Saxe-Weimar

Saxe-Weimar (German: Sachsen-Weimar) was a duchy in Thuringia, Germany. The chief town and capital was Weimar.

Duchy of Saxe-Weimar
Herzogtum Sachsen-Weimar
1572–1809
Flag of Saxe-Weimar
     Saxe-Weimar, shown within the other Ernestine duchies and      Saxe-Jena, joined to Saxe-Weimar in 1690
     Saxe-Weimar, shown within the other Ernestine duchies and      Saxe-Jena, joined to Saxe-Weimar in 1690
StatusState of the Holy Roman Empire, then
State of the Confederation of the Rhine
CapitalWeimar
GovernmentFeudal monarchy
Historical eraEarly modern period
• 
1572
• Split off
    Saxe-Altenburg
 
1602
• Split off
     Eisenach and Gotha
 
1640
• Split off Saxe-Jena,
    and Saxe-Eisenach
 
1672
• United with
    Saxe-Eisenach
1741
• 
 
1809
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blason Jean-Georges IV de Saxe.svg Electorate of Saxony
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Today part of Germany

History

Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Gotha were the two original Ernestine Duchies. They both gradually shrank in size as land in Thuringia was divided among sons..

In 1741 Duke Ernest Augustus I of Saxe-Weimar inheritated the Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach. Ernest Augustus II, who succeeded in 1748, died in 1758, and his young widow, Anna Amalia, became regent for her infant son, Charles Augustus. The regency of Anna Amalia and the reign of Charles Augustus were important in the history of Saxe-Weimar. Both intelligent patrons of literature and art, Anna Amalia and Charles Augustus attracted to their court the leading scholars in Germany, including Goethe, Schiller and Herder, and made Weimar an important cultural centre.

Charles Augustus joined Prussia in the Napoleonic Wars. After France won the Battle of Jena, Saxe Weimar was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806. In 1809 Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been separate duchies with the same duke became one country as the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

Dukes of Saxe-Weimar

Merged with Saxe-Eisenach to form Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Saxe-Weimar Media

Related pages

References

  This article includes text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica. Please add to the article as needed.
  • Saxe-Weimar Archived 2005-12-05 at the Wayback Machine, The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Columbia University Press (2001 – 2005), accessed December 22 2005

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