Fürstenschulen

Fürstenschulen, three famous schools founded in the 16th c. by Duke Moritz of Saxony (later Elector of Saxony). They were Schulpforta near Naumburg (1543), St Afra at Meissen (1543), and St Augustin at Grimma (1550). They were the successors of dissolved monasteries, and the name denoted the supreme authority of the prince, substituted for that of the Church. They were boarding schools with numerous, much sought after, scholarships. Klopstock was a pupil at Schulpforta, Lessing at St Afra.