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Duchy of Saxe-Weimar

Duchy of Saxe-Weimar
Herzogtum Sachsen-Weimar
State of the Holy Roman Empire, then
State of the Confederation of the Rhine
1572–1809
Flag Coat of arms
     Saxe-Weimar, shown within the other Ernestine duchies and      Saxe-Jena, joined to Saxe-Weimar in 1690
Capital Weimar
Government Feudal monarchy
Historical era Early modern period
 •  Division of Erfurt 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
 •  Merged to form
    Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  1809
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blason Jean-Georges IV de Saxe.svg Electorate of Saxony
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Today part of  Germany

Saxe-Weimar (German: Sachsen-Weimar) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in present-day Thuringia. The chief town and capital was Weimar. The Weimar branch was the most genealogically senior extant branch of the House of Wettin.

In the late 15th century much of what is now Thuringia, including the area around Weimar, was held by the Wettin Electors of Saxony. According to the 1485 Treaty of Leipzig, the Wettin lands had been divided between Elector Ernest of Saxony and his younger brother Albert III, with the western lands in Thuringia together with the electoral dignity going to the Ernestine branch of the family.

Ernest's grandson Elector John Frederick I of Saxony forfeited the electoral dignity in the 1547 Capitulation of Wittenberg, after he had joined the revolt of the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League against the Habsburg emperor Charles V, was defeated, captured and banned. Nevertheless, according to the 1552 Peace of Passau he was pardoned and allowed to retain his lands in Thuringia. Upon his death in 1554, his son John Frederick II succeeded him as "Duke of Saxony", residing at Gotha. His attempts to regain the electoral dignity failed: in the course of the 1566 revolt instigated by the robber baron Wilhelm von Grumbach, the duke was banned and imprisoned for life by Emperor Maximilian II.


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