Treaty of Leipzig
Encyclopedia
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.
In 1423 Ernest's and Albert's grandfather, Margrave Frederick IV of Meissen
had acquired the Saxon Electorate
from Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg
. The Electorate - former Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg
- together with the incorporated Margraviate of Meissen and Landgraviate of Thuringia
formed the united Wettin lands until the 1485 Leipzig partition. Based on the terms of the treaty, the lands were divided into two realms whereby Ernest acquired most of the western Thuringian regions and the former Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg
including the electoral dignity
, while Duke Albert obtained the eastern territory of the former Margraviate of Meissen.
Elector Ernest established the town of Wittenberg
as the capital of Ernestine Saxony
and proclaimed himself Landgrave of Thuringia. Duke Albert established Meissen
as the centre of Albertine Saxony and deemed himself Margrave of Meissen.
In the course of the Protestant Reformation
the Ernestine and Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty found themselves on different sides of the 1546/47 Schmalkaldic War
. The Albertine Duke Maurice of Saxony
as an ally of victorious Emperor Charles V of Habsburg
was able to gain the Wittenberg territory and the electoral dignity, after his defeated Ernestine cousin Elector John Frederick I had to sign the Capitulation of Wittenberg
. From that time on the Albertine line in the former Meissen Margraviate ruled the Electorate and later Kingdom of Saxony
. The descendants of John Frederick I retained the Thuringian territory which split into numerous Ernestine duchies
.
When after World War I the House of Wettin was deposed, the Albertine Saxon Kingdom was succeeded by the Free State of Saxony
, while the former Ernestine duchies formed the Free State of Thuringia
.
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 his younger brother Albert III, sons of Elector Frederick II of Saxony
Frederick II, Elector of Saxony
Frederick II was Elector of Saxony and was Landgrave of Thuringia .-Biography:...
from the House of Wettin.
In 1423 Ernest's and Albert's grandfather, Margrave Frederick IV of Meissen
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...
had acquired the Saxon Electorate
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...
from Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
. The Electorate - former Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg
Saxe-Wittenberg
The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg was a medieval duchy of the Holy Roman Empire centered at Wittenberg, which emerged after the dissolution of the stem duchy of Saxony. As the precursor of the Saxon Electorate, the Ascanian Wittenberg dukes prevailed in obtaining the Saxon electoral dignity.-Ascanian...
- together with the incorporated Margraviate of Meissen and 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....
formed the united Wettin lands until the 1485 Leipzig partition. Based on the terms of the treaty, the lands were divided into two realms whereby Ernest acquired most of the western Thuringian regions and the former Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg
Saxe-Wittenberg
The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg was a medieval duchy of the Holy Roman Empire centered at Wittenberg, which emerged after the dissolution of the stem duchy of Saxony. As the precursor of the Saxon Electorate, the Ascanian Wittenberg dukes prevailed in obtaining the Saxon electoral dignity.-Ascanian...
including the electoral dignity
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
, while Duke Albert obtained the eastern territory of the former Margraviate of Meissen.
Elector Ernest established the town of 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....
as the capital of Ernestine Saxony
Ernestine duchies
The Ernestine duchies, also called the Saxon duchies , were a changing number of small states largely located in the present German state of Thuringia, governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin.-Overview:The...
and proclaimed himself Landgrave of Thuringia. Duke Albert established Meissen
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...
as the centre of Albertine Saxony and deemed himself Margrave of Meissen.
In the course of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
the Ernestine and Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty found themselves on different sides of the 1546/47 Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
. The Albertine Duke Maurice of Saxony
Maurice, Elector of Saxony
Maurice was Duke and later Elector of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignity....
as an ally of victorious Emperor Charles V of Habsburg
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
was able to gain the Wittenberg territory and the electoral dignity, after his defeated Ernestine cousin Elector John Frederick I had to sign the Capitulation of Wittenberg
Capitulation of Wittenberg
The Capitulation of Wittenberg was a treaty in 1547 by which John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, was compelled to resign the electoral dignity. The Electorate of Saxony and most of his territory, including Wittenberg, passed from the elder, Ernestine line to the cadet branch, the Albertine line...
. From that time on the Albertine line in the former Meissen Margraviate ruled the Electorate and later Kingdom of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
. The descendants of John Frederick I retained the Thuringian territory which split into numerous Ernestine duchies
Ernestine duchies
The Ernestine duchies, also called the Saxon duchies , were a changing number of small states largely located in the present German state of Thuringia, governed by dukes of the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin.-Overview:The...
.
When after World War I the House of Wettin was deposed, the Albertine Saxon Kingdom was succeeded by the Free State of 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....
, while the former Ernestine duchies formed the Free State 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....
.