The duchy of Saxony was a medieval duchy covering most of the north of the Germany. It extended on the contemporary German states from Lower Saxony, Rhineland-of-North-Westphalia, the Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony-Anhalt and of the parts of the Saxony. The duke Henri the Lion occupied the deserted area of Mecklembourg-Poméranie Western. The Anglo-Saxon had left this last zone for the England.

History

First duchy of Saxony (843-1180)

Under Louis Germanic the and its successors, Saxony, enlarged Thuringe, became one of the four Duché S of the Eastern Francie which was made up of the duchy of Souabe (Alémanie), of the Franconie and the Bavaria (including/understanding the Moravie and the Carinthie). This first duchy of Saxony, which had successively as sovereigns of the descendants of Witikind and the princes of the Maison of Billung, corresponded initially to what formed since the Cercle of Lower Saxony and the Cercle of Low-Rhine-Westphalia.

By 920 with 929, it increased by both steps of Misnie and Branibor or Brandebourg. It was still enlarged by Othon I {{er}} and its successors, mainly by the princes of the house Welf, Henri X Superb the and Henri the Lion, which fixed almost all the regions included/understood since in the Cercle of High-Saxony, and extended their domination on the Mecklembourg and the Poméranie. It is known that in addition to Saxony, both Henri had the Bavaria.

From 1137 to 1154, the imperial policy held these two separated duchies, but Frederic I {{er}} barberousse returned them to Henri the Lion. Only the margraviat of Branibor, independent since 1142, was confirmed in its independence. But, after the conflict with Henri at the time of the countryside of Legnano (1177), the Frederic emperor put this prince at the round of applause of the empire (1180), and the enormous duchy of Saxony was cut up in a crowd of strongholds: the archbishop's palaces of Magdeburg and Bremen, évêchés of Minden, Verden, Paderborn, Munster, Hildesheim, Halberstadt, Mersebourg, Naumbourg were detached some and become immediate States. It was the same for the palatine Comté for Saxony, the Misnie, the Thuringe, the country of Mecklembourg (that however Henri the Lion looked like his particular property), the duchy of Poméranie, the duchy of Westphalia (which passed to the archbishop of Cologne), the Eichsfeld (of which that seized Mainz). Lubeck, old capital of Saxony, became imperial city. The freeholds, which were hardly composed that hereditary country of Brunswick, remained alone with the deposed duke. A new duchy of Saxony was then made up, but it differed entirely from the first.

Second duchy of Saxony

This duchy, formed in 1180 at the expense of the precedent in favor of Bernard of Ascanie, included/understood nothing any more but the territories of Wittemberg and Lauenbourg, plus suzerainty on the Holstein. It still weakens when the house ascanienne, invested of this duchy, had been divided (1260) into two lines: those of Saxony-Lauenbourg and Saxony-Wittemberg.

In 1355, the emperor Charles IV attached the electorate of Saxony to the possession of Wittemberg, which kept it only until 1422, date where this line died out.

Third duchy of Saxony or electoral Duchy

This duchy, which was at the origin of the Royaume of Saxony, was made up in 1422, the title of duke of Saxony and voter having been transferred, after the extinction of the ducal branch of Saxony-Wittemberg, with the Maison of Wettin.

The duchy then increased Misnie, Thuringe and palatine Comté of Saxony: Frederic Ier the Quarrelsome, first duke of Saxony of this new house, was one of the most powerful princes of Germany. Ernest and Albert, his grandsons, weakened by sharing their States in 1485 (see also: Saxon Duchies ).

  • Line ernestine : Ernest, the elder one, preserved, with the titles of duke and voter, the electoral circle, the Thuringe and the Eastern countries of Saxony. Frederic III Wise the, its successor, exerted a great influence on the businesses of Germany, and was Vicaire of the emperor in his absence. He supported of all his capacity the Réforme, and had a great part with the Ligue of Smalkade. Its second successor, Jean-Frederic Ier Magnanime, saw himself removing, after the defeat of Mühlberg in 1547, most of the duchy of Saxony, as well as electoral dignity, which was transferred by Charles Quint from the elder line to the line junior or albertine (1547).

