Search billions of records on Ancestry.com

WorldGenWeb - Resources for genealogists worldwide

SachsenGenWeb - SaxonyGenWeb

GermanyGenWeb - Resources for German Roots and Genealogy

Main | History | Libraries and Archives | Societies | Maps and Geography | Culture and Religious History
Message Boards | Mailing Lists | Historical Records




History

A Brief Overview

In the sixth century AD present-day Saxony was settled by Sorbian tribes. The rule of the House of Wettin, which began in 1089 when Heinrich von Eilenburg became Margrave of Meissen, went on to last for 829 years. In 1485 the land was divided between the brothers Albert and Ernst. Albert took the eastern territories, largely corresponding to the present-day federal state of Saxony. In 1697 Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, was crowned King of Poland.

Just over a hundred years later Saxony fought on the side of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig and lost. As a result, substantial territories had to be ceded to Prussia.

Under the rule of Friedrich August I (Augustus the Strong) and Friedrich August II, Dresden became a centre of European art and culture. The last king of Saxony was Friedrich August III.

When the last king, journeyed through Saxony after the 1918 revolution, the people waved to him at railway stations. Whereupon the deposed king allegedly said in broad Saxon dialect: "You’re a fine lot of Republicans." However, in 1920 a constitution based on parliamentary democracy was adopted, forming the basis for the Free State of Saxony. After the Deutsche Volkspartei government stepped down in 1933, the state’s independent political life was over.

In 1945 American and Soviet troops occupied the state. From 1 July that year the whole of Saxony was under Soviet occupation. Simultaneously, parts of Lower Silesia were incorporated into it. When the constitution was revoked in 1947, Saxony was divided again, this time into the East German administrative districts of Leipzig, Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) and Dresden.

From: Saxony.de

Timeline

AD or CE

cira 525 - Saxony settled by Sorbian Tribes
1089 - Rule of the House of Wettin begins under Heinrich von Eilenburg
1485 - Land divided by the brothers Albert von Eilenburg and Ernst von Eilenburg
1697 - Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, crowned King of Poland




© 2003 SachsenGenWeb - Coordinator - Roger Kennedy