Ernest (24 March 144126 August 1486), known as Ernst in German, was

Elector of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony ( or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a ...

from 1464 to 1486. Ernst was the founder and progenitor of the ''Ernestine line'' of Saxon princes.

Biography

Ernst was born in

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

, the second son (but fourth in order of birth) of the eight children of

Frederick II, Elector of Saxony Frederick II, The Gentle (''Friedrich, der Sanftmütige''; Frederick the Gentle; 22 August 1412 – 7 September 1464) was Elector of Saxony (1428–1464) and was Landgrave of Thuringia (1440–1445). Biography Frederick was born in Leipzig, th ...

and Margaret of Austria, sister of

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III (German language, German: ''Friedrich III,'' 21 September 1415 – 19 August 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death in 1493. He was the penultimate emperor to be Coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor, crowned by the p ...

. The death of his older brother Frederick (1451) made him the new heir apparent to the position of Elector of Saxony. In 1455 Ernst was briefly kidnapped, along with his brother Albert, by the knight Kunz von Kaufungen an episode famous in

German history The concept of Germany as a distinct region in Central Europe can be traced to Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as ''Germania'', thus distinguishing it from Gaul. The victory of the Cherusci, Germanic tribes ...

as the (''i.e.'' The Stealing of the Princes). In 1464, he succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony, and annexed

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

in 1482, and three years later (

Treaty of Leipzig The Treaty of Leipzig or Partition of Leipzig (German ''Leipziger Teilung'') was signed on 11 November 1485 between Elector Ernest of Saxony and his younger brother Albert III, the sons of Elector Frederick II of Saxony from the House of Wettin. ...

, 1485) shared his territory with his brother Albert, until he arranged the division of the common possession. According to the

he received an area around

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

, the southern

n part, the

Vogtland Vogtland (; ) is a region spanning the German states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and north-western Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It overlaps with and is largely contained within Euroregio Egrensis. The name alludes to the former leadershi ...

and parts of the Pleissnerland. As a residence he selected

. He provided for the welfare of the country and introduced the constitution. One year after the division, Ernest died in

Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig (district), Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Colditz Castle, the site of the Oflag IV-C prisoner-of-war camp, POW camp for officers in World War II. Geography Colditz is situa ...

, at the age of 46 years, the consequence of a fall from a horse.

Children

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

on 19 November 1460 Ernst married

Elisabeth of Bavaria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austria on 24 April 1854 until h ...

. They had seven children: # Christina (25 December 1461, Torgau8 December 1521, Odense), married on 6 September 1478 to King John I of Denmark #

Frederick III, Elector of Saxony Frederick III (17 January 1463 – 5 May 1525), also known as Frederick the Wise (German: ''Friedrich der Weise''), was Prince-elector of Electorate of Saxony, Saxony from 1486 to 1525, who is mostly remembered for the protection given to his su ...

(17 January 1463, Torgau5 May 1525, Lockau) #

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...

(26 June 1464, Meissen3 August 1513, Halle), Archbishop of Magdeburg (1476–1480), Bishop of Halberstadt (1480–1513) #

Adalbert Adalbert is a German given name which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adelbart, Adelbert and Adalberto. Derivative names incl ...

(8 May 1467, Meissen1 May 1484, Aschaffenburg), Administrator of Mainz # Johann, Elector of Saxony (30 June 1468, Meissen16 August 1532, Schweinitz) #

Margarete Margarete is a German feminine given name. It is derived from Ancient Greek ''margarites'' (μαργαρίτης), meaning "the pearl". Via the Latin ''margarita'', it arrived in the German sprachraum. Related names in English include Daisy, ...

(4 August 1469, Meissen7 December 1528, Weimar), married on 27 February 1487 to

Henry I of Lüneburg Henry the Middle (15 September 1468 – 9 February 1532) , also known as “Heinrich der Mittlere” in German, was a member of the House of Welf and ruled as the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. His official title was Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbütte ...

#Wolfgang (c. 1473, Meissenc. 1478, Torgau).

Ancestry

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ernest Of Saxony, Elector 1441 births 1486 deaths People from Meissen Prince-electors of Saxony House of Wettin Saxon princes