House of Wettin

The house of Wettin is a family Royale which currently reigns on the Belgium (since 1831) and on the the United Kingdom (since 1901), and which reigned formerly on the Bulgaria (of 1887 to 1946), on the Portugal (of 1853 to 1910), on the Poland (of 1697 to 1763), on the Royaume of Saxony (of 1806 to 1918), on the Grand-duché of Saxony-Weimar (of 1815 to 1918), on the Duché of Saxony-Cobourg and Gotha (of 1826 to 1918), on the Duchy of Saxony-Meiningen (of 1826 to 1918), on the Duchy of Saxony-Altenbourg (of 1826 to 1918), on India of 1901 to 1950, etc

Originally Margrave S of Meissen in 1089, Wettins became Landgrave S of Thuringe in 1263, then dukes of Saxony in 1423 with the dignity of voters of the Saint Germanic Roman Empire.

Branches Ernestine and Albertine

The family was divided into two branches in 1485 when the wire of Frederic {{II}}, voter of Saxony, divided the heritage:

with the oldest son, Ernest, electorate of Saxony, with for capital Wittenberg, from where the branch Ernestine
with the son junior, Albert, the duchy of Saxony, with for capital Dresden, from where the branch Albertine

These two branches evolved/moved very differently: the Albertine branch maintained the integrity of Saxony and preserved its capacity on the area, while Ernestins on several occasions divided their territories into creating a patchwork of small duchies and counties in Thuringe.

The descendants of the puinée branch Albertine became kings de Pologne (1697 - 1763) and of Saxony (1806 - 1918) and directed the Napoleonean duchy of Warsaw (1807 - 1814) after the Russian invasion had removed their rights to them to the crown of Poland by the constitution of 1791.

Saxony-Cobourg-Gotha and Windsor

The elder branch Ernestine lost the electorate with the profit of Albertins in 1547, but preserved its possessions in Thuringe, dividing the area into a collection of mini-States. One of these houses, that of Saxony-Cobourg and Gotha, reached the throne of Belgium (1831) and Bulgaria (1908 - 1946), and provides consorts to the queens of Portugal and the United Kingdom, making pass the British throne in the house of Wettin.

This branch of Wettin reigning on the the United Kingdom since 1901 bore the name of Saxony-Cobourg and Gotha . Wettin, being a German re-creation, forever used in the United Kingdom.

During the First World War, the British royal house renonça with its German names to take that of Windsor which is that of a castle that it had (and one can note W initial common) at the same time like name of house and family name. The king Edouard {{VIII}} took the title of duke of Windsor after his abdication in 1936. Perhaps after Elisabeth {{II}} the house of Wettin will lose the British crown, which will pass to the Maison of Oldenbourg, in the person of Charles, prince de Galles, but will keep Windsor like name of house. The family name of this heir, who is Mountbatten-Windsor could be preserved too. Mountbatten is the anglicized form of Battenberg, of the name of the paternal grandmother of Charles who was raised by the father of Charles and has the advantage of being with British half.

See too

Monarchs of Great Britain
List of the tsars of Bulgaria
List of the sovereigns of Saxony
List of the dukes of Saxony-Weimar
List of the dukes of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach
List of the large-dukes of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach

Simple: House off Wettin

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