All Topics  
Duchy of Saxony

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Duchy of Saxony
 
 
  Topics Duchy of Saxony Topic Home

The mediæval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages is a period in the history of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 to 1000....
 "Carolingian stem duchy
Stem duchy

Stem duchies were associated with the Frankish Kingdom, especially the Eastern Francia, in the Early Middle Ages. In contrast to later duchies, these entities were not defined by strict administrative boundaries but by the area of settlement of major Germanic tribes....
" covering the greater part of Northern Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. It covered the area of the modern German states of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies in northern Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. In rural areas Low German is still spoken, but the number of speakers is declining....
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
, and Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen States of Germany that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million ....
 and most of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein is the Northern Germany of the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. Its capital city is Kiel, other notable cities are L?beck and Flensburg....
. Duke Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion

Henry the Lion was a member of the Guelph dynasty and Rulers of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and List of rulers of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
 occupied the area of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The Saxon people
Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic peoples. Their modern-day descendants in Saxony are considered ethnic Germans; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch people; those in north eastern Belgium are considered to be ethnic Flemish people; and those in southern England ethnic English people ....
 were one of the most robust groups in the late tribal culture of the times, and eventually bequeathed their tribe's name to a variety of more and more modern geo-political territories from Old Saxony
Old Saxony

Old Saxony is the original homeland of the Saxons and the place from which their raids and later colonisations of Britannia were mounted. The region is in the northwest corner of modern Germany and abuts the peninsula of Jutland, which is believed to be the homeland of the related Germanic tribes known now as the Angles and Jutes....
 near the mouth of the Elbe River, up the Elbe
Elbe

The River Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It originates in the Krkonose Mountains of northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Germany and flowing into the North Sea....
 successively to eventually, the 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 Germany....
 and the three Germany free states
Länder

----L?nder refers to one or any of:* Colloquially used for States of Austria, the technically correct German language name for the federal states of Austria is Bundesl?nder, which is hardly used in Austria....
 which bear the name today (see map at left).
first references to the Saxons were in Roman times.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Duchy of Saxony'
Start a new discussion about 'Duchy of Saxony'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The mediæval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages is a period in the history of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 to 1000....
 "Carolingian stem duchy
Stem duchy

Stem duchies were associated with the Frankish Kingdom, especially the Eastern Francia, in the Early Middle Ages. In contrast to later duchies, these entities were not defined by strict administrative boundaries but by the area of settlement of major Germanic tribes....
" covering the greater part of Northern Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. It covered the area of the modern German states of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies in northern Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. In rural areas Low German is still spoken, but the number of speakers is declining....
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
, and Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen States of Germany that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million ....
 and most of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein is the Northern Germany of the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. Its capital city is Kiel, other notable cities are L?beck and Flensburg....
. Duke Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion

Henry the Lion was a member of the Guelph dynasty and Rulers of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and List of rulers of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
 occupied the area of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The Saxon people
Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic peoples. Their modern-day descendants in Saxony are considered ethnic Germans; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch people; those in north eastern Belgium are considered to be ethnic Flemish people; and those in southern England ethnic English people ....
 were one of the most robust groups in the late tribal culture of the times, and eventually bequeathed their tribe's name to a variety of more and more modern geo-political territories from Old Saxony
Old Saxony

Old Saxony is the original homeland of the Saxons and the place from which their raids and later colonisations of Britannia were mounted. The region is in the northwest corner of modern Germany and abuts the peninsula of Jutland, which is believed to be the homeland of the related Germanic tribes known now as the Angles and Jutes....
 near the mouth of the Elbe River, up the Elbe
Elbe

The River Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It originates in the Krkonose Mountains of northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Germany and flowing into the North Sea....
 successively to eventually, the 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 Germany....
 and the three Germany free states
Länder

----L?nder refers to one or any of:* Colloquially used for States of Austria, the technically correct German language name for the federal states of Austria is Bundesl?nder, which is hardly used in Austria....
 which bear the name today (see map at left).

