Division of Altenburg
Encyclopedia
The Division of Altenburg (German: Altenburger Teilung) was the division of the Meissen
lands of Altenburg
between the two brothers Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
and Duke Wilhelm III
in 1445. The division caused hostilities between Frederick and Wilhelm. The two brothers attempted to reconcile, but eventually the division led to a war between the two brothers known as the Saxon Brother War (German: Sächsischer Bruderkrieg). The Saxon Brother War began in 1446 and lasted for five years, until the Peace of Naumburg
was negotiated in 1451. Following the peace, the subsequent Treaty of Eger in 1459, and the deaths of Frederick II and Wilhelm III, the two sons of Frederick II eventually gained control of the land of both their father and Wilhelm III.
princes gained a large amount of land over the years mainly through inheritance, including the Landgraviate of Thuringia
, the Margraviate of Meissen, the Duchy of Saxony
and the Electorate of Saxony
. Frederick I
was the Elector of Saxony and Margrave of Meissen and ruled over all of the lands except for the lands in Thuringia. Frederick I's cousin Frederick of Thuringia was Landgrave of Thuringia and ruled over those lands. Frederick I, had seven children including four sons. He ruled over his lands until his death in 1428. With his death, his four sons Frederick, William, Henry, and Sigismund took control of his land. Henry then died in 1435, and Sigismund was forced to renounce his claims and later became the Bishop of Würzburg
in 1440. This led to only two sons, Frederick and William, now ruling over their family's land. As the oldest, Frederick held the Electorate of Saxony and some land around Wittenberg
in his own right, while he controlled the remainder of the land jointly with William. This continued peacefully and without serious incident until 1440. In 1440, Frederick of Thuringia died childless and the two brothers inherited extensive land within Thuringia as well as the title of Landgrave of Thuringia.
on September 26, 1445 in Leipzig
, William rejected the division. On December 11 of the same year they attempted to reconcile in the monastery of Neuwerk in Halle (Saale) in what was known as the Hallescher Machtspruch (English: the Power Dictat of Halle). The Archbishop of Magdeburg
Frederick III of Beichlingen, the Margrave Frederick II of Brandenburg and the Landgrave Ludwig II of Hesse
actively participated as judges, however the two brothers failed to reach a peaceful resolution. This split led to a war between the two brothers in 1446 known as the Saxon Brother War, or the Sächsischer Bruderkrieg. The brothers would fight until the peace reached at Naumburg
on January 27, 1451. Later, in the Treaty of Eger, elector Frederick II, Duke Wilhelm III, and the King of Bohemia
George of Podebrady
fixed the borders between Bohemia
and Saxony
. This border is still current and is one of the oldest existing borders in Europe
.
When Frederick II died in 1464, his two sons Ernest
and Albert
inherited his land. When Duke Wilhelm III died in 1482, Ernest annexed Thuringia
and returned it to Frederick's original line. Ernest then shared many of his lands in a second division with his brother, Albert, because of the Treaty of Leipzig
on August 26, 1485. In this second division of the Wettin
lands between Ernest
and Albert
, known as the Division of Lepzig, Altenburg fell to Ernest, together with the Electorate, Grimma
, the Mutschener Pflege, Leisnig
, Thuringia and the Vogtland
. From this time on, Altenburg was historically connected with Thuringia
. Following the multiple divisions and Saxon Brother War, the Saxons
lost much of their power among the various German families and houses.
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
lands of Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
between the two brothers Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II was Elector of Saxony and was Landgrave of Thuringia .-Biography:...
and Duke Wilhelm III
William III, Duke of Luxembourg
William III of Luxembourg , called the Brave , was Landgrave of Thuringia and Duke of Luxemburg...
in 1445. The division caused hostilities between Frederick and Wilhelm. The two brothers attempted to reconcile, but eventually the division led to a war between the two brothers known as the Saxon Brother War (German: Sächsischer Bruderkrieg). The Saxon Brother War began in 1446 and lasted for five years, until the Peace of Naumburg
Naumburg
Naumburg is a town in Germany, on the Saale River. It is in the district Burgenlandkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. It is approximately southwest of Leipzig, south-southwest of Halle, and north-northeast of Jena....
was negotiated in 1451. Following the peace, the subsequent Treaty of Eger in 1459, and the deaths of Frederick II and Wilhelm III, the two sons of Frederick II eventually gained control of the land of both their father and Wilhelm III.
Family situation
The House of Wettin and its line of SaxonSaxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
princes gained a large amount of land over the years mainly through inheritance, including 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....
