This article lists the margraves of

Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''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 Albrecht ...

, a march and territorial state on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire.

History

King

Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler (german: Heinrich der Vogler or '; la, Henricus Auceps) (c. 876 – 2 July 936) was the Duke of Saxony from 912 and the King of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non-Frankish king of East Francia, he ...

, on his 928-29 campaign against the Slavic Glomacze tribes, had a fortress erected on a hill at

(''Mišno'') on the Elbe river. Later named '' Albrechtsburg'', the castle about 965 became the seat of the Meissen margraves, installed by Emperor Otto I when the vast '' Marca Geronis'' ( Gero's march) was partitioned into five new margraviates, including Meissen, the Saxon Eastern March, and also the

Northern March The Northern March or North March (german: Nordmark) was created out of the division of the vast ''Marca Geronis'' in 965. It initially comprised the northern third of the ''Marca'' (roughly corresponding to the modern state of Brandenburg) and ...

which eventually became the Margraviate of Brandenburg. During the tenth century, the Meissen margraves temporarily extended their territory into the Milceni lands up to the Kwisa (''Queis'') river and the border with the Silesian region of the Early Polish state. The eastern lands around Bautzen (''Budissin''), later known as Upper Lusatia, were ceded to the Polish duke

Bolesław I the Brave Bolesław I the Brave ; cs, Boleslav Chrabrý; la, Boleslaus I rex Poloniae (17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025, and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was also Duke of Bohemia betw ...

according to the 1018 Peace of Bautzen; in 1076 they passed to the Duke of Bohemia as an Imperial fief. From 1089, the Meissen margravial title became the honor of the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

House of Wettin and remained as the dynasty's possession ever since. In the 13th century the Meissen margraves acquired the former

Pleissnerland Pleissnerland, Pleissenland or the Imperial Territory of Pleissenland (german: Reichsterritorium Pleißenland; la, Terra Plisensis) was a '' Reichsgut'' of the Holy Roman Empire, which meant that it was directly possessed by the respective elected ...

territory and upon the War of the Thuringen Succession 1247–1264 also the adjacent Landgraviate of Thuringia in the west. Finally in 1423 Margrave

Frederick the Warlike Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederi ...

was enfeoffed with the Saxe–Wittenberg lands down the Elbe (' Upper Saxony'), an electorate according to the Golden Bull of 1356. While the Wettin rulers eventually moved their residence to Dresden, the Meissen margraviate merged into their electorate and became known as the 'Cradle of Saxony'.

List

As a title in pretense

After the abolition of all German monarchies in 1918 and the death of Friedrich August III, the last king of Saxony, in 1932, further heads of the house and pretenders to the throne have used the title Margrave of Meissen. * Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen * Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen * Albert, Margrave of Meissen, disputed with Alexander * Alexander, Margrave of Meissen, disputed with Albert and Ruediger * Ruediger, Margrave of Meissen, disputed with Alexander * Daniel, Margrave of Meissen, disputed with Alexander

References

External links

Margraves of Meissen and Ostmark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margraves Of Meissen Lists of monarchs

Saxon monarchs

History

List

As a title in pretense

See also

References

External links