History


Roman times

The first references to the Saxons were in Roman times. About 200–400, the Saxons, until then living north of the Elbe
Elbe

The River Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It originates in the Krkonose Mountains of northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Germany and flowing into the North Sea....
 river in Holstein
Holstein

Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider River. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany.Holstein once existed as the County of Holstein , the later Duchy of Holstein , and was the northernmost territory of the Holy Roman Empire....
, gradually expanded and also occupied the area south of the river, the future Westphalia
Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Bielefeld, Bochum, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, M?nster, and Osnabr?ck and included in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony....
 and Eastfalia. This was a likely result of internecine tribal warfare coupled with defeats inflicted by Roman arms on the tribes hitherto that were stronger and located in the area. In the 5th century, The Saxons, together with the neighboring tribes of the Angles
Angles

The Angles is a modern English language word for a Germanic languages people who took their name from the cultural ancestral region of Angeln, a modern district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
 and Jutes
Jutes

The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutae were a Germanic people who, according to Bede, were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of the time....
 (both from territories on Jutland
Jutland

File:Jutland peninsula 2.pngJutland , historically also called Cimbria, is a peninsula in Europe. Jutland forms the mainland part of Denmark as well as the northernmost part of Germany....
), invade and conquer much of the island of Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
 in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages is a period in the history of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 to 1000....
 after the Roman Empire withdrew from the isle. By the Early 6th century, The Saxons also expanded and settle territories on the banks of the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
, and possibly subsumed the Angles tribe north of Old Saxony.

Early Middle Ages

In 531, The Saxons and Franks
Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
 allied and destroy the neighboring Kingdom of Thuringia
Thuringii

The Thuringii or Toringi were a Germanic people which appeared late during the V?lkerwanderung in the Harz Mountains of central Germania around 280, in a region which still bears their name to this day — Thuringia....
. Saxons inhabit the Thuringia
Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. 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 of Germany ....
 area down to the Unstrut
Unstrut

The Unstrut is a river in Germany, left tributary of the Saale. It originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelst?dt . In its lower reaches, it flows through Saxony-Anhalt and empties into the Saale near Naumburg....
 river, thereby expanding both southerly and eastwards, an event which eventually bequeathed their names in the many German principalities containing the derivative "Saxe
Saxe

Saxe may refer to* Adrian Saxe , an American ceramist* Maurice de Saxe , military figure, Marshal General of France* Edward Saxe , War Intelligence, CBS Executive, MOMA director, New York Harvard Club President...
" within their names.

The 7th century brought the beginning of the Stem Duchy with the election of the first dukes, but their office had force only in wartime.

Carolingian subjugation
  • 718: The Frankish Charles Martel
    Charles Martel

    Charles "The Hammer" Martel was proclaimed Mayor of the Palace and ruled the Franks in the name of a Titular ruler. Late in his reign he proclaimed himself Duke of the Franks and by any name was de facto ruler of the Frankish Realms....
     — Mayor of the Palace or de facto king — makes war against Saxony, because of its help for the Neustria
    Neustria

    The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities....
    ns.
  • 743: Carloman, son of Charles Martel
    Carloman, son of Charles Martel

    Carloman was the eldest son of Charles Martel, major domo or mayor of the palace and duke of the Franks, and his wife Chrotrud. On Charles' death , Carloman and his brother Pippin the Short succeeded to their father's legal positions, Carloman in Austrasia, and Pippin in Neustria....
    , starts a new war against Saxony, because the Saxons gave aid to Duke Odilo of Bavaria
    Odilo of Bavaria

    Odilo , a son of Gotfrid of the house of Agilolfing, ruled Bavaria from 736 until his death in 748, succeeding Duke Hugbert of Bavaria. Odilo presided over the establishment of bishoprics in Bavaria in 739, when the dioceses of diocese of Regensburg, diocese of Freising, diocese of Passau, and diocese of Salzburg were established by St....
    .
  • 772–804: Saxon Wars
    Saxon Wars

    The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the more than thirty years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Duchy of Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected Germanic peoples was crushed....
     waged by Emperor Charlemagne
    Charlemagne

    Charlemagne was List of Frankish kings from 768 to his death. He expanded the Franks kingdoms into a Carolingian Empire that incorporated much of Western Europe and Central Europe....
    , grandson of Charles Martel
    Charles Martel

    Charles "The Hammer" Martel was proclaimed Mayor of the Palace and ruled the Franks in the name of a Titular ruler. Late in his reign he proclaimed himself Duke of the Franks and by any name was de facto ruler of the Frankish Realms....
    , against the Saxons:
    • 772: Charlemagne occupies the Eresburg castle near Paderborn
      Paderborn

      Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn . The name of the city derives from the river Pader River, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St....
      , the central Saxon stronghold, and destroys the Irminsul
      Irminsul

      An Irminsul was a kind of pillar which is attested as playing an important role in the Germanic paganism of the Saxon people. The oldest chronicle describing an Irminsul refers to it as a tree trunk erected in the open air....
      , the main Saxon place of worship to their traditional Northern deities.
    • 773: Charlemagne goes to Italy. The Saxons take advantage of his absence and reoccupy the Eresburg.
    • 774/775: Charlemagne again marches against Saxony. The Franks reoccupy the Eresburg castle, and the Sigiburg castle as well. At Höxter
      Höxter

      H?xter is the seat of the H?xter district, and a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weserbergland....
       the Franks cross the Weser river and ravage the Eastphalia
      Eastphalia

      Eastphalia is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern part of the historic Duchy of Saxony, roughly demarcated by the rivers of Leine and Saale....
      n part of the Duchy.
    • 776: Charles again in Italy. The Saxons reoccupy Eresburg and Sigiburg.
    • 777: Charlemagne establishes the Karlsburg of Paderborn. He calls for the Heerschau. Some Saxons come and convert to the Christian religion.
    • 779: The Saxon Duke Widukind
      Widukind

      Widukind was a Saxons leader and the chief opponent of Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars. In later times, he became a symbol of Saxon independence and a figure of legend, and was stylized as a prototypical Germanic peoples hero....
       of the House of the Bruons leads a new uprising and begins a war of attrition against the Franks. Charlemagne's army marches north to the Elbe
      Elbe

      The River Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It originates in the Krkonose Mountains of northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Germany and flowing into the North Sea....
       river.
    • 782: Charlemagne conducts his Blutgericht ("bloody trial") at Verden
      Verden, Germany

      Verden , or Verden , is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the River Aller. It is the administrative centre of the district of Verden . Verden is famous for the alleged massacre of Saxons in 782, committed on the orders of Charlemagne , for its cathedral, and for its horse breeding....
       on the Aller
      Aller

      The Aller is a river in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Weser river and 263 km in length.The river's source is located near Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt....
       river, ordering more than 4,500 Saxon prisoners killed. Charlemagne becomes known as "Charles the Butcher" in Saxony.
    • 783: Battles near Detmold
      Detmold

      Detmold is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947....
       and at the Hasel
      Hasel

      Hasel is a town in the district of L?rrach in Baden-W?rttemberg in Germany.It has been said that this is the location of The Dwarves' Cavern which was supposedly once home to many dwarves. This legend gives the cavern its name....
       river. The Saxons lose both. Duke Widukind retreats to the castle Widukindsburg near Osnabrück
      Osnabrück

      Osnabr?ck is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of M?nster, and some 100 km due west of Hannover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehengebirge and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest....
      .
    • 784: Battle in the Dreingau
    • 785: The Franks capture Widukind. He is christened.
    • 792–795: The Saxons again rise against the Franks.
    • 796–799: Charlemagne orders a new campaign against the Saxons.
    • 804: The last resistance of the Saxons is broken by the Franks.


Replacement of the stem duchy
  • 804: The Duchy of Saxony, consisting of Engern, Westphalia, Eastphalia and Northalbingia (today Schleswig-Holstein
    Schleswig-Holstein

    Schleswig-Holstein is the Northern Germany of the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. Its capital city is Kiel, other notable cities are L?beck and Flensburg....
    ) becomes part of the Franconian Empire.
  • 852: Liudolf, Duke of Saxony
    Liudolf, Duke of Saxony

    Liudolf was a Duchy of Saxony count; later authors called him duke of the Eastern Saxons. He was also named as count of Eastphalia. Liudolf had possessions in eastern Saxony, and was involved in wars against Normans and Slavic peopless....
    , descendant of Widukind and first of the Ottonian
    Ottonian

    The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of List of German Kings and Emperors , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin....
     dynasty, founds Gandersheim Abbey
    Gandersheim Abbey

