List of rulers of Saxony

Coat of arms of Saxony used since the accession of the House of Ascania to dukedom in 1180, comprising the Ascanian crest with an added bendwise crancelin indicating the Saxon ducal rank.

This article lists Dukes, Electors, and Kings ruling over territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 9th century to the end of the Saxon Kingdom in 1918.

Dukes of Saxony

The original Duchy of Saxony was the lands of the Saxon people in the north-western part of present-day Germany, namely, the modern German state of Lower Saxony as well as Westphalia and Western Saxony-Anhalt, not the modern German state of Saxony.

Early dukes

• Hadugato (ruled about 531)
• Berthoald (ruled about 627)
• Theoderic (ruled about 743-744)
• Widukind (ruled about 777-810)
• Abo (ruled about 785-811)

Hattonid dynasty

• Banzleib (830s)

Ottonian Dynasty

Monarch	Image	Began	Ended	Notes
Liudolf I		850	12 March 864 or 866
Bruno		12 March 864 or 866	2 February 880
Otto I the Illustrious		2 February 880	30 November 912
Henry I the Fowler		30 November 912	2 July 936	Also King of the Germans 919-936
Otto II the Great		2 July 936	961	Also King of the Germans 936-973, Emperor 962-973

Billung Dynasty

Monarch	Image	Began	Ended	Notes
Hermann		961	27 March 973
Bernard I		27 March 973	9 February 1011
Bernard II		9 February 1011	29 June 1059
Ordulf		29 June 1059	28 March 1072
Magnus		28 March 1072	23 August 1106

Supplinburg Dynasty

Monarch	Image	Began	Ended	Notes
Lothair I		1106	4 December1137	Also German King 1125-1137, Emperor 1133-1137

Welf Dynasty

Monarch	Image	Began	Ended	Notes
Henry II the Proud		4 December 1137	20 October 1139	Also Duke of Bavaria as Henry X

Ascanian Dynasty

Monarch	Image	Began	Ended	Notes
Albert I the Bear		20 October 1139	1142	Also Margrave of Brandenburg

Welf Dynasty

Monarch	Image	Began	Ended	Notes
Henry III the Lion		1142	1180	Also Duke of Bavaria as Henry XII

When the Welfs left in 1180, the Duchy of Saxony lost a lot of territory. Westphalia fell to the Archbishop of Cologne, while the Duchies of Brunswick and Lüneburg remained with the Welfs. The Ascanian Dukes had their base further east, near the Elbe, so the name Saxony moved towards the east. The post carve-up Saxony is therefore sometimes called the younger Duchy of Saxony. Also the counting of its dukes its mixed up. While the first post carve-up duke is sometimes called Bernard III - because of two predecessors of the same name before 1180 - or Bernard I with his great-great-great-great grandson Bernard II being counted second. The second post carve-up duke Albert I is already usually counted as the first, although before 1180 he had one predecessor of the same name, his grandfather Albert the Bear.

Ascanian or younger Duchy of Saxony

The new dukes changed the Saxon horse emblem () and used their Ascanian family colours and emblem (black and gold stripes) () and added a "bendwise crancelin", a crown diagonally across the coat of arms, symbolising the Saxon ducal crown, as new coat-of-arms of Saxony (). The later rulers of the House of Wettin adopted the Ascanian coat-of-arms.

