726: The Albertine lands of Saxony. Duke George was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece . His father was Albert the Brave of Saxony , founder of the Albertine line of the Wettin family , his mother was Sidonie , daughter of George of Poděbrady , King of Bohemia . Elector Frederick the Wise , a member of the Ernestine branch of the same family, known for his protection of Luther , was

286-403: The Albertine line, while George's brother Heinrich became hereditary governor of Friesland. The Saxon occupation of Friesland, however, was by no means secure and was the source of constant revolts in that province. Consequently, Heinrich, who was of a rather inert disposition, relinquished his claims to the governorship, and in 1505 an agreement was made between the brothers by which Friesland

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312-728: The abuse of Indulgences and the annates . In 1525, he combined with his Lutheran son-in-law, Landgrave Philip of Hesse , and his cousin, the Elector Frederick the Wise, to suppress the revolt of the peasants , who were defeated near Frankenhausen in Thuringia . Some years later, he wrote a forcible preface to a translation of the New Testament issued at his command by his private secretary, Hieronymus Emser , as an offset to Luther's version. Lutheran books were confiscated by his order, wherever found, though he refunded

338-461: The ardently desired council, from the action of which so much was expected. While awaiting its convocation, he thought to remove the more serious defects by a reform of the monasteries, which had become exceedingly worldly in spirit and from which many of the inmates were departing. He vainly sought to obtain from the Curia the right, which was sometimes granted by Rome , to make official visitations to

364-756: The books and magazines which had also been taken. From 1959 until 2002, a selection of coins and medals was on view in the Albertinum . In the summer of 2002, the Münzkabinett finally moved to its place of origin, the Georgenbau of Dresden Castle. Until the permanent exhibition was installed in June 2015, the museum had been holding a series of temporary exhibitions in the Hausmannsturm (Hausmann Tower). The Münzkabinett exhibition shows around 3,300 objects, including rare and unique items, which represent

390-416: The conventual institutions of his realm. His reforms were confined mainly to uniting the almost vacant monasteries and to matters of economic management, the control of the property being entrusted in most cases to the secular authorities. In 1525, Duke George formed, with some other German rulers, the League of Dessau , for the protection of Catholic interests. In the same way he was the animating spirit of

416-458: The cost of the books. He proved himself in every way a vigorous opponent of the Lutherans, decreeing that Christian burial was to be refused to apostates, and recreant ecclesiastics were to be delivered to the bishop of Merseburg . For those, however, who merely held anti-catholic opinions, the punishment was only expulsion from the duchy. The duke deeply regretted the constant postponement of

442-487: The duchy to Ferdinand , brother of Charles V . His sudden death prevented the carrying out of this intention. George was an industrious and energetic, if somewhat irascible ruler in the furtherance of the interests of his land and people. A faithful adherent of the Emperor and Empire, he accomplished much for his domain by economy, love of order and wise direction of activities of his state officials. The grief of his life

468-406: The exception of a daughter, died before their father: In 1498, the emperor granted Albert the Brave the hereditary governorship of Friesland. At Maastricht , 14 February 1499, Albert settled the succession to his possessions, and endeavoured by this arrangement to prevent further partition of his domain. He died 12 September 1500, and was succeeded in his German territories by George as the head of

494-420: The government of the ducal territory proper. When regent, during the lifetime of his father, the difficulties arising from conflicting interests and the large demands on his powers had often brought the young prince to the verge of despair. In a short time, however, he developed decided ability as a ruler; on entering upon his inheritance he divided the duchy into governmental districts, took measures to suppress

520-580: The opposition of the theological faculty of the university, he originated the Disputation of Leipzig , with the idea of helping forward the cause of truth, and was present at all the discussions. In 1521, at the Diet of Worms , when the German princes handed in a paper containing a list of "grievances" concerning the condition of the Church, George added for himself twelve specific complaints referring mainly to

546-490: The robber-knights, and regulated the judicial system by defining and readjusting the jurisdiction of the various law courts. In his desire to achieve good order, severity, and the amelioration of the condition of the people, he sometimes ventured to infringe even on the rights of the cities. His court was better regulated than that of any other German prince, and he bestowed a paternal care on the University of Leipzig , where

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572-771: The son of Augustus II the Strong , along with the library and the collection of antiquities. In 1877, the Münzkabinett was moved back to the Dresden Castle. From 1911 until 1945, it was housed in the Chancellery Building, near the Stallhof yard. At the end of the war in 1945, the collection was confiscated by the Red Army and taken to the Soviet Union . It was returned to Dresden in 1958, but without

598-521: The spread of Lutheranism within his dominions, in spite of his earnest efforts and forcible prohibition of the new doctrine. Furthermore, during George's lifetime his nearest relations his son-in-law Philip of Hesse, and his brother Heinrich, joined the Reformers. He spent the last years of his reign in endeavours to secure a Catholic successor, thinking by this step to check the dissemination of Lutheran opinions. The only one of George's sons then living

624-480: Was not opposed to Luther, but as time went on and Luther's aim became clear to him, he turned more and more from the Reformer, and was finally, in consequence of this change of attitude, drawn into an acrimonious correspondence in which Luther, according to some without any justification, heavily criticized the duke. The duke was not blind to the undeniable abuses existing at that time in the Church. In 1519, despite

650-459: Was the weak-minded and unmarried Frederick. The intention of his father was that Frederick should rule with the aid of a council. Early in 1539, Frederick was married to Elizabeth of Mansfeld , but he died shortly afterwards, leaving no prospect of an heir. According to the act of settlement of 1499, George's Protestant brother Heinrich was now heir prospective; but George, disregarding his father's will, sought to disinherit his brother and to bequeath

676-599: Was transferred to George, while Heinrich received an annuity and the districts of Freiberg and Wolkenstein . But this arrangement did not restore peace in Friesland, which remained a source of trouble to Saxony. In 1515 George sold Friesland to the future Emperor Charles V (then Duke of Burgundy ) for the very moderate price of 100,000 florins. He tried to keep the newmade lands of het Bildt which weren't granted him by Charles V. These troubles outside of his Saxon possessions did not prevent George from bestowing much care on

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