Coat_of_arms_of_Wettin_House_Albert_Line

The Albertine branch is a German princely family of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...

. The name derives from the progenitor of the line,

Albert III, Duke of Saxony Albert III () (27 January 144312 September 1500) was a Duke of Saxony. He was nicknamed Albert the Bold or Albert the Courageous and founded the ''Albertine line'' of the House of Wettin. Biography Albert was born in Grimma as the third and y ...

. The Albertine branch ruled from 1485 to 1918 as dukes, electors and kings in Saxony.

History of the Albertine Branch

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), ...

and Albert of Saxony, the two sons 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 ...

, initially ruled their paternal inheritance for a long time, with Ernest as the eldest being the elector. In 1485, the two brothers divided their countries (

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. ...

). Albert and his descendants received their own territory with Dresden as the center, which they ruled from now on as the dukes of Saxony. While

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 ...

supported the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, George, Duke of Saxony tried to prevent it in his area. It was not until his brother Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, who succeeded George as duke, that the Reformation was also introduced in Saxony.

Acquisition of the dignity

Although

Maurice, Elector of Saxony Maurice (21 March 1521 – 9 July 1553) was Duke (1541–47) and later Elector (1547–53) of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignit ...

was also a Protestant, in 1546 he sided with Emperor Charles V against the Protestant princes of the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheranism, Lutheran Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, principalities and cities within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. It received its name from the town of Schm ...

under the leadership of his cousin John Frederick I. After the defeat of the Protestants in the

Schmalkaldic War The Schmalkaldic War (; July 1546May 1547) was fought within the territories of the Holy Roman Empire between the allied forces of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Maurice, Duke of Saxony against the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League, with the forc ...

, in 1547 he received the electoral dignity and large parts of the Ernestine lands as a reward for his services. Since then, the Albertine branch have been the leading line of the

. The common minting agreed between the Ernestines and Albertine branch in the main division of Leipzig in 1485 was finally abandoned. The new Albertine Elector Moritz only coins in his own name (Saxon coin separation).Paul Arnold: ''Kurfürst August (1553–1586) und das sächsische Münzwesen.'' In ''Numismatische Hefte.'' Nr. 20, Dresden 1986, P. 13. (German)

Family tree of the Albertine branch

Literature

* Konrad Sturmhoefel: ''Illustrated history of Saxony and their authorities.'' Volume 2: ''Illustrated History of Albertine Saxony.'' Hübel & Denck, Leipzig 1909.

References

External links

About the House of Wettin

{{Authority control History of Dresden German noble families