- Also called:
- Ernestine duchies
- German:
- Sächsische Herzogtümer, or Ernestinische Herzogtümer
- Key People:
- Albert III
- Related Places:
- Germany
Saxon duchies
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What were the Saxon duchies?
The term "Saxon duchies" refers to several historical territories in Germany ruled by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty from 1485 to 1918. These states were located in the Thuringian region of east-central Germany.
The Wettin family had been acquiring land in Thuringia since the 13th century. The Ernestine duchies originated in 1485 when the electorate of Saxony was divided between Ernest and Albert, the sons of Elector Frederick II. The title of elector was retained by Ernest and his son Frederick III the Wise, who was a protector of Martin Luther.
From 1826, there were four duchies: the grand duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen-Hildburghausen, the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, and the duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. In 1920, after the German revolution of 1918, the former lands of all the Ernestine rulers were merged to form Thuringia, except for Coburg, which joined Bavaria.
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Where in Germany were the Saxon duchies located?
The Saxon duchies were located in the northern part of Germany, specifically in the region west and southwest of the Elbe River's estuary and lower course. This extensive area included Holstein and what is now the German state of Lower Saxony. The Saxon territory expanded as far west as Britain by sea in the 5th century. By the early 10th century, Saxony emerged as a hereditary duchy under the Liudolfing dynasty.
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How did the Saxon duchies get their name?
The name "Saxony" has been applied to several territories in German history. Before 1180, the name referred to a large area in northern Germany inhabited by the Germanic Saxon tribe.
The term "duchy" refers to the territory ruled by a duke. By the early 10th century, Saxony emerged as a hereditary duchy under the Liudolfing dynasty. The name "Saxony" was applied to two smaller, separated territories: Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg.
These regions retained the Saxon name after the duchy was broken up in 1180. Over time, the name "Saxony" expanded to include other territories through inheritance and political shifts.
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Why were the Saxon duchies divided into smaller states?
The Saxon duchy was divided into smaller states because the dukes of Brunswick frequently divided their territory among their heirs, which dissipated their strength. The powerful duchy of Saxony was also split by partition between the Wittenberg and Lauenburg branches. The Wittenberg line was formally granted an electoral vote by the Golden Bull of 1356.
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What role did the Saxon duchies play in German history?
The Saxon duchies played a significant role in German history through military strength, eastward expansion, and political influence.
Military Prowess
The Saxon rulers gained prestige by successfully countering Hungarian invasions. In 933, Henry I defeated a Hungarian attack on Saxony and Thuringia. Later, in 955, Otto I annihilated a Hungarian army at the Battle of Lech River.
Eastward Expansion
With the Saxon dynasty in power, nobles expanded into eastern territories, establishing control along river frontiers. Otto I's eastern policy aimed to extend German influence and Christianize Slavic Wends, though initial efforts faced resistance. The Saxon princes and Thuringian marches also attracted settlers to colonize conquered lands, which facilitated trade and communication.
Political Influence
In 919, Duke Henry of Saxony was elected German king, which founded the Saxon, or Ottonian, dynasty that held the German crown until 1024. The transition of the crown from the Franks to the Saxons enhanced the self-sufficiency of the southern German tribes. By the early 10th century, Saxony had emerged as a hereditary duchy under the Liudolfing dynasty.
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How did the Saxon duchies eventually become part of modern Germany?
The Saxon duchies played a significant role in the formation of modern Germany. In the early 10th century, Saxony emerged as a hereditary duchy under the Liudolfing dynasty. Duke Henry of Saxony was elected German king in 919, establishing the Saxon, or Ottonian, dynasty, which held the German crown until 1024.
By the early 12th century, the Ascanian dynasty expanded into Brandenburg, while the Wettin margraves of Meissen focused on settlements in Lusatia. Saxony's monarchy was abolished after Germany’s defeat in World War I in 1918, adopting a republican constitution as a free state under the Weimar Republic (1919–1933). The territory existed as a state under the Third Reich (1933–1945) and the German Democratic Republic until 1952, when it was abolished. Saxony was re-created in 1990 during the reunification of East and West Germany.
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Saxon duchies, several former states in the Thuringian region of east-central Germany, ruled by members of the Ernestine branch of the house of Wettin between 1485 and 1918; today their territory occupies Thuringia Land (state) and a small portion of northern Bavaria Land in Germany.
The house of Wettin had accumulated possessions in Thuringia from the middle decades of the 13th century onward. It received the Pleissnerland, centred at Altenburg, from the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II in 1243; won the landgraviate of Thuringia, with control over the Eisenach and Gotha areas, in 1264, after the war of 1256–63; obtained Neustadt by marriage to the heiress of Arnshaugk in 1300; acquired Coburg and Hildburghausen from the house of Henneberg, and Weimar from that of Orlamünde, between 1347 and 1374; and purchased Saalfeld from Schwarzburg in 1389 and Weida from the house of the Vögte (imperial advocates) in 1410–27. The accession of the Wettins to the electorate of Saxony in 1423 gave rise to the use of the prefix Saxe- (German: Sachsen-) for their dynastic ramifications in Thuringia.
The Ernestine duchies originated in 1485, when the electorate of Saxony was partitioned between Ernest and Albert, the sons of Elector Frederick II. The title of elector (i.e., a prince with the right to participate in choosing the Holy Roman emperor) was kept by Ernest, and by his son Frederick III the Wise (reigned 1486–1525), who was the protector of Martin Luther. The Ernestine line lost the electoral title and much of its territory in 1547 but retained Weimar (with Jena), Gotha, Eisenach, Saalfeld, and Coburg and later recovered Altenburg, Eisenberg (1554), and other lands (including Meiningen) in 1583. From then until the early 19th century, the Ernestine lands underwent successive divisions and regroupings. The most outstanding ruler of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was Charles Augustus (duke from 1775 to 1828), patron of the great German writers Goethe, Herder, and Schiller, under whom Weimar was the intellectual heart of Germany. All the Ernestine duchies in 1807 adhered to the Confederation of the Rhine, organized by Napoleon, and in 1815 became sovereign members of the German Confederation.
From 1826 there were four duchies: the grand duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach); the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen-Hildburghausen (Sachsen-Meiningen-Hildburghausen); the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg); and the duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha). The territories of the duchies were fragmented, and in the same area there were several exclaves of Prussian and other territories. Saxe-Meiningen-Hildburghausen sided with Austria in the Seven Weeks’ War (1866); the other duchies with victorious Prussia. All joined the North German Confederation (1867) and the German Empire in 1871. In the German revolution of 1918 all the Ernestine rulers abdicated, and in 1920 their former lands were merged in the new Thuringia, with the exception of Coburg, which joined Bavaria.
The Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch in the 19th and 20th centuries became one of the most prominently connected of the European dynasties: one of its members became the first king of Belgium in 1831 as Leopold I. Another, Albert, became the prince consort of Queen Victoria of Great Britain in 1840, and from them have descended the five British sovereigns of the 20th century. A third, Ferdinand, became the prince consort of Queen Maria II of Portugal in 1836, and from them descended the Portuguese royal dynasty that reigned from 1853 until 1910. A fourth was chosen prince of Bulgaria in 1887 and founded a dynasty that reigned there until 1946.