Misplaced Pages

#536463

57-584: This sparsely inhabited area within the North European Plain ( Northern Lowland ) is characterised by extended pine forests, heathlands and meadows. In the north it is confined by the middle Spree River with Lake Schwielochsee and its eastern continuation across the Oder at Fürstenberg to Chlebowo . In the glacial valley between Lübben and Cottbus , the Spree River branches out into

114-685: A close relative of Charlemagne. Ida of Herzfeld may have been an ancestor of the Saxon count Liudolf (d. 866), who married Oda of Billung and ruled over a large territory along the Leine river in Eastphalia, where he and Bishop Altfrid of Hildesheim founded Gandersheim Abbey in 852. Liudolf became the progenitor of the Saxon ducal, royal and imperial Ottonian dynasty ; nevertheless his descendance, especially his affiliation with late Duke Widukind, has not been conclusively established. Subdued only

171-783: A few decades earlier, the Saxons rose to one of the leading tribes in East Francia ; it is however uncertain if the Ottonians already held the ducal title in the ninth century. Liudolf's elder son Bruno (Brun), progenitor of the Brunswick cadet branch of the Brunonen , was killed in a battle with invading Vikings under Godfrid in 880. He was succeeded by his younger brother Otto the Illustrious (d. 912), mentioned as dux in

228-854: Is a geomorphological region in Europe that covers all or parts of Belgium , the Netherlands (i.e. the Low Countries ), Germany , Denmark , and Poland . It consists of the low plains between the Hercynian Europe ( Central European Highlands ) to the south and coastlines of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north. These two seas are separated by the Jutland Peninsula (Denmark). The North European Plain

285-610: Is connected to the East European Plain , together forming the majority of the Great European Plain (European Plain). Elevations vary between 0 and 200 m (0 to about 650 ft). While mostly used as farmland, the region also contains bogs , heath and lakes. The Wadden Sea , a large tidal area, is located on the North Sea coast. A number of freshwater lagoons including the Szczecin Lagoon ,

342-667: Is still going on, most notably around Jänschwalde Power Station , run by EPH , some now exhausted open-pit mines are being converted into artificial lakes, in the hope of attracting tourism, and the area is now referred to as the Lusatian Lake District ( Lausitzer Seenland ). Today the area comprises the Brandenburg districts of Oberspreewald-Lausitz and Spree-Neiße with the unitary authority of Cottbus , as well as parts of Elbe-Elster , Dahme-Spreewald , and Oder-Spree . Important towns beside Cottbus and

399-615: The Duchy of Jawor , the southwesternmost duchy of fragmented Piast -ruled Poland. In the northern part, in 1319, Gubin was unsuccessfully besieged by King John of Bohemia , and eventually fell to the Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg . In 1324, the northern part passed to the House of Wittelsbach . From 1364, entire Lower Lusatia was ruled by the Duchy of Jawor-Świdnica, and after the death of Duke Bolko II

456-625: The Elbe and Saale rivers in the east, the city-states of Bremen and Hamburg , the Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia , and the Holstein region ( Nordalbingia ) of Schleswig-Holstein . In the late 12th century, Duke Henry the Lion also occupied the adjacent area of Mecklenburg (the former Billung March ). The Saxons were one of the most robust groups in the late tribal culture of

513-699: The Principality of Anhalt in 1218 and the Welf Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1235. In 1296, the remaining lands were divided between the Ascanian dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg , the latter obtaining the title of Electors of Saxony by the Golden Bull of 1356 . The Saxon stem duchy covered the greater part of present-day Northern Germany , including the modern German states ( Länder ) of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt up to

570-652: The Saxon Wars from 772 AD and incorporated into the Carolingian Empire ( Francia ) by 804. Upon the 843 Treaty of Verdun , Saxony was one of the five German stem duchies of East Francia ; Duke Henry the Fowler was elected German king in 919. Upon the deposition of the Welf duke Henry the Lion in 1180, the ducal title fell to the House of Ascania , while numerous territories split from Saxony, such as

627-694: The Spreewald ("Spree Woods") riparian forest . Other rivers include the Berste and Oelse tributaries as well as the Schlaube and the Oder–Spree Canal opened in 1891. In the east, the Bóbr River from Łagoda via Krzystkowice down to the historic town of Żary forms the border with the lands of Lower Silesia . In the west the course of the upper Dahme River down to Golßen separates it from

SECTION 10

#1732772228537

684-500: The Third Crusade , Henry returned to Brunswick in 1189 and briefly tried to regain the lost lands. After several setbacks, Henry made peace with Barbarossa's son and heir, King Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor . The ancient stem duchy of Saxony was partitioned in some dozens of territories of imperial immediacy by Barbarossa, and ceased to exist. The western part was split amongst several minor counties and bishoprics, as well as

