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53-579: [REDACTED] Margraviate of Meissen 968–1002 [REDACTED] Duchy of Poland 1002 [REDACTED] Margraviate of Meissen 1002–1423 [REDACTED]   Electorate of Saxony 1423–1806 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Saxony 1806–1871 [REDACTED]   German Empire 1871–1918 [REDACTED]   Weimar Republic 1918–1933 [REDACTED]   Nazi Germany 1933–1945 [REDACTED]   Allied-occupied Germany 1945–1949 [REDACTED]   East Germany 1949–1990 [REDACTED]   Germany 1990–present It grew out of

106-657: A cultural area of Germany. The family divided into two ruling branches in 1485 by the Treaty of Leipzig : the Ernestine and Albertine branches. The older Ernestine branch played a key role during the Protestant Reformation . Many ruling monarchs outside Germany were later tied to its cadet branch , the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . The Albertine branch , while less prominent, ruled most of Saxony and played

159-656: A part in Polish history . Agnates of the House of Wettin have, at various times, ascended the thrones of the United Kingdom , Portugal , Bulgaria , Poland , Saxony , Mexico and Belgium . Only the Belgian line retains their throne today. The oldest member of the House of Wettin who is known for certain is Theodoric I of Wettin , also known as Dietrich , Thiedericus , and Thierry I of Liesgau (died c. 982). He

212-573: A rock above the confluence of the Elbe and Triebisch rivers to erect a new fortress, called Misni ( Meissen ) Castle after the nearby Meisa stream. The fortifications were renamed Albrechtsburg in the 15th century. A town soon developed around the castle. King Henry, however, made no attempts to Germanise the Slavs or to create a chain of burgwards around his fortress. Sat alone, like Brandenburg , with few defenses or towns around it; Meissen probably

265-647: 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 I . After the Napoleonic Wars , the Albertine branch lost about 40% of its lands (the economically less-developed northern parts of the old Electorate of Saxony) to Prussia, restricting it to a territory coextensive with the modern Saxony (see Final Act of

318-835: A sister of the childless former head of the Albertines, Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen (died 2012), who had adopted his nephew and granted him the name Prince of Saxony, contrary to the rules of male descent under the Salic Law . Both are however not recognized by the Nobility Archive in Marburg, nor by the Conference of the Formerly Ruling Houses in Germany – Prince Rüdiger because his father Timo

371-547: Is one of the most famous burial places of the Wettin family. The hill on which the castle and the cathedral are built offers a view over the roofs of the old town. Meissen's historical district is located mostly around the market at the foot of the castle hill. It contains many buildings of Renaissance architecture . Also imposing is the view from the 57-metre-high tower of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), situated in

424-754: The Battle of Meissen . During World War II , a subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was located in Meissen. Meissen served as an important place of religious dialogue in 1988 when the agreement on mutual recognition between the German Evangelical Church (both East and West German) and the Church of England was signed in the town. Meissen is famous for the manufacture of porcelain , based on extensive local deposits of china clay ( kaolin ) and potter's clay (potter's earth). Meissen porcelain

477-636: The Holy Roman Empire . The family split into two ruling branches in 1485 when the sons of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony divided the territories hitherto ruled jointly. The elder son Ernest , who had succeeded his father as Prince-elector , received the territories assigned to the Elector ( Electorate of Saxony ) and Thuringia , while his younger brother Albert obtained the March of Meissen , which he ruled from Dresden . As Albert ruled under

530-726: The Investiture Controversy in 1089. Emperor Henry IV then granted Meissen to Count Henry of Eilenburg of the Wettin dynasty. The margravate would remain under Wettin rule for the rest of its existence. Under Wiprecht von Groitzsch in the 1120s, Meissen underwent a process of Germanisation. He was succeeded by Conrad the Great (1123–56), Otto the Rich (1156–91), and Dietrich the Hard-Pressed (1191–1221), under whom

583-741: The Katholische Hofkirche in Dresden. In 965, the Margraviate of Meissen , a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire , was founded, with Meissen as its capital. A market town by 1000, Meissen passed to the Duchy of Poland in 1002 under Boleslaw I the Brave , afterwards into hands of Henry II a few months later and to the House of Wettin in 1089. In 1015, Meissen was besieged by the Poles led by future King Mieszko II . In 1241,

