House of Wettin Saxony, Meissen and Thuringia
Country:	Saxony
Titles:	Margrave of Meissen, Landgrave of Thuringia, Duke of Saxony, Grand Duke of Saxony, Elector of Saxony, King of Saxony
Founder:	Thiedericus
Final Ruler:	Multiple sovereigns until 1918
Current Head:	Prince Michael, titular Grand Duke of Saxony
Founding Year:	900s A.D.
Dissolution:	1918
Ethnicity:	German
Cadet Branches:	In order of seniority: Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Grand Duchy of Saxony) Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxony (Kingdom of Saxony)

The House of Wettin was a dynasty of German counts, dukes, prince-electors (Kurfürsten) and kings that ruled the area of today's German state of Saxony for more than 800 years as well as holding at times the kingship of Poland. Agnates of the House of Wettin have, at various times, ascended the thrones of Great Britain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Poland, Saxony, Mexico, and Belgium; of these, only the British and Belgian lines retain their thrones today. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (478x615, 84 KB) Summary Taken from German Wikipedia, which in turn took it from http://www. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... Capital Meissen Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Partitioned from     marca Geronis   965  - Investiture Controversy¹ 1067  - War of Thuringian     Succession   1247–64  - Acquired most of the     Landgraviate of Thuringia   1298  - Battle of Lucka 1307  - Frederick IV assigned     Saxony-Wittenberg   1423  - Acquired Burggraviate 1426 1: As a result of the Investiture... The Landgraviate of Thuringia was a territory, for some time, ruled by members of the House of Wettin. ... The Duchy of Saxony was a medieval Duchy covering the greater part of Northern Germany. ... The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Herzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) was created in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been in personal union since 1741, when the Saxe-Eisenach line had died out. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The Kingdom of Saxony, lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Germany, finally being absorbed into the Weimar Republic in 1918. ... Michael Benedict Georg Jobst Carl Alexander Bernhard Claus Friedrich, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b. ... Centuries: 9th century - 10th century - 11th century Decades: 850s - 860s - 870s - 880s - 890s - 900s - 910s - 920s - 930s - 940s - 950s Years: 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 Events: Categories: 900s ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Herzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) was created in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been in personal union since 1741, when the Saxe-Eisenach line had died out. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Capitals Coburg and Gotha Head of State Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (German: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) served as the name of the two German duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha in Germany, in the present-day states of Bavaria... A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is also still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ... This article is about the nobility title. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst ( - singular), Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ... For other uses, see Monarch (disambiguation). ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... Patrilineality (a. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km...

Origins: Wettins of Saxony

The oldest member of the House of Wettin who is known for certain was Thiedericus (died 982), who was probably based in the Liesgau (located at the western edge of the Harz). Around 1000, as part of the German conquest of Slavic territory, the family acquired Wettin Castle, after which they named themselves. Wettin Castle is located in Wettin in the Hosgau on the Saale River. Around 1030, the Wettin family received the Eastern March as a fief. ^[1] Events Greenland founded by Erik the Red ; first contact of Europeans with North America Births Emma of Normandy Atisha the Bengali Buddhist Saint Deaths Categories: 982 ... The Harz is a mountain range in northern Germany. ... Europe in 1000 The year 1000 of the Gregorian Calendar was the last year of the 10th century as well as the last year of the first millennium. ... Slavic and Slavonic are used interchangably in English, with the former perferred in US English, and the latter in English. ... Wettin is the name of a small town in the kreis (district) of Saalkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. ... Length 413 km Elevation of the source 728  m Average discharge  ?  m³/s Area watershed  ?  km² Origin  Germany Mouth  Elbe Basin countries Germany Saale is the name of two rivers in Germany: the Saxonian Saale (German: Sächsische Saale) and the Franconian Saale (German: Fränkische Saale). ... Events July 29 - Battle of Stiklestad in Norway. ... The Saxon Eastern March or Ostmark (German: ) was a march of the Holy Roman Empire from the 10th until the 12th century. ...

The prominence of the Wettin family in the Slavic marches caused Emperor Henry IV to invest them with the March of Meissen as a fief in 1089. The family advanced over the course of the Middle Ages: in 1263 they inherited the landgraviate of Thuringia (though without Hesse), and in 1423 they were invested with the Duchy of Saxony, centred at Wittenberg, thus becoming one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. Current members of the Wettin legacy include girlfriend stealing douche bag Paul Wettin. An ignoramus of some repute. Mark or march (or various plural forms of these words) are derived from the Frankish word marka (boundary) and refer to a border region, e. ... Henry IV (November 11, 1050 – August 7, 1106) was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084, until his forced abdication in 1105. ... Meissen, with the Albrechtsburg and the Cathedral of Sts. ... Events Northumbria divided by the Normans into the counties of Northumberland, County Durham, Yorkshire, Westmorland and Lancashire August 11, powerful Britain Coronation of Rama Varma Kulasekhara in Kerala Synod of Melfi under Pope Urban II imposes slavery on the wives of priests Palmyra destroyed by earthquake Byzantine conquest of Crete... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Events Detmold, Germany was founded. ... Graf is a German noble title equal in rank to a count or an earl. ... The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat Thüringen) is located in central Germany and is considered one of the smaller of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 km² and 2. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE7 Capital Wiesbaden Largest city Frankfurt Minister-President Roland Koch (CDU) Governing party CDU Votes in Bundesrat 5 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  21,100 km² (8,147 sq mi) Population 6,077,000 (08/2006)[1]  - Density... Events July 31 - Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant - The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne. ... The Duchy of Saxony was a medieval Duchy covering the greater part of Northern Germany. ... Statue of Martin Luther in the main square Wittenberg, officially [Die] Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a town in Germany, in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, at 12° 59 E, 51° 51 N, on the Elbe river. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ... This article is about the medieval empire. ...