741-648: The Thirty Years' War ; thus the lands returned to the House of Wettin. One of the two main routes connecting Warsaw and Dresden ran through the region in the 18th century and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland often traveled the route. Numerous Polish dignitaries also traveled through Lower Lusatia on several occasions, and some Polish nobles owned estates in Lusatia. A distinct remnant of

798-718: The Vistula Lagoon and the Curonian Lagoon are found on the Baltic Sea coast. The North European Plain covers Flanders (northern Belgium and Northern France), the Netherlands, Northern Germany , Denmark, and most of central-western Poland; it touches the Czech Republic and southwestern part of Sweden as well. Parts of eastern England can also be considered part of the same plain; as they share its low-lying character and were connected by land to

855-573: The 1018 Treaty of Bautzen , which ceded large parts of eastern Lusatia to Poland. Emperor Conrad II reconquered the territories in 1031. In 1136 Conrad the Great of the House of Wettin , margrave of Meissen , also received the March of Lusatia. In the early 13th century, Lower Lusatia was either entirely or partly, reintegrated with Poland under Henry the Bearded . Later on, it was once again lost to

912-745: The 1815 Congress of Vienna , whereafter the territory became part of the Province of Brandenburg and the Province of Saxony . One of the main escape routes for insurgents of the unsuccessful Polish November Uprising from partitioned Poland to the Great Emigration led through Lübben and Luckau . In the interbellum, the Poles and Sorbs in Germany closely cooperated as part of the Association of National Minorities in Germany , established at

969-637: The Bear. During Barbarossa's fourth Italian campaign in 1166, a league of German Nobles declared war on Henry. The war continued until 1170, despite several attempts of the Emperor to mediate. Ultimately, Henry's position remained unchallenged, due to Barbarossa's favourable rule. In 1168, Henry married Matilda Plantagenêt , the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and sister of Richard Lionheart . The following years led to an estrangement between Barbarossa and Henry. Henry ceased to support

1026-671: The Bohemian kingdom. Both Lusatias formed separate Bohemian crown lands under the rule of the Luxembourg , Jagiellon and—from 1526— Habsburg dynasties. In the course of the Reformation the vast majority of the population turned Protestant . The Bohemian era came to an end when Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg ceded the Lusatias to Elector John George I of Saxony under the 1635 Peace of Prague in return for his support in

1083-477: The Emperor's Italy campaigns, which were all proven unsuccessful, as massively as he used to, and instead focused on his own possessions. In 1175 Barbarossa again asked for support against the Lombard League , which Henry is said to have refused bluntly, even though Barbarossa kneeled before him. Records of this event were not written until several years later, and sources are contradictory, depending on whom

1140-530: The Fens and Lincolnshire , where the landscape is in parts strikingly similar to that of the Netherlands . 54°00′N 14°00′E  /  54.000°N 14.000°E  / 54.000; 14.000 Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony ( Low German : Hartogdom Sassen ) was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages , when they were subdued by Charlemagne during

1197-528: The Frankish stronghold at Eresburg ; their leader ( Herzog ) Widukind refused to appear at the 777 diet at Paderborn , retired to Nordalbingia and afterwards led several uprisings against the occupants, avenged by Charlemagne at the Massacre of Verden in 782. Widukind allegedly had to pledge allegiance in 785, having himself baptised and becoming a Frankish count. Saxon uprisings continued until 804, when

SECTION 20

#1732772228537

1254-628: The Small it passed to the Kingdom of Bohemia (Czechia). In 1367 Elector Otto V sold it to Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg who incorporated Lower Lusatia into the Bohemian Crown . Charles' father King John of Bohemia had already acquired the adjacent territory to the south around Bautzen and Görlitz , which became known as Upper Lusatia . The former Lordship of Cottbus was acquired by Brandenburg in 1455 and remained an exclave within

1311-657: The Wettin dynasty, who ruled it until in 1303 it was acquired by the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg . For centuries, from as early as the Middle Ages, trade flourished, and several important trade routes ran through Lower Lusatia, connecting German states in the west, Poland in the east and Bohemia in the south. In 1319, the southern portion of Lower Lusatia with the towns of Żary and Komorów Zły (now German: Senftenberg , Lower Sorbian: Zły Komorow ) became part of

