II.

Early History

German king Henry I (the Fowler) added extensive areas to the duchy in 919. In 962 Henry's son Otto I was crowned Holy Roman emperor. In 1180 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I dissolved the duchy of Saxony in retaliation against its defiant duke, Henry the Lion. At its height, the duchy had extended westward almost to the Rhine River and as far east as the Odra (Oder) River. The ducal possessions were distributed among various princes and bishops; the part later known as Saxe-Wittenberg was granted the electoral privilege in 1356 and became known as Electoral Saxony. In 1423 Electoral Saxony, with the electoral privilege, was conferred on Frederick I, margrave of Meissen.

Frederick established his family as the ruling house of Saxony and brought to his new realm vast holdings in central Germany. In 1485 the family possessions were divided, the part known as Saxe-Wittenberg retaining the electoral privileges. This changed in 1547, when Maurice, duke of Saxony, supported Holy Roman Emperor Charles V against the confederation of Protestant German princes known as the Schmalkaldic League. The emperor then transferred to Maurice the electoral privilege and most of the electoral domains. In 1552, however, Maurice broke with Charles V, forcing him to withdraw from Germany. The expanded electorate of Saxony, with Dresden as its capital, subsequently became a Protestant stronghold.

In the 17th and 18th centuries Saxony was directly involved in the religious and territorial struggles ravaging Europe. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) its allegiance wavered. In the next century Saxony became party to the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) when Elector Frederick Augustus II, who was also king of Poland as Augustus III, laid claim to the throne of Austria. At the start of the Seven Years' War in 1756, Saxony was invaded by the Prussians.