Kingdom of Saxony

Kingdom of Saxony

Infobox Former Country
native_name = "Königreich Sachsen"
conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Saxony
common_name = Saxony
continent = Europe
region = Germany
country = Germany
year_start = 1806
year_end = 1918
p1 = Electorate of Saxony
flag_p1 = Flag_of_Electoral_Saxony.svg
s1 = Saxony
flag_s1 = Flag of Saxony.svg








image_map_caption = Kingdom of Saxony within the German Empire
capital = Dresden
national_anthem = "Sachsen Hymne"
government_type = Monarchy
currency = Saxon thaler(till 1857) Saxon vereinsthaler(1857-1873)Goldmark (1873-1914) Papiermark (from 1914)
title_leader = King
leader1 = Frederick Augustus I
year_leader1 = 1806-1827
leader2 = Frederick Augustus III
year_leader2 = 1904-1918
stat_year1 = 1910
stat_area1 = 14993
stat_pop1 = 4806661

The Kingdom of Saxony ( _de. Königreich Sachsen), lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War I and the abdication of King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony. Its capital was the city of Dresden, and its modern successor state is the Free State of Saxony.

The Napoleonic Era and the German Confederation

Before 1806 Saxony was part of the Holy Roman Empire, a thousand-year-old entity which had once aspired to be a single state, but had become highly decentralised over the centuries. The rulers of Electorate of Saxony had held the title of elector for several centuries. When the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved following the defeat of Emperor Francis II by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz, the electorate was raised to the status of an independent kingdom with the support of France, then the dominant power in Central Europe. The last elector of Saxony became King Frederick Augustus I.

Following the defeat of Saxony's ally Prussia at the Battle of Jena in 1806, Saxony joined the Confederation of the Rhine, and remained within the Confederation until its dissolution in 1813 with Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Leipzig. Following the battle, in which Saxony - virtually alone of the German states - had fought alongside the French, King Frederick Augustus I was considered to have forfeited his throne by the allies, who put Saxony under Russian occupation and administration. This was probably more due to the Prussian desire to annex Saxony than to any crime on Frederick Augustus's part, and the fate of Saxony would prove to be one of the main issues at the Congress of Vienna. In the end, 40% of the Kingdom, including the historically significant Wittenberg, home of the Protestant Reformation, was annexed by Prussia, but Frederick Augustus was restored to the throne in the remainder of his kingdom, which still included the major cities of Dresden and Leipzig. The Kingdom also joined the German Confederation, the new organization of the German states to replace the Holy Roman Empire.

The Austro-Prussian War and the German Empire

During the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, Saxony sided with Austria, and the Saxon army was generally seen as the only ally to bring substantial aid to the Austrian cause, having abandoned the defense of Saxony itself to join up with the Austrian army in Bohemia. This effectiveness probably allowed Saxony to escape the fate of other north German states which allied with Austria (notably the Kingdom of Hanover), which were annexed by Prussia after the war. The Austrians insisted as a point of honour that Saxony must be spared, and the Prussians acquiesced. Saxony nevertheless joined the Prussian-led North German Confederation the next year. With Prussia's victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, the members of the Confederation were organised by Otto von Bismarck into the German Empire, with Wilhelm I as its Emperor. John I, as Saxony's incumbent king, was subordinate and owed allegiance to the Emperor, although he, like the other German princes, retained some of the prerogatives of a sovereign ruler, including the ability to enter into diplomatic relations with other states.

The end of the kingdom

Wilhelm I's grandson Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated in 1918 as a result of Germany's defeat in the First World War. King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony followed him into abdication and the erstwhile Kingdom of Saxony became the Free State of Saxony within the newly-formed Weimar Republic, thus ceasing a somewhat brief history as a kingdom.

See also

* Saxony
* History of Saxony
* Kings of Saxony


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • List of diplomats from the United Kingdom to Saxony — Below is an incomplete list of diplomats from the United Kingdom to Saxony, specifically Heads of Missions.Heads of MissionsEnvoys Extraordinary and Ministers PlenipotentiaryElectorate of Saxony*1747 ndash;1750 Charles Hanbury Williams *1755… …   Wikipedia

  • Saxony — • Chronology of the area and the people Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Saxony     Saxony     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Saxony — Sax o*ny, n. [So named after the kingdom of Saxony, reputed to produce fine wool.] 1. A kind of glossy woolen cloth formerly much used. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. Saxony yarn, or flannel made of it or similar yarn. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • saxony — /sak seuh nee/, n. 1. a fine, three ply woolen yarn. 2. a soft finish, compact fabric, originally of high grade merino wool from Saxony, for topcoats and overcoats. 3. a pile carpet woven in the manner of a Wilton but with yarns of lesser quality …   Universalium

  • Saxony — Saxonian /sak soh nee euhn/, n., adj. Saxonic /sak son ik/, adj. /sak seuh nee/, n. 1. a state in E central Germany. 4,900,000; 6561 sq. mi. (16,990 sq. km). Cap.: Dresden. 2. a former state of the Weimar Republic in E central Germany. 5788 sq.… …   Universalium

  • Saxony — Infobox German Bundesland Name = Free State of Saxony German name = Freistaat Sachsen (de) Swobodny stat Sakska (wen) state coa = Coat of arms of Saxony.svg flag2 = Flag of Saxony (state).svg capital = Dresden largest city = Leipzig area =… …   Wikipedia

  • Saxony (disambiguation) — See also: Saxon (disambiguation) or Saxonia (disambiguation) for other related terms. Saxony may refer to several Holy Roman Empire era, German Empire or later modern German states in different locations along the Elbe river: Free State of Saxony …   Wikipedia

  • Saxony-Anhalt — Infobox German Bundesland Name = Saxony Anhalt German name = Sachsen Anhalt state coa = Wappen Sachsen Anhalt.svg flag2 = Flag of Saxony Anhalt (state).svg capital = Magdeburg largest city = Halle area = 20445.26 area source = population =… …   Wikipedia

  • Kingdom of Prussia — Infobox Former Country native name = Königreich Preußen conventional long name = Kingdom of Prussia common name = Prussia continent = Europe region = Germany country = Germany year start = 1701 year end = 1918 date start = January 18 date end =… …   Wikipedia

  • SAXONY, PRUSSIAN —    (2,580), a province of Prussia, chiefly comprises that part of SAXONY (q.v.) added to Prussia in 1815; situated in the centre of Prussia, N. of the kingdom of Saxony; is watered by the Elbe and its numerous affluents, and diversified by the… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”