Maps Population Regents
   

 












 

Örjan Martinsson

Regents of Saxony

Saxony was originally a tribal duchy in north western Germany. When its duke Heinrich the Lion lost all of his fiefs 1180 Saxony was considerably reduced in size and given to the House of Askanien, it was later partitioned between two branches of that house into Sachsen-Lauenburg and Sachsen-Wittenberg. The latter was also an electorate, which meant that its duke had the right to participate in the election of Germany’s kings. Sachsen-Wittenberg was 1423 given to Friedrich the Warlike of the house of Wettin and who also was margrave of Meissen. All lands belonging to the house of Wettin would thereafter be called Saxony, and when the landgraviate of Thuringia had been added 1440 had a new large and significant Saxon state had been created outside the area of the original Saxon tribal duchy.

843-864
864-880
880-912
912-936
Saxon Dynasty

Liudolf
Bruno
Otto I
Heinrich I der Vogler (the Fowler)


936-961 Otto II der Grosse (the Great)
961-973
973-1011
1011-1059
1059-1072
1072-1106
1106-1127

Billung Dynasty

Hermann
Bernhard I
Bernhard II
Ordulf
Magnus
Lothar (house of Supplinburg)


Houses of Askanien and Welf

 
1127-1138 Heinrich der Stoltze (the Proud)
1138-1142 Albrecht der Bär (the Bear)
1142-1180 Heinrich der Löwe (the Lion)
1180-1212 Bernhard III    
1212-1260 Albrecht I
Saxony is 1260 partitioned between Sachsen-Wittenberg and
Sachsen-Lauenburg. The latter is recorded on a separate page
.
1260-1298
1298-1356
1356-1370
1370-1388
1388-1419
1419-1422
Albrecht II
Rudolf I
Rudolf II
Wenzel
Rudolf III
Albrecht III
1423-1428
1428-1464

House of Wettin

Friedrich I der Streitbare (the Warlike)
Friedrich II der Sanftmütige (the Mild)

1428-1445 Wilhelm III
1464-1485 Ernst
1464-1485 Albrecht der Beherzte (the Brave)

Ernestine Line of the House of Wettin (
)
 
1485-1486
1486-1525
1525-1532
1532-1547
1542-1553
1554-1566
1554-1572
1572
Ernst (elector since 1464)
Friedrich III der Weise (the Wise)
Johann der Beständige (the Steady)
Johann Friedrich der Grossmütige (the Magnanimous)
Johann Ernst
Johann Friedrich II der Mittlere (the Intermediate)
Johann Wilhelm
Partitioned into S-Coburg-Eisenach and S-Weimar

Saxony was partitioned 1485 between the brothers Ernst and Albrecht who had been co-regents since 1464. The two new states were first called the Electorate of Saxony (Ernst) and the duchy of Saxony (Albrecht). But the Ernestine line lost the elector title and large parts of its territory to the Albertine line 1547. After that the Ernestine lands were fragmented into numerous small and insignificant duchies through partitions between the different branches of the Ernestine Line. These duchies are recorded on a separate page.

Albertine Line of the House of Wettin
(electors from 1547)
 
1485-1500 Albrecht (duke since 1464)
1500-1539 Georg der Bärtige (the Bearded)
1539-1541 Heinrich der Fromme (the  Pious) = 1500-1515
1541-1553
1553-1586
1586-1591
1591-1611
1611-1656
1656-1680
1680-1691
1691-1694
1694-1733
1733-1763
1763
1763-1806
Moritz
August
Christian I
Christian II
Johann Georg I (called Beer-George by Swedes)
Johann Georg II
Johann Georg III
Johann Georg IV
Friedrich August I der Starke (the Strong) -
Friedrich August II
Friedrich Christian
Friedrich August III der Gerechte (the Just)
-

Kingdom of Saxony
 
1806-1827 Friedrich August I (elector 1763-1806)
1827-1836
1836-1854
1854-1873
1873-1902
1902-1904
1904-1918
 

Anton
Friedrich August II
Johann
Albert
Georg
Friedrich August III

1918-1952
1952-1990
1990-
Republic (German part state)
Divided in three East German districts
German part state

Collateral Branches to the Albertine line

When Johan Georg I died 1656 the Albertine part of Saxony was partitioned between his four sons. When these branches died out their lands were reunited with those ruled by the elector.

Sachsen-Merseburg
 
Sachsen-Weissenfels Sachsen-Zeitz

1656-1691
1691-1694
1694
1694-1731
1731-1738

Christian I
Christian II
Christian Moritz
Moritz Wilhelm
Heinrich
 

1656-1680
1680-1697
1697-1712
1712-1736
1736-1746

August
Johann Adolf I
Johann Georg
Christian
Johann Adolf II

1656-1681
1681-1718

Moritz
Moritz Wilhelm
= Germany
= Frisia
= Brunswick
= Askanien
= Thuringia
 
= Brandenburg
= Bavaria
 
= Poland
= Lithuania