Dukes 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 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.