Friedrich III der Weise (January 17, 1463 ¨C May 5, 1525), Saxon chief (1486¨C1525), was an important political figure during the German Reformation.

Friedrich III was elected as the son of Ernst and belonged to the Ernst of the Virgin family. After the death of his father in 1486, he inherited the title of prince and jointly governed the territory of the family in Saxony with his brother John. He served as an assistant bishop of the Holy Roman Empire and actively participated in the reform activities during the reign of Emperor Maximilian I. In 1500, he served as chairman of the newly established so-called Empire Administration Committee.

In 1502 he established the University of Wittemberg, where he had his official residence, and hired the leaders of religious reforms, Martin Luther and Melanchthon, to host the Academy. After Maximilian I died in 1519, Maximilian III rejected the proposal of other elected monarchs to ascend to the throne, because he realized that Germany needed a strong emperor in the face of the persistent threat to the Ottoman Empire. He turned to support King Carlos I of Spain. The latter, after bribes and such means, was finally elected emperor (Charles V), and he thus received the name of the ¡°Smart Three¡± outside the world. The Reformed Reich was never accepted by the faith of the Reformers, but he did agree with some of their views. In 1521 he ordered the Church of Wittemberg

Strictly speaking, he was only one of the monarchs of the German Confederation, but his influence on history was clearly greater than that of many emperors.