Rulers of Saxony
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This article lists Dukes, Electors, and Kings ruling over territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 9th century to the end of the Saxon Kingdom in 1918.
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[edit] Dukes of Saxony
The original Duchy of Saxony comprised lands of the Saxon people in the north-western part of present-day Germany, the contemporarily German state of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, not corresponding to the modern German state of Saxony.
Ottonian or Liudolfing dynasty
- Liudolf (about 850)
- Bruno (after 852 -880)
- Otto I the Illustrious 880-912
- Henry I the Fowler 912-936 (German King 919-936)
- Otto II the Great 936-961 (German King 936-973, Emperor 962-973)
Billung Dynasty
- Herman 961-973
- Bernard I 973-1011
- Bernard II 1011-1059
- Ordulf 1059-1072
- Magnus 1072-1106
Supplinburg Dynasty
- Lothair 1106-1127 (German King 1125-1137, Emperor 1133-1137)
Welf Dynasty
- Henry II, the Proud 1137-1139 (also Duke of Bavaria)
Ascanian Dynasty
- Albert the Bear 1139-1142, also Margrave of Brandenburg
Welf Dynasty
- Henry III, the Lion 1142-1180 (also Duke of Bavaria)
With the final removal of the Welfs in 1180, the Duchy of Saxony was reduced in territory. Westphalia fell to the Archbishop of Cologne, while the Duchies of Brunswick and Lüneburg remained with the Welfs. The Ascanian Dukes had their base further east, near the Elbe, resulting in the name Saxony moving towards the east.
[edit] Ascanian Duchy of Saxony
- Bernard III 1180-1212
- Albert II 1212-1260
- John I 1260-1285, jointly with
- Albert III 1260-1298
On Albert II's death, his sons John and Albert at first ruled jointly. Some time after 1272 they divided their territory between them, creating the Duchies of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg.
Since the Duke of Saxony was considered one of the prince-electors electing a new Holy Roman Emperor, conflict arose between lines of Lauenburg and Wittenberg over the issue of who should cast Saxony's vote and in 1314 both lines found themselves on different sides in a double election. Eventually, the Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg succeeded in 1356 after the promulgation of the Golden Bull. To distinguish him from other rules bearing the title Duke of Saxony, he was commonly called Elector of Saxony.
[edit] Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg
- John I 1260-1285
John was succeeded by his three sons, who at first ruled jointly:
- John II 1285–1321, joint rule until 1305
- Albrecht III 1285–1308, joint rule until 1305
- Erich I, 1285–1361, joint rule until 1305
In 1305 the brothers split their inheritance between them, creating the Bergedorf-Mölln and the Ratzeburg-Lauenburg lines.
Bergedorf-Mölln line
- John II 1285–1321
- Albrecht IV 1321–1343
- John III 1343–1356
- Albrecht V, 1356–1370
- Erich III, 1370–1401
Ratzeburg-Lauenburg line
- Albrecht III, 1285–1308, joint rule
- Erich I, 1305–1361, joint rule until 1308
- Erich II, 1361–1368
- Erich IV, 1368–1412, inherited the possessions of the extinct Bergedorf-Mölln line
- Erich V, 1412–1436, joint rule until 1414, claimed succession to the extinct Wittenberg line in 1422
- John IV 1412-1414 joint rule
The Ascanian Dynasty continued at Lauenburg until 1689, but after the Lauenburg line had finally lost the Electorate to the Wittenberg line in 1356 and failed to obtain the succession in the Electorate after 1422, recognition of the Lauenburg line as Duke of Saxony waned.
[edit] Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg
- Albert III 1260-1298
- Rudolf I 1298-1356
- Rudolf II 1356-1370, secured the Electorate in 1356.
- Wenceslaus 1370-1388
- Rudolf III 1388-1419
- Albert IV 1419-1422
[edit] Wettin Electors and Dukes of Saxony
After the Wittenberg line of the Ascanians became extinct, the Electorate was given to Frederick, Margrave of Meissen and Landgrave of Thuringia, of the Wettin Dynasty.
- Frederick I the Warlike 1423-1428
- Frederick II the Gentle 1428-1464
On Frederick II's death his sons divided the Wettin territories between them. The elder, Ernest, inherited the Electorate of Saxony centred at Wittenberg, and also received Northern Meissen and southern Thuringia. Albert, the younger son, received Northern Thuringia and Southern Meissen and ruled them as a Duke of Saxony.
Ernestine Electors of Saxony
- Ernest 1464-1486
- Frederick III the Wise 1486-1525
- John the Steadfast 1525-1532
- John Frederick 1532-1547
Albertine Dukes of Saxony
- Albert the Bold 1486-1500
- George the Bearded 1500-1539
- Henry IV the Pious 1539-1541
- Maurice 1541-1553, Elector since 1547
In 1547, following Emperor Charles V's victory at the Battle of Mühlberg, Wittenberg and the Electoral dignity passed to the Albertine line. The Ernestine line continued to rule in southern Thuringian, but their lands eventually split up into many different tiny "Ernestine duchies", of which Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Altenburg lasted until 1918. This article does not list the subsequent Ernestine dukes.
Albertine Electors of Saxony
- Maurice 1547-1553
- Augustus 1553-1586
- Christian I 1586-1591
- Christian II 1591-1611
- John George I 1611-1656
- John George II 1656-1680
- John George III 1680-1691
- John George IV 1691-1694
- Frederick Augustus I (Augustus the Strong) 1694-1733, also King of Poland (1697-1704, 1709-1733)
- Frederick Augustus II the Fat 1733-1763, also King of Poland (1734-1763)
- Frederick Christian 1763
- Frederick Augustus III the Just 1763-1827, King of Saxony since 1806
[edit] Kings of Saxony
The Holy Roman Empire came to an end in 1806. The Elector of Saxony, allied to Napoleon I, was elevated to the status of a King of Saxony.
House of Wettin
- Frederick Augustus I "the Just" 1806-1827 (also Duke of Warsaw 1807-1813)
- Anthony 1827-1836
- Frederick Augustus II 1836-1854
- John 1854-1873
- Albert "the Good" 1873-1902
- George 1902-1904
- Frederick Augustus III 1904-1918
[edit] Heads of the House of Wettin (since 1918)
Saxony became a republic with the demise of the German Empire in 1918. For later rulers, see List of minister presidents of Saxony.
- King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony 1918-1932
- Frederick Christian, Margrave of Meissen 1932-1968
- Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen 1968-present
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
- House Laws of the Kingdom of Saxony (German)
| Members of the Electoral College following the Golden Bull of 1356 |  |
|---|---|
| Ecclesiastic electors: Mainz, Trier, Cologne | Secular electors: Bohemia, Palatinate, Saxony, Brandenburg
Later electors: Bavaria (1623) | Hanover (1692) | Hesse-Kassel (1803) |