    Gandersheim Abbey is a former house of secular canonesses in the present Bad Gandersheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was founded in 852 by Liudolf, Duke of Saxony, founder of the dynasty of the Liudolfings....
    .
  • 880: Bruno, son of Liudolf
    Bruno, Duke of Saxony

    Bruno, Brun, or Braun was the Duke of Saxony from 866 to his death. He was the elder son of Liudolf, Duke of Saxony, progenitor of the Liudolfing and described as dux orientalis Saxonum, duke of East Saxony....
    , is killed in a battle with Viking
    Viking

    A Viking is one of the Norsemen explorers, warriors, merchants, and Piracy who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century....
    s. His younger brother Otto
    Otto I, Duke of Saxony

    Otto or Oddo , called the Illustrious by later authors, was the Duke of Saxony from 880 to his death. He was the younger son of Liudolf, Duke of Saxony, and his wife Oda, and succeeded his brother Bruno, Duke of Saxony as duke after the latter's death in battle in 880....
     becomes Duke of Saxony.
  • 912: Henry, son of Otto, succeeds him as Duke.
  • 919: Henry of Saxony is elected King of the Germans by the assembled Saxon and Frankish princes in Fritzlar
    Fritzlar

    Fritzlar is a small Germany town in the Schwalm-Eder-Kreis district in northern Hesse, 160 km north of Frankfurt, with a storied history....
    .
  • 936: Henry's son, Otto I the Great, succeeds him and is crowned in Aachen
    Aachen

    is a historic spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the westernmost city of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km west of Cologne....
     as King of the Germans.
  • 938: Hermann Billung becomes margrave
    Margrave

    Margrave is the English language and French language form of the German language title Markgraf and certain equivalent nobiliary titles in other languages....
     ("Markgraf") of Saxony.
  • 953: Otto I elevates Hermann Billung to viceduke of Saxony.
  • 973: Otto I dies in Memleben; Otto II
    Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor

    Otto II , called the Red, was the third ruler of the Saxony or Ottonian dynasty, the son of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor and Adelaide of Italy....
     becomes Emperor. Hermann Billung dies in Quedlinburg
    Quedlinburg

    Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval old town was set on the UNESCO World Heritage Site....
    ; Bernhard I Billung
    Bernard I, Duke of Saxony

    Bernard I was the duke of Saxony , the second of the Billung dynasty, a son of Herman, Duke of Saxony and Oda. He extended his father's power considerably....
     becomes duke of Saxony.
  • 983: Danish uprising in Hedeby
    Hedeby

    Hedeby , mentioned by Alfred the Great as aet Haethe , in German language Haddeby and Haithabu, a modern spelling of the runic Hei?ab? was an important trading settlement in the Denmark-northern Germany borderland during the Viking Age....
    . Slavonian
    Slavic peoples

    The Slavic Peoples are a linguistic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in eastern Europe. From the early 6th century they spread from their original homeland to inhabit most of eastern Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Balkans....
     uprising in Northalbingia. Otto III
    Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor

    Otto III was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. He was elected king of Germany in 983 on the death of his father Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor....
     becomes Emperor.
  • 1002: The death of Otto III marks the end of the Saxon emperors.


High Middle Ages

  • 1011: Duke Bernhard I Billung
    Bernard I, Duke of Saxony

    Bernard I was the duke of Saxony , the second of the Billung dynasty, a son of Herman, Duke of Saxony and Oda. He extended his father's power considerably....
     dies; his son Bernhard II
    Bernard II, Duke of Saxony

    Bernard II was the Duke of Saxony , the third of the Billung dynasty, a son of Bernard I, Duke of Saxony and Hildegard. He had the rights of a count in Frisia....
     becomes duke.
  • 1042: Ordulf Billung
    Ordulf, Duke of Saxony

    Ordulf was the duke of Saxony from 1059, when he succeeded his father Bernard II, Duke of Saxony, until his death. He was a member of the Billung family....
    , son of Bernhard II, marries Wulfhild, the half-sister of King Magnus
    Magnus I of Norway

    Magnus I was the King of Norway from 1035 to 1047 and the King of Denmark from 1042 to 1047. He was the illegitimate son of King Olaf II of Norway, also known as Saint Olaf, by his concubine Alvhild....
     of Denmark
    Denmark

    Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
     and Norway
    Norway

    Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
    . Danes and Saxons fight against the Wends
    Wends