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636-772: The Schmalkaldic War (1546/7), which pitted the Protestant Schmalkaldic League against the Emperor Charles V . Although itself Lutheran, the Albertine branch rallied to the Emperor's cause. Charles V had promised Moritz the rights to the electorship. After the Battle of Mühlberg , Johann Friedrich der Großmütige , had to cede territory (including Wittenberg) and the electorship to his cousin Moritz. Although imprisoned, Johann Friedrich

689-759: The pottery market or the Weinfest , which celebrates the wine harvest. Meissen wine is produced at the vineyards in the river valley ( Elbtal ) around the town, part of the Saxonian wine region , one of the northernmost in Europe. Meissen is the home of the Saxon public elite college Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra zu Meißen . Also the Saxon Civil Servants Academy and the Academy of

742-699: The British and Portuguese thrones became possessions of persons who belonged to the House of Wettin for a time. From King George I to Queen Victoria , the British Royal family was called the House of Hanover , being a junior branch of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg and thus part of the dynasty of the Guelphs . In the late 19th century, Queen Victoria charged the College of Arms in England to determine

795-526: The British public (especially radical Republicans such as H. G. Wells ) to question the loyalty of the royal family. Advisors to King George V searched for an acceptable surname for the British royal family, but Wettin was rejected as "unsuitably comic". An Order in Council legally changed the name of the British royal family to "Windsor" (originally suggested by Lord Stamfordham ) in 1917. Branch of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Branch of Saxe-Meiningen In

848-659: The Congress of Vienna Act IV: Treaty between Prussia and Saxony 18 May 1815). Frederick Augustus III lost his throne in the German Revolution of 1918. The role of current head of the Albertine "House of Saxony" is claimed by his great-grandson Prince Rüdiger of Saxony , Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen (born 23 December 1953). However, the headship of Prince Rüdiger is contested by his second cousin, Alexander (born 1954), son of Roberto Afif (later by change of name Mr Gessaphe) and Princess Maria Anna of Saxony,

901-878: The East Frankish rulers; in 908 they were first campaigned by the Saxon prince Henry the Fowler , son of Duke Otto the Illustrious . By 928/29, the main Glomacze fortress on the Jahna river was destroyed and their lands up to the Dresden Basin incorporated into the Marca Geronis . In 928 and 929, during the final campaign against the Glomacze tribes, Henry the Fowler, East Frankish king since 919, chose

954-770: The Evangelical Church of Saxony are located in the town. Meissen Speedway Stadium is located on the eastern side of the town, on the Zaschendorfer Straße. The stadium was the venue for a round of the Speedway World Team Cup in 1965 and multiple qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship (the first in 1966). Meissen is twinned with: Margraviate of Meissen The Margravate or Margraviate of Meissen ( German : Markgrafschaft Meißen )

1007-657: The Northern March were lost, and the German forces were pushed back west of the Elbe. Margrave Eckard I from Thuringia succeeded Rikdag as Margrave of Meissen in 985. His descendants of the Ekkeharding noble family would keep the margravial title until 1046. Upon his appointment, Eckard allied with Duke Mieszko I of Poland in order to reconquer Meissen Castle from Duke Boleslaus II of Bohemia whose forces occupied it

1060-630: The Saxon electorate , in which they ultimately merged their margravial lands abandoning Meissen's status as an independent principality; though they retained the margravial title. In the late 15th century, the dynasty held a large contiguous territory between the Werra and Oder rivers. By the 1485 Treaty of Leipzig , however, the Upper Saxon lands were again divided between Frederick's grandsons Ernest ruling in Wittenberg and Albert , who took

1113-550: The Saxon Eastern March. When the Marca Geronis was divided in 965 upon the death of Margrave Gero , Meissen became the center of a new march with the goal of controlling the local Slavic population. The first Meissen margrave, Wigbert , is mentioned in a 968 charter of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg . That same year, the Meissen fortress also became the see of the newly created Bishopric of Meissen . In 978,

