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54-626: Wettin may refer to: House of Wettin , a German Royal House Wettin Castle , near Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, ancestral seat of the House of Wettin Asteroid 90709 Wettin , named in the castle and House's honour Wettin, Saxony-Anhalt , a town in Saxony-Anhalt, where Wettin Castle is located Wettinus Augiensis (d. 824) SMS Wettin ,

108-691: 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 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

162-468: A German pre-dreadnought battleship Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Wettin . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wettin&oldid=912175958 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

216-685: 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

270-730: 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

324-647: 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

378-835: 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

432-673: 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 the medieval duchy (see map on the right). According to

486-632: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages House of Wettin 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 ,

540-571: Is known for certain is Theodoric I of Wettin , also known as Dietrich , Thiedericus , and Thierry I of Liesgau (died c. 982). He 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

594-760: 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 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

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648-602: The Duchy of Saxony , centred at Wittenberg , thus becoming one of the prince-electors of 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

702-572: The Ernestine duchies . Nevertheless, with Ernst der Fromme , Duke of Saxe-Gotha (1601–1675), 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

756-945: The Hassegau (or Hosgau) on the Saale River . Around 1030, the Wettin family received the Eastern March as a fief . The prominence of 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

810-637: The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . The Albertine branch , while less prominent, ruled most of Saxony and played 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

864-461: The March of Meissen , which he ruled from Dresden . As Albert ruled under 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

918-500: 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

972-858: The University of Wittenberg , which he had established in 1502. The Ernestine predominance ended in 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

1026-537: 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 the whole stem duchy had been incorporated into the Carolingian Empire. Afterwards, Saxony

1080-693: 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 the Principality of Anhalt in 1218 and the Welf Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1235. In 1296,

1134-582: 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

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1188-699: 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

1242-526: 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

1296-659: 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,

1350-477: 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

1404-488: 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,

1458-427: 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

1512-467: 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

1566-402: 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

1620-702: The coats of arms, see: Coat of arms of Saxony or in French: Armorial de la maison de Wettin 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 the Saxon Wars from 772 AD and incorporated into the Carolingian Empire ( Francia ) by 804. Upon

1674-634: 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

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1728-481: 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

1782-564: 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

1836-477: 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

1890-550: 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 the times, and eventually bequeathed their tribe's name to

1944-549: The electorship to his cousin Moritz. Although imprisoned, Johann Friedrich 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,

1998-588: 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

2052-450: 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

2106-453: 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 the Frankish stronghold at Eresburg ; their leader ( Herzog ) Widukind refused to appear at

2160-400: 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

2214-407: 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

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2268-412: 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

2322-694: 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

2376-410: 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

2430-400: 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 the Elbe and Saale rivers in

2484-405: 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

2538-427: 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

2592-463: 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

2646-400: 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

2700-522: 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

2754-413: 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

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2808-448: 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

2862-496: Was only in the 19th century that one of 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

2916-403: 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 ,

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