    The term Wends or Wendish is used in Germanic languages for Slavs living near or within Germanic peoples settlement areas after the migration period....
    .
  • 1059: Ordulf Billung becomes Duke after the death of his father.
  • 1072: Magnus Billung
    Magnus, Duke of Saxony

    Magnus was the duke of Saxony from 1072 to 1106. Eldest son and successor of Ordulf, Duke of Saxony and Wulfhild of Norway, he was the last member of the Billung....
     becomes Duke.
  • 1106: Duke Magnus dies without heir, ending the Billung dynasty. The Billung territory becomes part of the Welf
    Welf

    The House of Welf is a European dynasty that has included many Germany and United Kingdom monarchs from the 11th to 20th century.The House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este, a dynasty whose oldest known members lived in Lombardy in the 9th century....
     and Ascanian
    Ascanian

    The House of Ascania was a dynasty of German rulers. It was also known as the House of Anhalt, after Anhalt, its longest possession.The Ascanians are named after Ascania Castle, which is located near and named after Aschersleben....
     countries. Lothar of Supplinburg becomes Duke of Saxony.
  • 1112: Otto of Ballenstedt created Duke by Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
    Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor

    Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Empire , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor....
    .
  • 1115: Victory of Lothar of Supplinburg in the battle of Welfesholz over King Henry V.
  • 1125: Lothar of Supplinburg elected as German King and crowned Emperor, as Lothar II.
  • 1137 Death of Lothar. The Welf
    Welf

    The House of Welf is a European dynasty that has included many Germany and United Kingdom monarchs from the 11th to 20th century.The House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este, a dynasty whose oldest known members lived in Lombardy in the 9th century....
     Henry X the Proud
    Henry X, Duke of Bavaria

    Henry the Proud was the Duke of Bavaria , Rulers of Saxony , and Margrave of Tuscany .He was the son of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, and Wulfhild, daughter of Magnus, Duke of Saxony, Duke of Saxony, and thus a member of the Welf family, and, what was quite important, senior heir of the Billung family....
    , Duke of Bavaria since 1126, becomes Duke of Saxony, as Henry II.
  • 1138: Henry X tries to become king, but without success. The Ascanian Albert the Bear becomes new Duke of Saxony.
  • 1139: Death of Henry X.
  • 1141: Albert the Bear resigns.
  • 1142: Conrad III, King of the Romans and of Germany
    Conrad III of Germany

    Conrad III was the first List of German monarchs of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia, Duke of Swabia, and Agnes of Germany, a daughter of the Salian Dynasty Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor....
    , grants the ducal title to the Welf Henry the Lion
    Henry the Lion

    Henry the Lion was a member of the Guelph dynasty and Rulers of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and List of rulers of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
     (as Henry III). Henry the Lion gradually extends his rule over northeastern Germany. After gaining also the Duchy of Bavaria, Henry's realm covers more than two thirds of Germany from the Alps
    Alps

    The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
     to the North Sea
    North Sea

    The North Sea is a marginal sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean....
     and the Baltic Sea
    Baltic Sea

    The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
    , making him the mightiest ruler in central Europe.
  • 1180: Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
    Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor

    Frederick I Barbarossa was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt am Main on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1154, and finally crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155....
    , strips his cousin Henry the Lion of his duchies of Saxony and Bavaria, giving Saxony to the Ascanians who were based further east. The Welfs later became kings of Hanover
    Kingdom of Hanover

    The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October of 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III of the United Kingdom to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic wars....
    , Great Britain
    Great Britain

    Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
     and Ireland
    Ireland

    Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
     (House of Hanover
    House of Hanover

    The House of Hanover is a Germanic peoples Royal family dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-L?neburg , the Kingdom of Hanover and the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland....
    ).


See also

  • Saxony (disambiguation)
    Saxony (disambiguation)

    Saxony may refer to several Holy Roman Empire era, German Empire or later modern German states in different locations along the Elbe river:...
  • History of Saxony
    History of Saxony

    The Saxon tribeThere arose in Germany during the 3rd century and 4th century,CEthe great tribal confederations of the Alamanni; Bavarians, Thuringians, Franks, Frisians, and Saxons, which took the place of the numerous petty tribes with their popular tribal form of government....
  • Rulers of Saxony
    Rulers of 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....