Person

Frederick III, Elector Palatine

1515–1576 · 16th century · Also known as Frederick the Pious

Frederick III, Elector Palatine, called the Pious, came from the Palatinate-Simmern line and became elector in 1559. He made the Palatinate the first Calvinist state of the Empire and sponsored the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563. He supported Protestants in the French and Dutch wars of religion, making Heidelberg a centre of Reformed Protestantism.

Frederick III, Elector Palatine
Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Electoral PalatinatePalatinate-Simmern

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Frederick III, Elector Palatine. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-iii-elector-palatine
MLA
“Frederick III, Elector Palatine.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-iii-elector-palatine. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Frederick III, Elector Palatine.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-iii-elector-palatine.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Frederick III, Elector Palatine’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-iii-elector-palatine (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