1368-427: The author favoured. Nevertheless, lacking the support of the Saxons the following Battle of Legnano was a complete failure for the Emperor. When the majority of the realm's princes had returned from Italy, Henry's refusal was instantly exploited to weaken his position. Views differ, whether Barbarossa initiated Henry's downfall or if it was orchestrated by the princes first and foremost. Between 1175 and 1181, Henry

1425-464: The border between Brandenburg and the state of Saxony . In the course of much of the 19th and the entire 20th century, Lower Lusatia was shaped by the lignite (brown coal) industry and extensive open-pit mining , by which more than 100 of the region's villages—many of them within the Sorbian settlement area—were damaged or destroyed, especially by order of East German authorities. While this process

1482-655: The borders of Poland or Czechoslovakia , or as an independent Sorbian state in alliance with Poland. With the implementation of the Oder–Neisse line by the 1945 Potsdam Conference , the lands east of the Neisse river became again part of Poland, and the remaining German population was expelled by the Soviet-installed Communist authorities in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement , whereas

1539-467: The brothers Albert III, Eric I and John II, and Saxe-Wittenberg ( German : Herzogtum Sachsen-Wittenberg ), ruled by Albert II, took place before September 20, 1296. The Vierlande , Sadelbande (Land of Lauenburg), the Land of Ratzeburg , the Land of Darzing (today's Amt Neuhaus ), and the Land of Hadeln are all mentioned as the separate territory of the brothers. Albert II received Saxe-Wittenberg around

1596-402: The city of Goslar , which he had coveted for several years already. During the following war, Henry's domestic policy and the treatment of his vassals proved fatal, and his power quickly crumbled. In 1182, Henry the Lion ultimately went into exile, joining the court of his father-in-law, Henry II of England. Following the death of his wife and also of the Emperor, the latter while participating in

1653-578: The contemporary annals of Hersfeld Abbey , which, however, seems to have been denied by the Frankish rulers. His position was strong enough to wed Hedwiga of the Babenberg , daughter of mighty Duke Henry of Franconia , princeps militiae of King Charles the Fat . As all of Hedwiga's brothers were killed in the Franconian Babenberg feud with the rivalling Conradines , Otto was able to adopt

1710-603: The continent during the last ice age . The Northern European Plains are located also under the Baltic Sea. Major river- drainage basins include, from west to east: The Ems , Weser , Elbe , Oder , Vistula and this region of Europe is where the Rhine river starts. The soils surrounding the river basins are thin, making agriculture difficult. Historically, especially in the Middle Ages and Early modern period ,

1767-481: The continuous attacks by Hungarian forces, whereby the Saxon troops about 928/929 occupied large territories in the east settled by Polabian Slavs . Henry's eastern campaigns to Brandenburg and Meissen , the establishment of Saxon marches as well as the surrender of Duke Wenceslaus of Bohemia marked the beginning of the German eastward expansion ( Ostsiedlung ). In 1142, King Conrad III of Germany granted

Lower Lusatia - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-477: The ducal title to the Welf scion Henry the Lion (as Duke Henry III). Henry gradually extended his rule over northeastern Germany, leading crusades against the pagan Wends . During his reign, Henry massively supported to the development of the cities in his dominion, such as Brunswick , Lüneburg and Lübeck , a policy ultimately contributing to the movement of the House of Welf from its homelands in southern Germany to

1881-604: The eastern March of Lusatia or Saxon Eastern March between the Saale and Bóbr rivers, which about 965 was severed from the vast Marca Geronis , conquered by the Saxon count Gero in the course of his campaigns against the Polabian Slavs from 939 onwards. Odo I became the first margrave ; his successor Gero II from 1002 onwards had to face several attacks by Polish duke Bolesław I Chrobry , which did not end until

1938-804: The enfeoffment of his son and heir Duke Rudolph I with the Palatinate of Saxony , which ensued a long-lasting dispute with the eager clan of the House of Wettin . When the County of Brehna was reverted to the Empire after the extinction of its comital family, the king enfeoffed Duke Rudolph. In 1290, Albert II gained the County of Brehna and in 1295 the County of Gommern for Saxony. King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia succeeded in bringing Albert II in favour of electing Adolf of Germany , as new emperor (Albert II signed an elector pact on 29 November 1291 that he would vote

1995-450: The eponymous city and Belzig . Albert II thus became the founder of the Ascanian line of Saxe-Wittenberg. Members of the Welf cadet branch House of Hanover later became prince-electors of the Hanover (as of 1692/1708), kings of Great Britain , Ireland (both 1714), the United Kingdom (1801), and the Hanover (1814). A number of seceded territories even gained imperial immediacy , while others only changed their liege lord on