, the Margraviate of Meissen, the Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony
The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...
and the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
. Frederick I
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...
was the Elector of Saxony and Margrave of Meissen and ruled over all of the lands except for the lands in Thuringia. Frederick I's cousin Frederick of Thuringia was Landgrave of Thuringia and ruled over those lands. Frederick I, had seven children including four sons. He ruled over his lands until his death in 1428. With his death, his four sons Frederick, William, Henry, and Sigismund took control of his land. Henry then died in 1435, and Sigismund was forced to renounce his claims and later became the Bishop of Würzburg
Bishopric of Würzburg
The Bishopric of Würzburg was a prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg was a diocese from 743. In the 18th century, its bishop was often also Bishop of Bamberg...
in 1440. This led to only two sons, Frederick and William, now ruling over their family's land. As the oldest, Frederick held the Electorate of Saxony and some land around Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
in his own right, while he controlled the remainder of the land jointly with William. This continued peacefully and without serious incident until 1440. In 1440, Frederick of Thuringia died childless and the two brothers inherited extensive land within Thuringia as well as the title of Landgrave of Thuringia.
Division
The division of this new land in Thuringia could not be agreed upon, and on 16 July 1445 the two remaining brothers tried to partition the land between them in the Division of Altenburg. When Frederick II chose the western part and not the Margraviate of MeissenMeissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
on September 26, 1445 in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, William rejected the division. On December 11 of the same year they attempted to reconcile in the monastery of Neuwerk in Halle (Saale) in what was known as the Hallescher Machtspruch (English: the Power Dictat of Halle). The Archbishop of Magdeburg
Archbishopric of Magdeburg
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese and Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River....
Frederick III of Beichlingen, the Margrave Frederick II of Brandenburg and the Landgrave Ludwig II of Hesse
Louis II, Landgrave of Hesse
Louis II of Hesse , called Louis the Frank, was the Landgrave of Lower Hesse from 1458 - 1471....
actively participated as judges, however the two brothers failed to reach a peaceful resolution. This split led to a war between the two brothers in 1446 known as the Saxon Brother War, or the Sächsischer Bruderkrieg. The brothers would fight until the peace reached at Naumburg
Naumburg
Naumburg is a town in Germany, on the Saale River. It is in the district Burgenlandkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. It is approximately southwest of Leipzig, south-southwest of Halle, and north-northeast of Jena....
on January 27, 1451. Later, in the Treaty of Eger, elector Frederick II, Duke Wilhelm III, and the King of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
George of Podebrady
George of Podebrady
George of Kunštát and Poděbrady , also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad , was King of Bohemia...
fixed the borders between Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. This border is still current and is one of the oldest existing borders in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
When Frederick II died in 1464, his two sons Ernest
Ernest, Elector of Saxony
Ernst, Elector of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486.-Biography:Ernst was founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of George I of Great Britain, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as well as his wife and cousin Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and their...
and Albert
Albert, Duke of Saxony
Albert III was a Duke of Saxony. He was nicknamed Albert the Bold or Albert the Courageous and founded the Albertine line of the House of Wettin....
inherited his land. When Duke Wilhelm III died in 1482, Ernest annexed 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....
and returned it to Frederick's original line. Ernest then shared many of his lands in a second division with his brother, Albert, because of the Treaty of Leipzig
Treaty of Leipzig
The Treaty of Leipzig was signed on August 26, 1485 between Elector Ernest of Saxony and his younger brother Albert III, sons of Elector Frederick II of Saxony from the House of Wettin....
on August 26, 1485. In this second division of the Wettin
Wettin
Wettin is:*House of Wettin, a German Royal House*Wettin Castle, near Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, ancestral seat of the House of Wettin*Asteroid 90709 Wettin, named in the castle's and House's honour...
lands between Ernest
Ernest, Elector of Saxony
Ernst, Elector of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486.-Biography:Ernst was founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of George I of Great Britain, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as well as his wife and cousin Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and their...
and Albert
Albert, Duke of Saxony
Albert III was a Duke of Saxony. He was nicknamed Albert the Bold or Albert the Courageous and founded the Albertine line of the House of Wettin....
, known as the Division of Lepzig, Altenburg fell to Ernest, together with the Electorate, Grimma
Grimma
Grimma is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany on the left bank of the Mulde, southeast of Leipzig. Founded in c. 1170, it is part of the Leipzig district.- Location :...
, the Mutschener Pflege, Leisnig
Leisnig
Leisnig is a small town in the district of Mittelsachsen, federal Free State of Saxony in Germany.-History:A settlement in this location was first mentioned in 1046. The town features Mildenstein Castle which is over 1000 years old. The house Markt 13 shows the coat of arms of the family...
, Thuringia and the Vogtland
Vogtland
The term Vogtland refers to a region reaching across the German free states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and into the Czech Republic . The name of the region contains a reference to the former leadership by the Vögte of Weida, Gera and Plauen, which translates approximately to advocates or lord...
. From this time on, Altenburg was historically connected with 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....
. Following the multiple divisions and Saxon Brother War, the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
lost much of their power among the various German families and houses.