The death of the young Elector Johann Georg IV marks a turning point in Saxon and European history, as it heralded the beginning of the Augustan era. But are the accounts of the weak-willed Wettin, who could not free himself from the clutches of his beautiful yet corrupt mistress and her scheming mother, and paid for it with his life, accurate? On the occasion of his 350th birthday, the author has examined previously overlooked documents and reconsidered known facts without the old prejudices - but with empathy. At the center of the story of a short and intense life are the tense relationship with his brother Friedrich August and his love for Magdalena Sybilla von Neitschütz.