List of rulers of Saxony
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Image:Wappen Munster.png
Coat of arms of Münster, Lower Saxony
This article lists Dukes, Electors, and Kings ruling over territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 9th century to the end of the Saxon Kingdom in 1918.
Dukes of SaxonyThe original Duchy of Saxony comprised lands of the Saxon people in the north-western part of present-day Germany, the contemporarily German state of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, not corresponding to the modern German state of Saxony. Early dukes
Hattonid dynasty
Ottonian or Liudolfing dynasty
Billung Dynasty
Supplinburg Dynasty
Welf Dynasty
Ascanian Dynasty
Welf Dynasty
With the final removal of the Welfs in 1180, the Duchy of Saxony was reduced in territory. Westphalia fell to the Archbishop of Cologne, while the Duchies of Brunswick and Lüneburg remained with the Welfs. The Ascanian Dukes had their base further east, near the Elbe, resulting in the name Saxony moving towards the east. Ascanian Duchy of Saxony
On Albert II's death, his sons John and Albert at first ruled jointly. Some time after 1272 they divided their territory between them, creating the Duchies of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg. Since the Duke of Saxony was considered one of the prince-electors electing a new Holy Roman Emperor, conflict arose between lines of Lauenburg and Wittenberg over the issue of who should cast Saxony's vote and in 1314 both lines found themselves on different sides in a double election. Eventually, the Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg succeeded in 1356 after the promulgation of the Golden Bull. To distinguish him from other rulers bearing the title Duke of Saxony, he was commonly called Elector of Saxony. Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg
John was succeeded by his three sons, who at first ruled jointly:
In 1305 the brothers split their inheritance between them, creating the Bergedorf-Mölln and the Ratzeburg-Lauenburg lines. Bergedorf-Mölln line
Ratzeburg-Lauenburg line
The Ascanian Dynasty continued at Lauenburg until 1689, but after the Lauenburg line had finally lost the Electorate to the Wittenberg line in 1356 and failed to obtain the succession in the Electorate after 1422, recognition of the Lauenburg line as Duke of Saxony waned. Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg
Wettin Dukes of SaxonyAlbertine Dukes of SaxonyThe Albertines were a junior branch of the Wettin dynasty of Electors of Saxony, who ruled in Northern Thuringia and Southern Meissen until they replaced the senior "Ernestine" branch as Electors and rulers of most Saxon territory in 1547.
Ernestine Dukes of SaxonyFollowing their displacement by the Albertines, the Ernestine branch of the Wettins continued to rule in southern Thuringia as "Dukes of Saxony", but their lands eventually split up into many different tiny "Ernestine duchies". Of these, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Altenburg lasted until 1918. This article does not list the subsequent Ernestine dukes. Electors of SaxonyThe Golden Bull of 1356 confirmed the right to participate in the election of a Holy Roman Emperor to the Duke of Saxony in the Saxe-Wittenberg line.
Kings of SaxonyThe Holy Roman Empire came to an end in 1806. The Elector of Saxony, allied to Napoleon I, anticipated its dissolution by becoming the ruler of an independent Kingdom of Saxony in 1806.
Heads of the House of Wettin (since 1918)Saxony became a republic with the demise of the German Empire in 1918. For later rulers, see List of Ministers-President of Saxony.
External linkses:Lista de soberanos de Sajonia fr:Liste des souverains de Saxe nl:Lijst van heersers van Saksen ja:ザクセン君主一覧 pl:Władcy Saksonii sv:Sachsens regenter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