2052-399: The former Electoral Saxon lands of Saxe-Wittenberg . Between Lower and Upper Lusatia is a hill region called the Grenzwall (literally "border dike", although it is in fact a morainic ridge), the eastern continuation of the Fläming Heath . In the Middle Ages this area had dense forests, so it represented a major obstacle to civilian and military traffic. Today it is roughly congruent of

2109-419: The historic capitals Lübben and Luckau include Calau , Doberlug-Kirchhain , Finsterwalde , Forst , Guben / Gubin , Lauchhammer , Lübbenau , Senftenberg , Spremberg , Vetschau , and Żary . Since 1945, when a small part of Lusatia east of the Oder–Neisse line was incorporated into Poland , Żary has been touted as the capital of Polish Lusatia. The area of Lower Lusatia roughly corresponds with

2166-887: The history of the region include the Sorbian museum in Cottbus ( Serbski muzej Chóśebuz ) and the Muzeum Pogranicza Śląsko-Łużyckiego ("Museum of Silesian-Lusatian Borderland") in Żary . Żary is the origin place of kiełbasa żarska , a local type of kiełbasa , whereas the Gubin area is the place of cultivation of the gubinka plum , both traditional foods officially protected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland . 52°N 14°E  /  52°N 14°E  / 52; 14 North European Plain The North European Plain ( German : Norddeutsches Tiefland – North German Plain; Mitteleuropäische Tiefebene ; Polish : Nizina Środkowoeuropejska – Central European Plain; Danish : Nordeuropæiske Lavland and Dutch : Noord-Europese Laagvlakte  ; French  : Plaine d'Europe du Nord )

2223-487: The initiative of the Union of Poles in Germany in 1924. There were still notable Polish communities in Lower Lusatia, such as Klettwitz (Upper Sorbian: Klěśišća , Polish: Kletwice ). During World War II , the Germans established and operated the Stalag III-B, Oflag III-C and Oflag 8 and prisoner-of-war camps for Polish, French , Belgian, Serbian, British, Australian, New Zealander, Soviet, American, Dutch and Italian POWs with several forced labour subcamps in

2280-400: The medieval chronicler Widukind of Corvey , King Conrad designated Henry his heir, thereby denying the succession of his own brother Eberhard of Franconia , and in 919 the Saxon duke was elected King of East Francia by the assembled Saxon and Franconian princes at Fritzlar . Henry was able to integrate the Swabian, Bavarian and Lotharingian duchies into the imperial federation, vital to handle

2337-401: The medieval duchy (see map on the right). According to the Res gestae saxonicae by tenth century chronicler Widukind of Corvey , the Saxons had arrived from Britannia at the coast of Land Hadeln in the Elbe-Weser Triangle , called by the Merovingian rulers of Francia to support the conquest of Thuringian kingdom, a seeming reversal of the English origin myth where Saxon tribes from

Lower Lusatia - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-407: The name Saxony from north-western Germany to the location of the modern Free State of Saxony . The deposed ducal House of Welf could maintain its allodial possessions, which did not remain as part of the Duchy of Saxony after the enfeoffment of the Ascanians. The Welf possessions were elevated to the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (also Brunswick and Lunenburg) in 1235. This duchy continued to use

2451-412: The newly formed Duchy of Westphalia . In the east, the Ascanians, the Welf's old rivals, finally gained a severely belittled Duchy of Saxony, occupying only the easternmost, comparably small, territories along the river Elbe around Lauenburg upon Elbe and around Wittenberg upon Elbe . Limiting the lands the Ascanians gained along with the ducal title to these eastern territories caused the migration of

2508-694: The north. In 1152, Henry supported his cousin Frederick III of Swabia , to be elected King of Germany (as Frederick I Barbarossa), likely under the promise of granting the Duchy of Bavaria back to Henry. Henry's dominion now covered more than two thirds of Germany, from the Alps to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea , making him one of the mightiest rulers in central Europe, and thus also a potential threat for other German princes and even Barbarossa. To expand his rule, Henry continued to claim titles of lesser families, who left no legitimate heir. This policy caused unrest among many Saxon nobles and other German princes, first and foremost his father's old enemy, Albrecht

2565-410: The old Saxon coat-of-arms showing the Saxon Steed in argent on gules , while the Ascanians adopted for the younger Duchy of Saxony their family colours, a barry of ten, in sable and or , covered by a crancelin of rhombs bendwise in vert , symbolising the Saxon dukedom. In 1269, 1272, and 1282 the co-ruling brothers John I and Albert II gradually divided their governing competences within