  • Line albertine : Maurice of Saxony was the first duke of this line. Though it was the creature ds Charles-Quint, there remained Lutheran, and even maintained constantly freedom Protestant. During the War Thirty Year old, the voters of Saxony declared themselves alternatively for the Sweden and the Austria.

In 1697, the voter Frederic-Auguste I {{er}} abjured the Lutheranism. The same year, he united in Saxony the crown of Poland, which engaged it in perpetual wars with the king of Sweden Charles XII.

His/her son, Frederic-Auguste II, joins together also the two crowns, and had unceasingly to fight the king of Prussia, which twice removed Saxony to him.

Frederic-Auguste III refused in 1791 the crown which offered to him the Polish patriots. In the wars of the French revolution, it remained neutral as much as it could it: after the Battle of Iéna, it entered the Confédération of the Rhine, and provides to Napoleon i auxiliary troops: in return, it accepted from it, in 1806, the title of king de Saxe: to see the article Kingdom of Saxony .

Chronology

  • 834 : The duchy of Saxony becomes share of the frank empire, later built-in the Eastern Francie.
  • 843 : Under Louis Germanic the, Saxony enlarges Thuringe becomes one of the four duchies of the Germanic kingdom.
  • 850 : Liudolf, duke in Saxony, descendant of Widukind and first in the dynasty Ottonienne, found the monastery of Gandersheim.
  • 864 : Bruno or Brunon, wire of Liudolf, killed by the Viking S.
  • 880: Otton I {{er}}, brother of Brunon.
  • 912 : Henri Ier the Bird-catcher, wire of Otton Ist
  • 936: his/her son, Otton Ier Large the crowned with Aachen as king d' Allemagne.
  • 938 : Hermann Billung becomes Markgraf .
  • 953 : Otton Ier made of Hermann Billung the vice-duke of Saxony.
  • 973 : Otton Ier dies in Memleben. Otton II becomes emperor. Hermann Billung dies in Quedlinburg. Bernard Ier Billung becomes duke of Saxony.
  • 983 Danish Rising with Hedeby. Rising slavonien in Northalbingie. Otton III emperor.
  • 1002 : The death of Otton III marks the end of the Saxon emperors.
  • 1011 : The duke Bernard Ier Billung dies, his son Bernard II becomes duke.
  • 1042 : Ordulf Billung, wire of Bernard II, Wulfhild wife, the half-sister of the king Magnus of Denmark and Norway. Danes and Saxon fight against Wendes.
  • 1059 : Ordulf Billung becomes duke after the death of his father.
  • 1072 : Magnus Billung becomes duke.
  • 1106 : The duke Magnus dies without wire. That finishes the Billung dynasty. The area billungienne becomes part of the countries Welf and Ascaniens. Lothaire Ier de Supplinbourg becomes duke of Saxony.
  • 1112 : Otton de Ballenstedt is made duke by the king Henri V.
  • 1115: Victoire of Lothaire de Supplinbourg with the Battle of Welfesholz on the king Henri V.
  • 1125: Lothaire de Supplinbourg is elected as king and emperor of Germanic.
  • 1137 : Died of Lothaire. The Welf Henry X to trust, duke of Bavaria since 1126, becomes duke of Saxony.
  • 1138 : Henry X tries to become king, but without success. The ascanien Albert the Bear becomes duke of Saxony.
  • 1139 : Died of Henri X.
  • 1141: Albert the Bear abdicates.
  • 1142 : The emperor Conrad III grants to the title of duke to Welf Henri the Lion which occupies north east of Germany. Its principality covers more of two thirds of Germany from the Alps to the North Sea and the Baltic, by making the most powerful man of Central Europe.
  • 1180 : Frederic I {{er}}, Germanic Roman Emperor, relieves Henri the Lion of the duchy which passes under the control of Ascaniens which was based more in the east close to Elba. Welfs became later the kings of Hanover and the the United Kingdom (Maison of Hanover).

See too

Partial source

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