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1166-639: The Saxon count Rikdag became the Margrave of Meissen , and incorporated the marches of Merseburg and Zeitz into Meissen. By 982, the territory of the march had extended as far as the Kwisa river to the east and as far as the slopes of the Ore Mountains to the south, where it shared a border with the Přemyslid duchy of Bohemia. In 983, following the defeat of Emperor Otto II at the Battle of Stilo ,

1219-830: The Slavic Lutici tribes bordering eastern Saxony rebelled in the Great Slav Rising . The newly established bishoprics of Havelberg and Brandenburg as well as the March of Zeitz were overrun by Lutici tribes. Margrave Rikdag joined forces with the Margraves of Lusatia and the Northern March , the Bishop of Halberstadt , and the Archbishop of Magdeburg and defeated the Slavs in the gau of Balsamgau near Stendal . Nevertheless, large territories of

1272-485: The Thuringians", as they set about establishing their power over the older Duchy of Thuringia in the west. The Sorbian march had already lost its importance around 900 AD; the last known margrave Poppo was deposed by King Arnulf in 892 and replaced with Conrad who continued to appear as a "Duke of Thuringia". Conrad himself was replaced by Burchard , whose title in 903 was marchio Thuringionum , "margrave of

1325-753: The Thuringians". Due to scarce sources, the geographical extent of the Frankish march east of the Saale is a matter of ongoing debate among historians; it may have reached up to the settlement area of the Slavic Glomacze ( Talaminzi ) tribes beyond the Mulde river, identified as eastern neighbours of the Sorbs by the Bavarian Geographer about 850. These territories were under constant attacks by

1378-616: The Wettins in the Slavic Saxon Eastern March (or Ostmark ) 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 (although without Hesse ) and in 1423, they were invested with the Duchy of Saxony , centred at Wittenberg , thus becoming one of the prince-electors of

1431-435: The area into a number of smaller states. One of the resulting Ernestine houses, known as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld until 1826 and as Saxe-Coburg and Gotha after that, went on to contribute kings of Belgium (from 1831) and Bulgaria (1908–1946), as well as furnishing consorts to queens regnant of Portugal ( Prince Ferdinand ) and the United Kingdom ( Prince Albert ), and the Emperor of Mexico ( Carlota of Mexico ) Thus,

1484-512: The correct personal surname of her late husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha —and, thus, the proper surname of the royal family upon the accession of her son. After extensive research, they concluded that it was Wettin, but this name was never used, either by the Queen or by her son ( King Edward VII ) or by her grandson ( King George V ); they were simply Kings of the House of "Saxe-Coburg-Gotha". Severe anti-German sentiment during World War I (1914-1918) led some influential members of

1537-440: The division of the march, however it would reunite soon after each time. Meissen was often enlarged by marriage, purchase, or conquest, which is how it gained the rights to the burgraviate in 1426. In 1423, Margrave Frederick IV was assigned the heirless Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg , formerly held by the House of Ascania , by Emperor Sigismund in turn for his support against the Hussites . The Wettin rulers thereby entered into

1590-418: The early West Slavic settlement of Miśni inhabited by Glomatians and was founded as a German town by King Henry the Fowler in 929. In 968, the Diocese of Meissen was founded, and Meissen became the episcopal see of a bishop . The Catholic bishopric was suppressed in 1581 after the diocese accepted the Protestant Reformation (1559), but re-created in 1921 with its seat first at Bautzen and now at

1643-473: The former Meissen territory. The treaty marked the beginning of the permanent separation of the two states of Saxony and Ernestine Thuringia. Around 1068, Meissen Castle received its own burgrave . In time the Meinheringer family would come to control the burgravate. House of Wettin The House of Wettin ( German : Haus Wettin ) was a dynasty which included Saxon kings , prince-electors , dukes , and counts , who once ruled territories in

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1696-417: The former residence of the House of Wettin , is regarded as being the first castle to be used as a royal residence in the German-speaking world. Built between 1472 and 1525, it is a fine example of late Gothic style. It was redecorated in the 19th century with a range of murals depicting Saxon history. Today the castle is a museum. Nearby is the 13th-century Gothic Meissen Cathedral ( Meißner Dom ), whose chapel

