Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia (born: 21 December 1336 in Weißenfels

Weißenfels

Weißenfels is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in southern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately south of Halle.-History:...

; died: 18 May 1406 at the Wartburg

Wartburg

The Wartburg is a castle overlooking the town of Eisenach, Germany.Wartburg may also refer to:* Wartburgkreis, a district in Germany named after the Wartburg* Wartburg , former East German brand of automobiles, manufactured in Eisenach...

 in Eisenach

Eisenach

Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...

) was Margrave

Margrave

A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...

 of Meissen and Landgrave of Thuringia

Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....

 from the House of Wettin.

Life

Balthasar was the second son of Frederick the Serious. After his father's death in 1349, his elder brother Frederick the Austere acted as regent and guardian for Balthasar and his brothers William I

William I, Margrave of Meissen

William I, the one-eyed, was Margrave of Meissen. His surname is related to the legend that Saint Benno appeared to him because of his disputes with the Church in a dream and he had an eye gouged out.- Life :William was the son of Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen and Mathilde of Bavaria...

 and Louis. After they came of age, William and Balthasar ruled joinly with Frederick.

After Frederick's death, a conflict arose between the brothers Balthasar and William on the one hand, and their nephews, Frederick the Warlike

Frederick I, Elector of Saxony

Frederick IV of Meissen and Elector of Saxony was Margrave of Meissen and Elector of Saxony from 1381 until his death. He is not to be confused with his cousin Frederick IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, the son of Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia...

, William the rich

William II, Margrave of Meissen

Wilhelm II, the Rich was the second son of Margrave Frederick the Strict of Meissen and Catherine of Henneberg....

 and George on the other hand. This was resolved on November 1382, with the so-called Division of Chemnitz

Division of Chemnitz

The Division of Chemnitz settled the succession in the Landgraviate of Thuringia.After the death of Frederick the Severe, Margrave of Meissen and Landgrave of Thuringia, the five heirs of the House of Wettin decided to divide the country...

 in which Balthasar received the Landgraviate of Thuringia

Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....

.

Marriage and issue

Balthasar first married, in the spring of 1374, with Margaret, the daughter of Burgrave Albert of Nurembuerg (d. 1390). With her, he had as son: Frederick the Peaceable, who succeeded him as Landgrave of Thuringia.

After Margaret's death, Balthasar married Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg

Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg

Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg was a member of the House of Ascania and the wife of Duke Frederick I of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a German antiking....

 (d. 1426), the widow of Duke Frederick I of Brunswick-Lüneburg. This marriage remained childless.