Dukes of Saxony
Ascanian Dynasty
Image	Name	Date	Notes
	Bernard I (or III)	1180–1212.	numberings starting with Ascanian rule or continuing after prior dukes of the same name. Father of the following
	Albert I	1212-1260.	father of the following two dukes
	John I	1260–1282.	joint rule with his brother Albert II until 1282, when John I resigned. Some time after 1272 John I and Albert II divided some areas between themselves, however.
	Albert II	1260–1296.	joint rule with his brother until 1282, then fostering John I's minor sons Albert III, Eric I, and John II, who later ascended as co-rulers. In 1296 uncle and nephews partitioned Saxony into the Lauenburg line (Albert III, Eric I, and John II jointly) and the Wittenberg line, where Albert II continued as sole ruler until 1298, then succeeded by his son Rudolph I (see section Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg below in this arcticle). Uncle of the following three dukes
	Albert III,	1282–1296.	joint rule with his uncle Albert II and his brothers Eric I and John II until 1296. In 1296 uncle and brothers partitioned Saxony into the Wittenberg line (Albert II) and the Lauenburg line, where Albert III, Eric I, and John II continued to rule jointly (see section Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg below in this arcticle). Brother of the following two dukes
	Eric I,	1282–1296.	joint rule with his uncle Albert II and his brothers Albert III and John II until 1296. In 1296 uncle and brothers partitioned Saxony into the Wittenberg line (Albert II) and the Lauenburg line, where Albert III, Eric I, and John II continued to rule jointly (see section Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg below in this article). Brother of the following duke
	John II,	1282–1296.	joint rule with his uncle Albert II and his brothers Albert III and Eric I until 1296. In 1296 uncle and brothers split Saxony into the Wittenberg line (Albert II) and the Lauenburg line, where Albert III, Eric I, and John II continued to rule jointly (see section Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg below in this article)
In 1296 Albert II and his nephews Albert III, Eric I, and John II ended their joint rule and split Saxony into the Lauenburg line, where Albert III, Eric I, and John II continued to rule jointly until 1303, and the Wittenberg line, where Albert II continued as sole ruler until 1298.

Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg

See the main article: Saxe-Lauenburg

Since the Duke of Saxony was considered one of the prince-electors electing a new Holy Roman Emperor, there was an argument between the lines of Lauenburg and Wittenberg about who should cast Saxony's vote. In 1314 both lines found themselves on different sides in a double election. Eventually, the Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg succeeded in 1356 after the promulgation of the Golden Bull. To distinguish him from other rulers bearing the title Duke of Saxony, he was commonly called Elector of Saxony.

• Eric I 1296–1303 joint rule, then ruling until 1360 in Saxe-Bergedorf, partitioned from Saxe-Lauenburg (see section Dukes of Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg below in this article)
• John II 1296–1303 joint rule, then ruling until 1321 in Saxe-Ratzeburg, partitioned from Saxe-Lauenburg (see section Dukes of Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln below in this article)
• Albert III 1296–1303 joint rule, then ruling until 1308 in Saxe-Ratzeburg, partitioned from Saxe-Lauenburg, dying without issue Eric I inherited his share

In 1303 the brothers split their inheritance between them, however, only two brothers had heirs creating the Bergedorf-Mölln and the Ratzeburg-Lauenburg lines.

Dukes of Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln

First named Saxe-Mölln, however, renamed after reorganising territory, including parts of Albert III's share in 1321.

• John II, 1285–1321, rivalled as Saxon Prince-Elector by his cousin Rudolph I of Saxe-Wittenberg
• Albrecht (Albert) IV, 1321–1343.
• John III, 1343–1356.
• Albrecht (Albert) V, 1356–1370.
• Eric III, 1370–1401.

In 1401, the elder branch became extinct and Lauenburg rejoined the Ratzeburg-Lauenburg line.

Dukes of Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg

First named Saxe-Bergedorf-Lauenburg, however, renamed after reorganising territory, including parts of Albert III's share in 1321.

• Eric I, 1305–1361 (joint rule until 1308).
• Eric II, 1361–1368.
• Eric IV, 1368–1412.

In 1401, the younger branch inherited Lauenburg and other possessions of the extinct elder Bergedorf-Mölln line.

Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg (1401-1876)

Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg
Ascanian Dynasty, Lauenburg Line
Image	Name	Date	Notes
	Eric V	1401–1436.	joint rule with his father Eric IV (till 1411), his younger brother John IV (till 1414) and his youngest brother Bernard II (since 1426)
	John IV	1401–1411/1414	joint rule with his father Eric IV (till 1411) and his elder brother Eric V. Brother of the following
	Bernard II	1426–1463	joint rule with his brother Eric V until 1436. Father of the following duke
	John V	1463–1507	father of the following duke
	Magnus I,	1507–1543.	father of the following duke
	Francis I	1543–1571 and again 1573–1581.	joint rule with his son Francis II since 1578. Father of the following three dukes
	Magnus II	1571–1573.	brother of the following two dukes
	Francis II	1578–1619.	since 1578 viceregent, since 1581 administrator. Joint rule with his brother Maurice between 1581 and 1612. Father of Augustus and Julius Henry
	Maurice	1581–1612.	joint rule with his brother Francis II. Uncle of the following two dukes
	Augustus	1619–1656.	brother of the following duke
	Julius Henry	1656–1665.	father of the following two dukes
	Francis Erdmann	1665–1666.	elder son of Julius Henry and his second wife.
	Julius Francis	1666–1689.	younger son of Julius Henry and his third wife.
In 1689 the Saxe-Lauenburgian Ascanians were extinct in the male line. The House of Welf usurped the duchy, inhibiting the heiress Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg, and resucceeded with its Brunswick and Lunenburg-Celle line.
Welf Dynasty, Lüneburg Line
Image	Name	Date	Notes
	George William	1689–1705.	he invaded with his troops Saxe-Lauenburg, stopping the legal female heir, Duchess Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg. This takeover was only imperially legitimised in 1728. He was a great-great grandson of Magnus I through his great grandmother Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg
Welf Dynasty, Hanover Line
	George I Louis	1705–1727.	he was a nephew and son-in-law of George William.
	George II Augustus	1727–1760.	in 1728 Emperor Charles VI granted George II Augustus with Saxe-Lauenburg, finally legitimising the de facto takeover by his grandfather.
	George III	1760–1814.	de facto deposed by various occupations in the Great French War, he was a grandson of George II Augustus George III's son, Regent George agreed to pass Saxe-Lauenburg to his Danish cousin in a general reorganisation of land at the Congress of Vienna
Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg
Oldenburg Dynasty, Main Line
Image	Name	Date	Notes
	Frederick I	1814–1839.	Frederick was a great-grandson of Duke George II Augustus from both sides through his mother Caroline and his father. The official colours of Saxe-Lauenburg were changed to red and gold.
	Christian I	1839–1848.	half nephew of the former, but not related to the Saxe-Lauenburgian Welfs, however, grandson in sixth generation of Duke Francis I
	Frederick II	1848–1863.	son of the former
Oldenburg Dynasty, Glücksburg Line
	Christian II	1863–1864.	deposed in Second Schleswig War and resigned by Treaty of Vienna. His mother was a cousin of Frederick I and Christian I as well as maternally and paternally a great-granddaughter of George II Augustus.
Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg
Hohenzollern Dynasty, Berlin Line
Image	Name	Date	Notes
	William	1865–1876.	the Estates of Saxe-Lauenburg offered him the ducal throne in 1865, he accepted. He was a grandson in sixth generation of Duke George William. The coat-of-arms of Saxe-Lauenburg was changed to the colours red and silver, with a rim in the Prussian colours black and white. Duke and estates decided to merge Saxe-Lauenburg as district Duchy of Lauenburg into Prussia with effect of 1 July 1876.

The Ascanian Dynasty continued in Saxe-Lauenburg until 1689, but after the Lauenburg line had finally lost the Saxon Electorate to the Wittenberg line in 1356 and failed to obtain the succession in the Electorate after 1422, recognition of the Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg as Dukes of Saxony waned.

Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg

See the main article: Saxe-Wittenberg

For the predecessor see the section Ascanian or younger Duchy of Saxony above in this article.

Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg
Ascanian Dynasty
Image	Name	Date	Notes
	Albert II	1296–1298.	1260–1296 joint rule of Saxony with his brother John I, Duke of Saxony (till 1282) and thereafter with the latter's sons Albert III, Eric I, and John II. In 1296 uncle and nephews had partitioned Saxony into the Wittenberg line, where Albert II continued as sole ruler, and the Lauenburg line, where his nephews ruled jointly (see section Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg below in this article). Father of the following duke
	Rudolph I	1298-1356	rivalled as Saxon Prince-Elector by his cousin John II.
In January 1356 the Golden Bull confirmed Rudolph I as the legitimate Saxon Prince-Elector, thus the rulers of Saxe-Wittenberg are conceived as Electors of Saxony since (see section Electors of Saxony below in this article).

Wettin Dukes of Saxony

Albertine Dukes of Saxony

The Albertines were a junior branch of the Wettin dynasty of Electors of Saxony (section below), who ruled in Northern Thuringia and Southern Meissen until they replaced the senior "Ernestine" branch as Electors and rulers of most Saxon territory in 1547.

Dukes of Saxony
Wettin Dynasty, Albertine Line
Image	Name	Date	Notes
	Albert the Bold	1464-1500.	Younger son of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony. Divided the Saxon lands, including Thuringia and Meissen, with his brother Ernest in 1485.
	George the Bearded	1500-1539	Son of Albert. Opposed Martin Luther.
	Henry IV the Pious	1539-1541	Brother of George. Introduced Lutheranism to Albertine Saxony.
	Maurice	1541-1553	Son of Henry IV. Became Elector 1547.

Ernestine Dukes of Saxony

See the main article: Ernestine duchies

Following their displacement by the Albertines, the Ernestine branch of the Wettins continued to rule in southern Thuringia as "Dukes of Saxony", but their lands eventually split up into many different tiny "Ernestine duchies". Of these, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Altenburg lasted until 1918. This article does not list the subsequent Ernestine dukes.

Electors of Saxony

See the main article: Electorate of Saxony

The Golden Bull of 1356 confirmed the right to participate in the election of a Holy Roman Emperor to the Duke of Saxony in the Saxe-Wittenberg line. For the predecessor see the section Ascanian Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg above in this article.

