Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/677

SAXONY. 609 SAXONY. keep only Bninswiek and Liineluirf;. Aiilialt and Wittenberg also Ijelonged to Bcniliard. and when his two grandsoiis, John 11. and Alliert, diviiled their po.ssessions in l'J(!(), they created two small duchies of SaxeLauenhurg and Sa.xeWittenherg. The capital of the latter, Wittenberg, was en- tirely outside of the old duchy. Both duchies claimed the electoral privilege, including the oflice of grand marshal; but in 13.i(i the (ioldcn Bull conlirmed the claims of Wittenlierg. 'I'lie Ascanian line became extinct in 1422 with .Mbert III. In 1423 the Knip<'ror Sigismund conferred the Ducliy of Saxe-Wittenberg, together with the electoral dignity, on Frederick the Warlike, Mar- grave of Meissen, of the House of Wettin, in con- sideration of aid received in wars waged against the Hussites, The name of Saxony was graduall.v extended to the Slark of ileissen and the other old possessions of the House of Wettin, and thus came to denote a very ditl'erent region from the old Saxon Duchy, Frederick the Warlike was descended from Henry of Eilenlnirg, who had received the Mark of Jleissen in 10S!I. In 1123 Meissen jiassed to Conrad of Wettin. He divided the lands among his sons, and their descendants followed the same policy. Under Margrave Otho the Rich (1156- 90) the Leipzig fairs were established. One of his descendants. Henry the Illustrious (1221-88), inherited Thuringia. In the fourteenth century the Pleissnerland ( incluiling Altenburg, Zwickau, and Chenuiitz) became a possession of Meissen. In 1381 Frederick the Warlike became Margrave, His successor was his son, Frederick II., the Gen- tle (142S-G4), who gained some territory, but in 1445 began a destructive civil war between Fred- erick and his brother William for the possession of Thuringia. It was ended in 1451. Frederick II. was succeeded by his two sbns, Ernst (14(i4-86) and Albert (1464-1.500), who, in accordance with the will of their father, reigned conjointly over the hereditary domains of the family; but in 1485 the territories were di- vided, most of Thuringia, the Electoral Duchy of Saxony, and other territories, with the electoral dignity, going to the Ernestine or elder line, ■which still rules in the Saxon duchies, and Meis- sen and other territories (incluiling the city of Leipzig) to the Albertine line, which survives in the Kingdom of Saxony. Wittenberg was the capital of the electoral line, while Dresden be- came the capital of the Albertine or ducal line. Ernst was succeeded by his son, Frederick the Wise (1486-1.525), the friend and pro- tector of Martin Luther, and one of the most influential of the German princes. His brother and successor, John the Constant (1525-32), was still more a partisan of the reformed doctrines, as was also .John's son and successor, .John Fred- erick the Magnanimous (1532-47). The latter and Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, were at the head of the League of Schmalkald in the disastrous war waged against the Emperor Charles V. (1546-47). Through the defeat at iliihllierg (q.v. ) John Frederick lost his electoral dignity and the bulk of his dominions, which were trans- ferred to the Albertine line. The Thuringian ter- ritories alone were left to the Ernestine princes. See Saxe- Weimar, Saxe-Eisenach, Sajie-Coburg- GoTHA, etc. Albert, the founder of the younger, ducal, or Albertine line, was succeeded by his sons, George the Bearded (1500-39) and Henry the Pious (1539-41), a zealous Protestant, after whom came the celebrated Maurice (1541-53), who, though a Protestant, gave his aid to the Enii)eror against the League of SchmalkaM, and was re- warded with the electoral title ami the greater portion of the estates of his vanciuislied cousin. He afterwards turned agairtst the EinpiTor and secured the triumph of Lutheranism in Germany. Maurice's brother Augustus (1553-86) estab- lislied numerous excellent institutions and con- sideral)ly increased his territories by purciuise and otherwise. Cluistian 1. (158l!-!)l), a weak prince, surrendered the reins of government to his chancellor, Crell, who was sacriliceil, in the suc- ceeding reign of Christian 11. ( 15II1-16I1 ) . to the vengeance of the otTended nobility. .John (ieorgo I. ( 1611-56) fought on the side of Austria at the beginning of the Thirty Years' War (q.v.), was afterwards forced into a half-heartecl alliance with Gustavus Adolphus (1631), and in 1635 con- cluded a se|)arate peace with Austria by which he obtained Upper and Lower Lusatia. From the time of the Thirty Years' War Sax- ony ceased to be the leading Pnilestant Slate in Germany, its power being overshadowi'd by that of Brandenburg, John George's sons, .Tohn George II. (1656-80), Augustus, Christian, and Maurice, divided the paternal estates, the three latter founding cadet lines, all of which became extinct before 1750. The reigns of John George III. (1680-91) and John (ieorge IV. (1691-!I4) are unimportant. That of Frederick Augustus I., known as Augustus the Strong (1694-1733), well-nigh ruined the hitherto prosperous electo- rate. (See AuGUSTfS 1.) Frederick Augustus was chosen King of Poland in 1697, embracing Catholicism, which remained the religion of his successors. His attempt with Peter the Great and the King of Denmark to disnu'mber Sweden brought down upon him and his two States the vengeance of Charles XII. (q.v.). Poland was devastated and Saxony exhausted of nuniey and troops. The King's habits were most extravagant, and to maintain his lavish magnificence he sold important portions of territ(U-v. Frederick .u- gustus II. (1733-03) contended with Stanislas Lcszczynski (q.v.) for the Polish throne, being recognized as King in 1735. He ])lungcd Saxony into the War of the Austrian Succession (see Si:c- CES.SIOX Wab.s) and into the Seven Y'cars' War (q.v. ) , and a long time elapsed l)efore it recovered prosperity. ( See ArcrsTr.s II. : Bruhl.) Fred- erick Augustus( 1763-1827) joined Prussia against Napoleon in 1806, his army participating in the disastrous liattle of .Jena. The pressure of the French com])elled him to join the Confederation of the Khine in 1806; at the same time he as- sumed the kingly title as Frederick .Augustus I. (q.v.). He became the ally of Xapolcon. who, after the Peace of Tilsit in 1807. conferreil upon him the newly created Duchy of Warsaw (see Poland) ; and the Sa.xon troops fought at Va- gram, in Russia, and at Leipzig. After the over- throw of Xapolcon at Leipzig (October, 1813) he was for a time a prisoner in the hands of t.'ie allies, and the Congress of Vienna (181415) de- prived him of more than half of Saxony, which was handed over to Prussia, although he was al- lowed to retain the title of King. He did much for the internal welfare of his countr,v. Anthony (1827-36) reformed the entire legis-