1749-408: The house gave rise to an important early-modern ruler who was ahead of his time in supporting the education of his people and in improving administration. In the 18th century, Karl August , Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, established what was to become known as Weimar Classicism at his court in Weimar, notably by bringing Johann Wolfgang von Goethe there. It was only in the 19th century that one of

1802-451: The intermediate Pleisseland around Altenburg in pawn. In 1307, the attempt by the Luxembourg king Henry VII to once again subdue the Margraves of Meissen failed with his defeat at the Battle of Lucka . By that time the margravate was de facto independent of any sovereign authority. In the following years, there would be joint rule of Meissen by multiple members of the Wettin dynasty at any given time. In 1382 and 1445, this even led to

1855-465: The later margravate was part of an eastern frontier zone of the Carolingian Empire called Sorbian March ( Limes Sorabicus ), after Sorbian tribes of Polabian Slavs settling beyond the Saale river. In 849, a margrave named Thachulf was documented in the Annales Fuldenses . His title is rendered as dux Sorabici limitis , "duke of the Sorbian frontier", but he and his East Frankish successors were commonly known as duces Thuringorum , "dukes of

1908-455: The many Ernestine branches, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , regained importance through marriages as the "stud of Europe", by ascending the thrones of Belgium (in 1831), Portugal (1853–1910), Bulgaria (1908–1946) and the United Kingdom (1901-present, though the relevant marriage had taken place in 1840) and also providing a consort to the future Habsburg Emperor of Mexico (1857). The junior Albertine branch maintained most of

1961-453: The march would expand and develop. By then, Meissen had become a stronghold of the Wettin dynasty, suspiciously eyed by the Hohenstaufen emperors who nevertheless were not able to deprive the margraves of their power. In 1264, during the War of the Thuringian Succession , Margrave Henry III asserted himself in the Landgraviate of Thuringia, where his uncle Henry Raspe had died childless. Between 1243 and 1255, Henry III had also acquired

2014-508: The old market-place. This church, not to be confused with the Dresden Frauenkirche , was first mentioned in a 1205 deed issued by Bishop Dietrich II and after a blaze about 1450 rebuilt in the Late Gothic style of a hall church . Its tower hosts the world's first porcelain carillon, manufactured in 1929 on the occasion of the town's 1000-years-jubilee. Another popular tourist sight is the world-famous Meissen porcelain factory. From spring to autumn, several festivals take place in Meissen, such as

2067-484: The porcelain factory can still be found today. Along with porcelain, other ceramics are also manufactured in the town. In the old town streets, there have been set up numerous porcelain stores, often selling antique Meissen porcelain and sometimes offering repair of broken porcelain. In Meissen and the surrounding area, several former painters from the manufacturer have set up porcelain painting workshops and galleries with their own pieces of porcelain art. The Albrechtsburg,

2120-539: The present-day German federated states of Saxony , Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia . The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe , and its origins can be traced back to the town of Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt . The Wettins gradually rose to power within the Holy Roman Empire . Members of the family became the rulers of several medieval states, starting with the Saxon Eastern March in 1030. Other states they gained were Meissen in 1089, Thuringia in 1263, and Saxony in 1423. These areas cover large parts of Central Germany as

2173-463: The territorial integrity of Saxony, preserving it as a significant power in the region, and used small appanage fiefs for its cadet branches, few of which survived for significant lengths of time. The Ernestine Wettins, on the other hand, repeatedly subdivided their territory, creating an intricate patchwork of small duchies and counties in Thuringia. The Albertine Wettins ruled as Electors (1547–1806) and Kings of Saxony (1806–1918), and also played

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2226-436: The title of "Duke of Saxony", his possessions were also known as Ducal Saxony . The older Ernestine branch remained predominant until 1547 and played an important role in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation . Frederick III ( Friedrich der Weise ) appointed Martin Luther (1512) and Philipp Melanchthon (1518) to the University of Wittenberg , which he had established in 1502. The Ernestine predominance ended in

2279-494: The town was attacked in the Mongol raid on Meissen . The small Mongol force under Orda Khan defeated Meissens's defenders and much of the town was destroyed. The Mongols withdrew from Germany after the death of Ögedei Khan , sparing the region from further destruction. The town was at the forefront of the Ostsiedlung , or intensive German settlement of the rural Slavic lands east of the Elbe, and its reception of town rights dates to 1332. The construction of Meissen Cathedral