Ernestine and Albertine Wettins

The family divided into two ruling branches in 1485 when the sons of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony divided the territories hithero ruled jointly. Year 1485 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar). ... Frederick II, the Gentle and Elector of Saxony (1428 — 1464), was an Elector of Saxony. ...

The elder son Ernest, who had succeeded his father as Prince-elector, basically received the territories assigned to the Elector (Electoral Saxony and Thuringia, while his younger brother Albert obtained the March of Meissen, which he ruled from Dresden. As Albert ruled as Duke of Saxony, his possessions were also known as Ducal Saxony. Ernest, Elector Of Saxony (1441 at Altenburg-1486) founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of Prince Consort. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ... The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat Thüringen) is located in central Germany and is considered one of the smaller of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 km² and 2. ... Albert Wettin (January 27, 1443 – September 12, 1500), Duke of Saxony, surnamed the Bold or the Courageous, was the younger son of Frederick II the Gentle. ... Meissen, with the Albrechtsburg and the Cathedral of Sts. ... For other uses, see Dresden (disambiguation). ...

The older, Ernestine branch remained predominant until 1547 and played an important role in the beginnings of the Protestant reformation. Their predominance ended in the Schmalkaldic War, which pitted the Protestant Schmalkaldic League against Emperor Charles V. Though Protestant as well, the Albertine branch rallied to the Empire's cause and was rewarded with the dignity of Elector as well as the Electorate territories, restricting the Ernestine line to Thuringia. Year 1547 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Political situation during the Schmalkaldic War, 1547 The Schmalkaldic War (German: ) refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Charles V and the Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman Empire. ... The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive league of Protestant princes in the Holy Roman Empire in the mid-16th century. ... For the Carlist claimant King Carlos V, see Infante Carlos, Count of Molina. ...

After this, the Ernestine branch quickly disintegrated, not the least because the different inheritance patterns:

The Albertine Wettins maintained most of the territorial integrity of Saxony, preserving it as a significant power in the region, and using small appanage fiefs for their cadet branches, which a bit surprisingly did not survive really many generations. The system of appanage has greatly influenced the territorial construction of France and explains the flag of many provinces of France. ...

The Ernestine Wettins, on the other hand, repeatedly subdivided their territory, creating an intricate patchwork of small duchies and counties in Thuringia. Coat of arms of the Ernestines on a boundary stone The Ernestine duchies, also called the Saxon duchies (although also the Albertine appanage duchies of Weissenfels, Merseburg and Zeitz were Saxon duchies and located adjacent to several Ernestine ones), were a changing number of small states in the present German...

In the end, the Albertine branch held, in one hands (as one country), approximately three fourths of the House's patrimony, and the Ernestine branch had altogether approximately one fourth (southern Thuringia) as a bunch of small principalities.

The junior Albertine branch ruled as Electors (1547–1806) and Kings of Saxony (1806–1918) and also played a role in Polish history: two Wettins were Kings of Poland (between 1697–1763) and a third ruled the Duchy of Warsaw (1807–1814) as a satellite of Napoleon. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Albertine branch lost about 40% of its lands, including the old Electoral Saxony, to Prussia, restricting it to a territory coextensive with the modern Saxony), Year 1547 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Poland was ruled by dukes (c. ... Events September 11 - Battle of Zenta, Prince Eugene of Savoy crushed Ottoman army of Mustafa II September 20 - The Treaty of Ryswick December 2 – St Pauls Cathedral opened in London Peter the Great travels in Europe officially incognito as artilleryman Pjotr Mikhailov Use of palanquins increases in Europe Christopher... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Coat of arms Map of the Duchy of Warsaw after 1809. ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1814 (MDCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km...