2622-431: The region's ties to Poland are the 18th-century mileposts decorated with the coat of arms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth located in various towns in the region. Polish-Sorbian contacts increased in that period. With the Age of Enlightenment , the Sorbian national revival began and resistance to Germanization emerged. As the Kingdom of Saxony had sided with Napoleon it had to cede Lower Lusatia to Prussia in

2679-438: The region, several Nazi prisons with multiple forced labour subcamps, including in Luckau and a prison solely for women in Cottbus , and several subcamps of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp , the prisoners of which included Jewish women and Polish, French, Soviet, Croatian and Czech men. During the war, the Poles postulated that after the defeat of Germany, the Sorbs should be allowed free national development either within

2736-467: The region, under the leadership of legendary brothers Hengist and Horsa , invade post-Roman Britannia. (see Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ). The Royal Frankish Annals mention a 743 Frankish campaign led by the Carolingian Mayor of the Palace Carloman against the Saxons, followed by a second expedition together with his brother Pepin the Short the next year. In 747 their rebellious brother Grifo allied with Saxon tribes and temporarily conquered

2793-405: The same as Wenceslaus). On April 27, 1292, Albert II, with his nephews still minor, wielded the Saxon electoral vote , electing Adolf of Germany. The last document mentioning the joint government of Albert II with his nephews as Saxon fellow dukes dates back to 1295. The definite partitioning of the Duchy of Saxony into Saxe-Lauenburg ( German : Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg ), jointly ruled by

2850-529: The stem duchy of Bavaria . Pepin, Frankish king from 750, again invaded Saxony and subdued several Westphalian tribes until 758. In 772, Pepin's son Charlemagne started the final conquest of the Saxon lands. Though his ongoing campaigns were successful, he had to deal with the fragmentation of the Saxon territories in Westphalian, Eastphalian , Angrian , and Nordalbingian tribes, demanding the conclusion of specific peace agreements with single tribes, which soon were to be broken by other clans. The Saxons devastated

2907-427: The strong position of his father-in-law and to evolve the united Saxon duchy under his rule. In 911, the East Frankish Carolingian dynasty went extinct with the death of King Louis the Child , whereafter the dukes of Saxony, Swabia and Bavaria met at Forchheim to elect the Conradine duke Conrad I of Franconia king. One year later, Otto's son Henry the Fowler succeeded his father as Duke of Saxony. According to

SECTION 50

#1732772228537

2964-400: The then three territorially unconnected Saxon areas (Hadeln, Lauenburg, and Wittenberg), thus preparing a partition. After John I had resigned in 1282 in favour of his three minor sons Eric I , John II and Albert III , followed by his death three years later, the three brothers and their uncle Albert II continued the joint rule in Saxony. In 1288, Albert II applied to King Rudolph I for

3021-426: The times, and eventually bequeathed their tribe's name to a variety of more and more modern geopolitical territories, such as Old Saxony ( Altsachsen ), Upper Saxony , the Electorate , the Prussian Province of Saxony (in present-day Saxony-Anhalt), and the Kingdom of Saxony , the latter corresponding with the German Free State of Saxony , which bears the name today, despite its territory not having been part of

3078-453: The western part became part of also Communist East Germany . The Lower Lusatian bull is first documented in 1363. In 1378, upon the death of Emperor Charles IV, it appeared in gules on a field argent (red on silver), similar to the coat of arms of Luckau, in which the bull has gold horns and hooves, and turns his head to look at the viewer. After over 600 years it is still used today as Lower Lusatia's coat of arms. Main museums dedicated to

3135-421: The western section has been known as the Low Countries . The North German Plain is located north of the Central Uplands of Germany. The part in modern-day Poland is called the "Polish Plain" ( Polish : Niż Polski or Nizina Polska ) and stretches from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathians The extension of the plain into England consists mainly of the flatlands of East Anglia ,

3192-496: The whole stem duchy had been incorporated into the Carolingian Empire. Afterwards, Saxony was ruled by Carolingian officials, e.g. Wala of Corbie (d. 836), a grandson of Charles Martel and cousin of the emperor, who in 811 fixed the Treaty of Heiligen with King Hemming of Denmark , defining the northern border of the Empire along the Eider River. Among the installed dukes were already nobles of Saxon descent, like Wala's successor Count Ekbert, husband of Saint Ida of Herzfeld ,

3249-413: Was charged with several accusations, such as violating the honour of the realm (honor imperii), breach of the peace, and treason. If he were to follow the summons to the Hoftag , Henry would've acknowledge the charges as rightful, and therefore refused all summons. In 1181, he was ultimately stripped of his titles. Unwilling to give up without a fight, Henry already had dealt the first blow in 1180 against

#536463