The Saxon Eastern March (german: Sächsische Ostmark) was a
march of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
from the 10th until the 12th century. The term "eastern march" stems from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
term ''marchia Orientalis'' and originally could refer to either a march created on the eastern frontier of the
East Frankish duchy of
Saxony or another on the eastern border of the
Duchy of Bavaria: the Bavarian ''
marchia Orientalis'' (documented as ''
Ostarrîchi
The German name of Austria, , derives from the Old High German word " eastern realm", recorded in the so-called '' Document'' of 996, applied to the Margraviate of Austria, a march, or borderland, of the Duchy of Bavaria created in 976.
Th ...
'' in 996), corresponding to later
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
History
The Saxon ''Ostmark'' initially referred to the vast ''
Marca Geronis'' ('Gero's March'), established about 939 under the rule of King
Otto I in the settlement area of the
Polabian Slavs (
Sorbs
Sorbs ( hsb, Serbja, dsb, Serby, german: Sorben; also known as Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs and Wends) are a indigenous West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Saxony and Bran ...
), beyond the Saxon Eastern border on the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Rep ...
and
Saale rivers. The conquered territories were governed by the
Eastphalia
Eastphalia (german: Ostfalen; Eastphalian: ''Oostfalen'') is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern '' Gaue'' (shires) of the historic stem duchy of Saxony, roughly confined by the River Leine in the west and the El ...
n legate
Gero, count in the
Nordthüringgau, who was vested with the
Carolingian title of
margrave. It was his task to collect tributes and to overcome riots and revolts in the frontier areas, later partly superseded by Otto's Saxon deputy
Hermann Billung. In 963, Gero in late age waged another military campaign against the Slavic
Lusatian (''Lusici'') tribes, up to the border with the
Polish lands ruled by
Mieszko I.
After Gero had died without heirs in 965, the tributary lands were divided and re-organised by the establishment of the
Northern March around
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...
, stretching between the Elbe and
Oder rivers, as well as the creation of the
March of Lusatia, the
March of Meissen, the
March of Merseburg and the
March of Zeitz in the south. The rule over the Northern March was again lost in the
Great Slav Rising of 983.
Thereupon, the Saxon Eastern March consisted of the territory between the Saale in the west and the
Bóbr in the east. Emperor Otto I invested the Saxon count
Odo (''Hodo''), one of Gero's relatives, with the title of margrave of the March of Lusatia, an area roughly corresponding to the modern region of
Lower Lusatia, which became the heartland of the remaining Saxon Eastern March.
During the
German-Polish War from 1002 to 1018, Odo's successor
Gero II Gero II (c. 975 – 1 September 1015 at Krosno Odrzańskie) was the eldest son of Thietmar, Margrave of Meissen, and Schwanehilde (Suanhild), daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony. He was therefore probably a grandson of Hidda and Christian of ...
lost the eastern part of the march to
Bolesław I of Poland. Nevertheless, Bolesław's son
Mieszko II had to return the conquered territory to
Emperor Conrad II in 1031. In 1046,
Dedi I from the Saxon
House of Wettin
The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of Germany, German monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of ...
inherited the march. His son and successor
Henry I was, in addition, granted the March of Meissen by Emperor
Henry IV in 1089. Both marches remained under Wettin administration and later became the nucleus of the
Saxon Electorate.
While the
Margraviate of Landsberg and the County of
Brehna
Brehna is a town and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Sandersdorf-Brehna.
It is situated southwest of Bitterfeld. Important in this city is the chur ...
split off from the march, further parts in the west were claimed by the Ascanian
Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg
This article lists dukes, electors, and kings ruling over different territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 6th century to the end of the German monarchies in 1918.
The electors of Saxony from John the Steadfast on ...
and the
Counts of Anhalt. The remaining areas were united with the Wettin margraviate of Meissen in 1123. The last time that the ''Ostmark'' and Lusatia appear separate is when
Henry of Groitzsch received the former in 1128 and the latter in 1131. Henry, however, did not prevail, and by 1136, the march had fallen back to the Wettin margrave
Conrad of Meissen. During the various divisions of the Wettin lands, the territory was split up several times; most of it belonged to the
Ernestine duchies
The Ernestine duchies (), also known as the Saxon duchies (, although the Albertine appanage duchies of Weissenfels, Merseburg and Zeitz were also "Saxon duchies" and adjacent to several Ernestine ones), were a group of small states whose n ...
.
The term
Osterland (''terra orientalis'') is still used today to describe the historic region east of the Saale in the present-day states of
Thuringia,
Saxony and
Saxony-Anhalt, which was once at the centre of the march. While the borders of the ''Ostmark'' changed frequently, in modern times, the term is generally understood to mean the area between the Saale and
Mulde rivers.
List of margraves
*
Odo I, 965–993
*
Gero II Gero II (c. 975 – 1 September 1015 at Krosno Odrzańskie) was the eldest son of Thietmar, Margrave of Meissen, and Schwanehilde (Suanhild), daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony. He was therefore probably a grandson of Hidda and Christian of ...
, 993–1015
*
Thietmar, 1015–1030
*
Odo II, 1030–1032
*
Bolesław the Brave, 1002–1025
*
Mieszko Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.
He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emnilda of Lusatia. He was proba ...
, 1025–1031
*
Dedi I, 1046–1075
*
Dedi II, fl. 1069
*
Henry I, 1075–1103
*
Henry II, 1103–1123
*
Wiprecht, 1123–1124
*
Albert, 1123–1128
*
Henry III, 1128–1135
:''Hereafter better known as
margraves of Lusatia.
References
*
Reuter, Timothy. ''Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056''. New York: Longman, 1991.
*
Thompson, James Westfall. ''Feudal Germany, Volume II''. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928.
At Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1888{{refend
Marches of the Holy Roman Empire
Saxon
States and territories established in the 960s
960s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
965 establishments
ro:Marca lui Gero