The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Main article: Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

The senior Ernestine branch lost the electorship to the Albertine in 1547, but retained its holdings in Thuringia, dividing the area into a number of smaller states. One of the resulting Ernestine houses, that of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, went on to contribute kings of Belgium (from 1831) and Bulgaria (1908 - 1946), as well as furnishing consorts to queens of Portugal (Ferdinand II of Portugal) and the United Kingdom (Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria), as well as the Emperor of Mexico (Carlota of Mexico). As such, the British, Portuguese, and for a time, Mexican, thrones became a possession of persons who belonged to the House of Wettin. Capitals Coburg and Gotha Head of State Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (German: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) served as the name of the two German duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha in Germany, in the present-day states of Bavaria... Year 1547 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Capitals Coburg and Gotha Head of State Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (German: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) served as the name of the two German duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha in Germany, in the present-day states of Bavaria... The royal palace in Brussels Successive Belgian kings are 1831-1865: Leopold I 1865-1909: Leopold II 1909-1934: Albert I 1934-1951: Leopold III 1944-1950: Charles, reigned as Prince Regent 1951-1993: Baudouin I Since 1993: Albert II None of these were King of Belgium: their title is... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (October 29, 1816 - December 15, 1885) was king consort to Maria II of Portugal from their marriage in 1836 to her death in 1853. ... Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel, of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch of the House of Wettin) (26 August 1819 - 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... Charlotte of Belgium (Princess Marie Charlotte Amélie Augustine Victoire Clémentine Léopoldine of Belgium), (June 7, 1840–January 19, 1927) as Charlotte (or Carlota), Empress of Mexico was the consort of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. ...

Although the British Royal Family's Royal House name was Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in the late 19th century Queen Victoria charged her College of Heralds to determine her correct personal surname; after extensive research they concluded that it was Wettin. In 1917, the male-line descendants of Victoria and Albert had their House name as well as their personal surnames changed to Windsor by an Order-in-Council of King George V. A Royal House or Dynasty is a sort of family name used by royalty. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... The entrance of the College of Arms. ... The House of Windsor is the current Royal House of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and each of the other Commonwealth Realms. ... An Order-in-Council is an executive order issued in Commonwealth Realms operating under the Westminster system. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ...

Queen Elizabeth II will be the last British monarch agnatically descended from the House of Wettin. As a result of her marriage to Prince Philip of Greece, the throne will pass to his House, agnatic descendants of the House of Oldenburg. However, they will probably continue using the name Windsor as a house name and Mountbatten-Windsor as a personal surname, as prescribed by Queen Elizabeth. Mountbatten is an Anglicisation of Battenberg, the family name of Prince Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... “Prince Philip” redirects here. ... The House of Oldenburg is a North German noble family and one of Europes most influential Royal Houses. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mountbatten is the family name adopted by two branches of the Battenberg family due to rising anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War I. On 14 July 1917, Prince Louis of Battenberg assumed the surname Mountbatten (a literal translation of the German Battenberg) for himself and his... To anglicise (or in North American English anglicize) is to adapt a foreign word into the English language, often modifying its form to correspond to standard English French demoiselle, meaning little lady. Another common type of anglicisation is the inclusion of a foreign article as part of a noun (eg. ... Princess Alice of Battenberg Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (25 February 1885 - 5 December 1969) was a great-granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria who married into the royal house of Greece. ...

List of branches of the House of Wettin and its agnatic descent

• Margraves of Meissen
• Dukes of Saxony, Landgraves of Thuringia
• Electors of Saxony
• Dukes of Saxe-Coburg
• Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg (first line of Altenburg)
• Dukes of Saxe-Weimar
• Dukes of Saxe-Eisenach
• Dukes of Saxe-Gotha
• Dukes of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg (second line of Altenburg)
• Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen
• Dukes of Saxe-Hildburghausen, then Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg (third line of Altenburg)
• Dukes of Saxe-Coburg (Gotha later added)
• Kings and Queen of the United Kingdom (House of Windsor)
• Princes of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary
• Kings of Portugal (Saxe-Coburg-Braganza, last reigning Royal House of Portugal)
• Kings of Bulgaria (sometimes had been known as "Kohary" and as "Sakskoburggotski")
• Kings of Belgium
• Dukes of "Saxe-Dresden"
• Electors of Saxony
• Kings of Saxony, currently Prinz/ Prinzessin von Sachsen
• Saxe-Zeitz
• Saxe-Merseburg
• Saxe-Weissenfels
• Dukes of Saxony, Landgraves of Thuringia, Dukes of Luxembourg
• Saxe-Landsberg

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Saxe-Weimar (German Sachsen-Weimar) was a Duchy in Thuringia. ... Saxe-Eisenach (German Sachsen-Eisenach) was the name of three different duchies that existed at different times in Thuringia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat Thüringen) lies in central Germany and is among the smaller of the countrys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 km² and 2. ... The House of Windsor is the current Royal House of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and each of the other Commonwealth Realms. ...

See also

• Rulers of Saxony, a list containing many Wettins
• Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt, the city from which the Wettin dynasty originated

List of Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Saxony, 880-1918 The original Duchy of Saxony comprised lands in the north-westen part of present-day Germany, roughly corresponding to the modern German state of Lower Saxony and to Westphalia. ... Wettin is the name of a small town in the kreis (district) of Saalkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. ...

References

1. ^ Lexikon des Mittelalters, vol. IX, col. 50, Munich 1969-1999

External links

• The House of Wettin
• Genealogy of the Wettin dynasty from Genealogy.eu
• Genealogical tables of the Saxony families from An Online Gotha