Saxony

History

Main article: History of Saxony

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Prehistoric Saxony was the site of some of the largest of the ancient Central European monumental temples, dating from the 5th millennium BC. Notable archeological sites have been discovered in Dresden and the village of Aythra near Leipzig.

Related Topics:
Monumental temples - 5th millennium BC - Dresden - Aythra - Leipzig

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For the origins of the Saxon tribes see Saxons.

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Foundation of the first Saxon state

The first Duchy of Saxony emerged about 700 AD in today's Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. In the 10th century the dukes of Saxony were at the same time kings (or emperors) of the Holy Roman Empire (Ottonian or Saxon Dynasty). At that time, a Saxon noble family of Billungs received extensive fiefs in Saxony, and the Emperor eventually gave them the title of Duke of Saxony. After the extinction of the male line of Billungs, the duchy was given to Lothar of Supplinburg, who then also became Emperor for a short time.

Related Topics:
Duchy of Saxony - 700 - Lower Saxony - North Rhine-Westphalia - 10th century - Holy Roman Empire - Ottonian - Billung - Duke of Saxony - Lothar of Supplinburg

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In 1137 Saxony was passed to the Welfen dynasty, who were descendants (1) of Wulfhild Billung, eldest daughter of the last Billung duke, and (2) of the daughter of Lothar of Supplinburg. It reached its peak under Duke Henry the Lion, and after his death it began to decline (Henry had declined to participate the later Italian wars of his liege lord, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and those expeditions to Italy ended in disasters. The furious emperor retaliated and sent his troops to end duke Henry's dominion). In 1180 large portions west of the Weser were ceded to the bishops of Cologne, while some central parts between Weser and Elbe remained to Welfs, later forming the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg). The remaining Eastern lands, together with the title of Duke of Saxony, were passed to an Ascanian dynasty (who descended from Eilika Billung, Wulfhild's younger sister) and divided in 1260 into the two small states of Saxony-Lauenburg and Saxony-Wittenberg. Saxony-Lauenburg was later renamed Lauenburg and was no longer part of Saxony or its history. Saxe-Wittenberg was confirmed to have inherited the "main" ducal title of Saxons and as such was recognized as Elector of the Empire in 14th century.

Related Topics:
1137 - Welfen - Henry the Lion - 1180 - Brunswick-Lüneburg - Ascanian - 1260 - Saxony-Wittenberg - Lauenburg

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Foundation of the second Saxon state

Saxony-Wittenberg, in present Saxony-Anhalt, became subject to the margravate of Meißen and ruled by the Wettin dynasty) in 1423. A new powerful state was established, occupying large portions of present Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. Although the center of this state was far southeast of the former Saxony, it came to be referred to as Upper Saxony and then simply Saxony, while the former Saxon territories were now known as Lower Saxony.

Related Topics:
Saxony-Anhalt - Meißen - Wettin - 1423

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In 1485, Saxony was split as a collateral line of the Wettin princes received what later became Thuringia and founded several small states there (see Thuringia). The remaining Saxon state became even more powerful, becoming known in the 18th century for its cultural achievements, although it was politically inferior to Prussia and Austria, which pressed Saxony from either side.

Related Topics:
1485 - Thuringia - Prussia - Austria

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Saxony in the 19th and 20th centuries

With the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Saxony became a kingdom, and Elector Frederick Augustus III became King Frederick Augustus I. Frederick Augustus made the mistake of remaining loyal for too long to Napoleon I, and he was taken prisoner and his territories declared forfeit by the allies in 1813, with the intention of their being annexed by Prussia. Ultimately, the opposition of Austria, France, and Britain resulted in Frederick Augustus being restored to his throne at the Congress of Vienna, but Saxony was forced to cede the northern part of the kingdom to Prussia. These lands became the Prussian province of Saxony, which is today incorporated in Saxony-Anhalt. What was left of the Kingdom of Saxony was roughly identical with the present federal state.

Related Topics:
Holy Roman Empire - 1806 - Frederick Augustus I - Napoleon I - 1813 - Prussia - Austria - France - Britain - Congress of Vienna

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During the 1848-49 constitutionalist revolutions in Germany, Saxony became a hotbed for revolutionaries, with anarchists such as Mikhail Bakunin and democrats including Richard Wagner and Gottfried Semper taking part in the May Uprising in Dresden in 1849.

Related Topics:
1848-49 constitutionalist revolutions in Germany - Mikhail Bakunin - Richard Wagner - Gottfried Semper - May Uprising in Dresden

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After 1918 Saxony was a state in the Weimar Republic and was the scene of Gustav Stresemann's overthrow of the KPD/SPD led government in 1923, during the Nazi era and under Soviet occupation. It was dissolved in 1952, and divided into three smaller 'Bezirke' based on Leipzig, Dresden and Karl-Marx-Stadt, but reestablished within slightly altered borders in 1990 upon German reunification. Today Saxony also includes a small part of Silesia around the town of Görlitz which remained German after the war and which for obvious reasons of unviability as a separate state was incorporated into Saxony.

Related Topics:
1918 - Weimar Republic - Gustav Stresemann - Nazi era - 1952 - Leipzig - Dresden - Karl-Marx-Stadt - 1990 - German reunification - Silesia - Görlitz

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See also:

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• Rulers of Saxony
• Ottonian dynasty
• Wettin dynasty