Saxe-Weimar
| Saxe-Weimar (1572—1809) | |
| Thuringia, showing the territory of Saxe-Weimar in the 17th Century, with Saxe-Jena, which was joined to Saxe-Weimar in 1690 |
|
| Thuringia, showing the territory of Saxe-Weimar in the 17th Century, with Saxe-Jena, which was joined to Saxe-Weimar in 1690 |
| Preceded by: Electoral Saxony |
| Succeeded by: Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
|
Saxe-Weimar (German
Sachsen-Weimar) was a Duchy in
Thuringia. The chief town and capital was
Weimar.
In the
15th century much of what is now Thuringia, including the area around Weimar, was in the hands of the
Wettin dynasty, the
Electors of
Saxony. In
1485 the Wettin lands were divided, with the lands in Thuringia going to the Ernestine branch of the family. The Ernestines also retained the title of Elector. When
John Frederick the Magnanimous was defeated and captured by
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in
1547 and deprived of the electorate, he was allowed to retain the lands in Thuringia. In
1572 the
Ernestine lands were divided by his sons into the duchies of Saxe-Weimar and
Saxe-Gotha.
For the next three centuries the lands were divided when dukes had more than one son to provide for, and re-combined when dukes died without direct heirs, but all of the lands stayed in the Ernestine branch of the Wettin family. As a result, the Duchy of Saxe-Weimer shrank and grew more than once. The duchies of Thuringia throughout this period typically consisted of several non-contiguous parcels of territory of various sizes. In 1741 Duke Ernest Augustus I of Saxe-Weimar inheritated the Duchy of
Saxe-Eisenach. Ernest Augustus II, who succeeded in 1748, died in 1758, and his young widow,
Anna Amalia, was appointed regent of the country and guardian of her infant son,
Charles Augustus. The regency of Anna Amalia and the reign of Charles Augustus formed a high point in the history of Saxe-Weimar. Both intelligent patrons of literature and art, Anna Amalia and Charles Augustus attracted to their court the leading scholars in Germany, including
Goethe,
Schiller and
Herder, and made Weimar an important cultural center.
Charles Augustus joined
Prussia in the
War of the Third Coalition against
France and after the loss to France in the
Battle of Jena, he was forced to join the
Confederation of the Rhine in 1806. In 1809 Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been united only in the person of the duke, were formally merged into the Duchy of
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Duke of Saxe-Weimar*
Johann Wilhelm (
1554-
1573)
*
Friedrich Wilhelm I (
1573-
1602) Son of Johann Wilhelm
*
Johann (
1602-
1605) Son of Johann Wilhelm
*
Johann Ernst I (
1605-
1620) Son of Johann
*
Wilhelm (
1620-
1662) Son of Johann
*
Johann Ernst II (
1662-
1683) Son of Wilhelm
*
Wilhelm Ernst (
1683-
1728) Son of Johann Ernst II
*
Johann Ernst III (
1683-
1707) Son of Johann Ernst II
*
Ernst August I (
1707-
1748) Son of Johann Ernst III
*
Ernst August II (
1748-
1758) Son of Ernst August I
*
Karl August (
1758-
1809) Son of Ernst August II
Merged with Saxe-Eisenach to form Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Ernestine duchies*
*
Saxe-Weimar, The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Columbia University Press (2001-2005) - accessed
December 22 2005*
German genealogies*
Genealogy of Dukes of Saxe-Weimar (in French)