Electors of Saxony
Ascanian Dynasty
Image	Name	Began	Ended	Notes
	Rudolf I	10 January 1356	11 March 1356
	Rudolf II	11 March 1356	6 December 1370	Son of preceding.
	Wenceslaus Wenzel	6 December 1370	15 May 1388	Brother of preceding.
	Rudolf III	15 May 1388	9 June 1419	Son of preceding.
	Albert III Albrecht II	9 June 1419	27 November 1422	Brother of preceding.
Wettin Dynasty
Image	Name	Began	Ended	Notes
	Frederick I Friedrich I	6 January 1423	4 January 1428	Nicknamed "the Warlike." After the Wittenberg line of the Ascanians became extinct, the Electorate was given to Frederick, Margrave of Meissen and Landgrave of Thuringia, of the House of Wettin.
	Frederick II Friedrich II	4 January 1428	7 September 1464	Nicknamed "the Gentle". Son of Frederick I. Ruled jointly in Saxony with his brothers, but was the sole holder of the Electorate. Father of Ernest and Albert, founders of the Ernestine (continuing below) and Albertine Saxon lines (see section Albertine Dukes of Saxony above in this article).
Ernestine Line
	Ernest Ernst	7 September 1464	26 August 1486	Son of Frederick II, divided Saxony with his brother Albert, taking Wittenberg, northern Meissen, and southern Thuringia. Inherited Thuringia in 1482 and ruled it jointly with Albert until 1485.
	Frederick III Friedrich III	26 August 1486	5 May 1525	Nicknamed "the Wise." Son of Ernest. Protector of Martin Luther, but a lifelong Catholic.
	John Johann	5 May 1525	16 August 1532	Nicknamed "the Steadfast." Brother of Frederick III. Legally established Lutheranism in his territories in 1527.
	John Frederick I Johann Friedrich I	16 August 1532	19 May 1547	Son of John the Steadfast. Called "the Magnanimous". Deprived of his Electorate by Emperor Charles V for his role in the Schmalkaldic War. Died 1554.
Albertine Line
	Maurice Moritz	4 June 1547	11 July 1553	Second cousin of John Frederick, grandson of Albert. Though a Lutheran, allied with Emperor Charles V against the Schmalkaldic League. Gained the Electorate for the Albertine line in 1547 after Charles V's victory at the Battle of Mühlberg.
	Augustus I August I	11 July 1553	12 February 1586	Brother of Maurice. Recognized as Elector by the ousted John Frederick in 1554.
	Christian I	12 February 1586	25 September 1591	Son of Augustus I.
	Christian II	25 September 1591	23 June 1611	Son of Christian I.
	John George I Johann Georg I	23 June 1611	8 October 1656	Brother of Christian II, ruled during the Thirty Years' War, during which he was at times allied with the Emperor and at times with the King of Sweden.
	John George II Johann Georg II	8 October 1656	1 September 1680	Son of John George I.
	John George III Johann Georg III	1 September 1680	22 September 1691	Son of John George II.
	John George IV Johann Georg IV	22 September 1691	27 April 1694	Son of John George III.
	Frederick Augustus I Friedrich August I	27 April 1694	1 February 1733	Brother of John George IV. Converted to Catholicism 1697 in order to compete for the crown of Poland. Took the Polish crown 1697, opposed by Stanisław Leszczyński 1704, forced to renounce the throne 1706, returned as monarch 1709 until his death. Called "the Strong".
	Frederick Augustus II Friedrich August II	1 February 1733	5 October 1763	Son of Frederick Augustus I. Converted to Catholicism 1721. King of Poland 1734-1763. Called ""the Fat" or (in Poland) "the Saxon".
	Frederick Christian Friedrich Christian	5 October 1763	17 December 1763	Son of Frederick Augustus II, raised Catholic.
	Frederick Augustus III Friedrich August III	17 December 1763	20 December 1806	Son of Frederick Christian. His Electorate ceased with the fall of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and he became King of Saxony. Called "the Just."

Kings of Saxony

See the main article: Kingdom of Saxony

The Holy Roman Empire came to an end in 1806. The Elector of Saxony, allied to Napoleon I, anticipated its dissolution by becoming the ruler of an independent Kingdom of Saxony in 1806.

Kings of Saxony
Wettin Dynasty
Image	Name	Begin	End	Notes
	Frederick Augustus I Friedrich August I	20 December 1806	5 May 1827	Duke of Warsaw 1807-1813. Called "the Just."
	Anthony Anton	5 May 1827	6 June 1836	Brother of Frederick Augustus I.
	Frederick Augustus II Friedrich August II	6 June 1836	9 August 1854	Nephew of Anthony.
	John Johann	9 August 1854	29 October 1873	Brother of Frederick Augustus II.
	Albert Albert	29 October 1873	19 June 1902	Son of John. Called "the Good"
	George Georg	19 June 1902	15 October 1904	Brother of Albert.
	Frederick Augustus III Friedrich August III	15 October 1904	13 November 1918	Son of George. Last king of Saxony. Lost his throne in the German revolutions of 1918.

Heads of the Albertine Branch of the House of Wettin (since 1918)

Saxony became a republic at the end of the German Empire in 1918. For later rulers, see List of Ministers-President of Saxony.

• Frederick Augustus III of Saxony, 1918-1932.
• Frederick Christian, Margrave of Meissen, 1932-1968.
• Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen, since 1968.

Other websites

• (in German) House Laws of the Kingdom of Saxony