John Frederick I (Johann Friedrich I in German) was not a monarch, but as one of the seven Electors - the Noblemen who elected the German Emperor - he was one of the most powerful people of his time. Respected for his lordliness he was called John the Magnanimous, even by his enemies. A fierce fighter for the Reformation, the Lutherans called him St. John the Steadfast. The somewhat disrespectful students of the university he founded, however, named him Hanfried, derived from his name JoHANn FRIEDrich.
The name stuck and until this day, the monument is officially known as The Hanfried.
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