2332-522: The very likely event of the extinction of these two senior branches, the sole represantation of the Ernestine Wettins will pass to the descendants of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , who are the present Saxe-Coburg-Gothas led by Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 21 March 1943), the House of Windsor , the Royal Family of Belgium and the Royal Family of Bulgaria . Francis and his nephew Ludwig Frederick Emil von Coburg are also ancestors to morganatic lines. For an extensive treatment of

2385-425: The year before. When Eckard was assassinated in 1002, however, Mieszko's son, the Polish king Bolesław I Chrobry , took the occasion to conquer the margravial lands east of the Elbe and demanded the surrender of Meissen. The following German–Polish War ended with the 1018 Peace of Bautzen , whereby Meissen had to cede the Milceni region (later Upper Lusatia ) to Poland. In 1031 however, King Conrad II of Germany

2438-406: Was a medieval principality in the area of the modern German state of Saxony . It originally was a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire , created out of the vast Marca Geronis ( Saxon Eastern March ) in 965. Under the rule of the Wettin dynasty , the margravate finally merged with the former Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg into the Saxon Electorate by 1423. In the mid 9th century, the area of

2491-446: Was able to plan a new university. It was established by his three sons on 19 March 1548 as the Höhere Landesschule at Jena . On 15 August 1557, Emperor Ferdinand I awarded it the status of university. The Ernestine line was thereafter restricted to Thuringia and its dynastic unity swiftly crumbled, dividing into a number of smaller states, the Ernestine duchies . Nevertheless, with Ernst der Fromme , Duke of Saxe-Gotha (1601–1675),

2544-402: Was able to reconquer the Milceni lands, which were returned to Meissen. In 1046, Count Otto of Weimar-Orlamünde became margrave, followed by Egbert II of the Brunonids upon his death in 1067. Egbert II entered into a longstanding conflict with Emperor Henry IV , because of which he had to renounce the Milceni lands to Duke Vratislaus II of Bohemia in 1076, and was finally deposed during

2597-412: Was begun in 1260 on the same hill as the Albrechtsburg castle. The resulting lack of space led to the cathedral being one of the smallest cathedrals in Europe . The church is also known as being one of the purest examples of Gothic architecture. In 1423, Meissen became capital of the Electorate of Saxony . In 1464, the capital was moved to Dresden . In 1759, the Austrians defeated the Prussians at

2650-448: Was expelled from the House of Wettin, and Prince Alexander because he is not of agnatic noble descent (his father was Roberto Afif from Lebanon). Consequently, the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin is officially treated by the German nobility as extinct in its legal succession-line. The senior (Ernestine) branch of the House of Wettin lost the electorship to the Albertine line in 1547, but retained its holdings in Thuringia, dividing

2703-422: Was most probably based in the Liesgau (located at the western edge of the Harz ). Around 1000, the family acquired Wettin Castle , which was originally built by the local Slavic tribes (see Sorbs ), after which they named themselves. Wettin Castle is located in Wettin in the Hassegau (or Hosgau) on the Saale River . Around 1030, the Wettin family received the Eastern March as a fief . The prominence of

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2756-477: Was temporarily occupied by Bohemian forces from 936 onwards. The town beneath the fortress grew, however, eventually becoming one of the most important cities in the vast Marca Geronis , covering the Slavic lands east of the Saxon stem duchy . King Henry, and later on his son and successor Otto I , continued the Slavic campaigns into the lands of the Polabian Milceni tribes around Bautzen ( Budissin ), with their gained territory being gradually incorporated into

2809-425: Was the first high-quality porcelain to be produced outside of the Orient . The first European porcelain was manufactured in Meissen in 1710, when by decree of King Augustus II the Strong the Royal-Polish and Electoral-Saxon Porcelain Factory ( Königlich-Polnische und Kurfürstlich-Sächsische Porzellan-Manufaktur ) was opened in the Albrechtsburg. In 1861, it was moved to the Triebisch river valley of Meissen, where

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