This article lists the margraves of Meissen, a march and territorial state on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire.
History King Henry the Fowler, on his 928–29 campaign against the Slavic Glomacze tribes, had a fortress erected on a hill at Meissen (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 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 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 House of Wettin and remained as the dynasty's possession ever since. In the 13th century the Meissen margraves acquired the former Pleissnerland 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 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 Affiliation Name Years Comments Wigbert965–970Received the Meissen territory upon the death of Margrave Gero Thietmar970–979Son of Count Christian of Serimunt, also Margrave of MerseburgEkkehardingGunther of Merseburg981–982also Margrave of Merseburg Rikdag979–985since 982 also Margrave of Merseburg, removes Wigger in Zeitz, Gunther in Merseburg and Wigbert in Meißen as MargraveEkkehardingEckard I985–1002Son of Gunther of MerseburgEkkehardingGunzelin1002–1009EkkehardingHerman I1009–1031EkkehardingEckard II1031–1046Weimar-OrlamündeWilliam1046–1062Weimar-OrlamündeOtto I1062–1067Died without male heirsBrunonenEgbert I1067–1068BrunonenEgbert II1068–1089Revolted against King Henry IV in 1076PřemyslidVratislaus II of Bohemia1076–1089Enfeoffed by King Henry IV in turn for his support, though never confirmedWettinHenry I1089–1103Son of Margrave Dedi I of the Saxon Ostmark, first Wettin rulerWettinThimo1103WettinHenry II1104–1123 Wiprecht1123–1124WinzenburgHerman II1124–1130WettinConrad1130–1156WettinOtto II1156–1190WettinAlbert I1190–1195Followed by the direct rule of the Emperor Henry VIWettinDietrich I1198–1221WettinHenry III1221–1288WettinAlbert II1288Son of Henry III the IllustriousWettin Frederick I1291–1323NassauAdolf1293–1298HabsburgAlbert III1298–1307WettinFrederick II1323–1349Son of Frederick I the PeacefulWettinFrederick III1349–1381Son of Frederick II the SeriousWettinBalthasar1349–1382Son of Frederick II the SeriousWettinWilliam I1349–1407Son of Frederick II the SeriousWettinGeorge1381–1402Son of Frederick III the StrictWettinWilliam II1381–1425Son of Frederick III the StrictWettinFrederick IV1381–1428Son of Frederick III the StrictWettinFrederick V1407–1440Son of Balthasar, heir of William I
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 Rüdiger, Margrave of Meissen, disputed with Alexander Daniel, Margrave of Meissen, disputed with Alexander
See also List of rulers of Thuringia List of rulers of Saxony
References
External links Margraves of Meissen and Ostmark