Wenceslas I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg
Encyclopedia
Wenceslas I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg
(c. 1337 – 15 May 1388, Celle
) from the House of Ascania ruled from 1370 to 1388 and was a prince-elector
of the Holy Roman Empire as well as Prince of Lüneburg
. He was the son of Rudolf I and his 3rd wife, Agnes of Lindow.
as King of Germany and in 1377 stood by Emperor Charles IV
in the Altmark
. He was frequently active in the affairs of the empire on the side of the emperor. Charles IV granted Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg
and his uncle Wenceslas I - and their house - the underlying entitlement to Brunswick and Lüneburg
, but the two of them were unsuccessful in claiming this right through the Lüneburg War of Succession
. In 1388 Wenceslas finally lost his claim at the battle of Winsen an der Aller
.
He was in conflict with the Duke of Brabant
over the right to carry the Imperial Sword
ahead of the emperor.
He made state peace treaties with Anhalt
, Magdeburg
and Meißen.
During the siege of Celle
Wenceslas died suddenly of a serious illness. Even his contemporaries suspected that he had been administered poison and that that was the cause of death. According to other traditional accounts, he died on 18 August 1402 which has however caused confusion over his grave.
They had the following children:
Saxe-Wittenberg
The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg was a medieval duchy of the Holy Roman Empire centered at Wittenberg, which emerged after the dissolution of the stem duchy of Saxony. As the precursor of the Saxon Electorate, the Ascanian Wittenberg dukes prevailed in obtaining the Saxon electoral dignity.-Ascanian...
(c. 1337 – 15 May 1388, Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
) from the House of Ascania ruled from 1370 to 1388 and was a prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of the Holy Roman Empire as well as Prince of Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
. He was the son of Rudolf I and his 3rd wife, Agnes of Lindow.
Life
In 1370 Wenceslas succeeded his brother Rudolf II. In 1376 he took part, as a prince-elector, in the election of WenceslasWenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty...
as King of Germany and in 1377 stood by Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
in the Altmark
Altmark
The Altmark is a historic region in Germany, comprising the northern third of Saxony-Anhalt. As the initial territory of the Brandenburg margraves, it is sometimes referred to as the "Cradle of Prussia", as by Otto von Bismarck, a native from Schönhausen near Stendal.- Geography :The Altmark is...
. He was frequently active in the affairs of the empire on the side of the emperor. Charles IV granted Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg
Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg, Duke of Lüneburg
Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg was born as the son of Otto , a younger son of the prince-elector Rudolph I of Saxe-Wittenberg, and his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Duke William II of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and his uncle Wenceslas I - and their house - the underlying entitlement to Brunswick and Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
, but the two of them were unsuccessful in claiming this right through the Lüneburg War of Succession
Lüneburg War of Succession
The Lüneburg War of Succession was a conflict that broke out in 1370 in north Germany and lasted, with interruptions, for 18 years. The war was over the line of succession to the Principality of Lüneburg...
. In 1388 Wenceslas finally lost his claim at the battle of Winsen an der Aller
Winsen (Aller)
Winsen an der Aller or Winsen is a town in the district of Celle in the German state of Lower Saxony.-Geography:Winsen has around 12,900 inhabitants and lies on the southern perimeter of the Lüneburg Heath, on the banks of the Aller, somewhat to the west of its tributary, the Örtze and about...
.
He was in conflict with the Duke of Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
over the right to carry the Imperial Sword
Imperial Sword
The Imperial Sword , is one of four Imperial Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire. During the coronation, it was given to the emperor along with the sceptre and the Imperial Orb...
ahead of the emperor.
He made state peace treaties with Anhalt
Anhalt
Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...
, Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
and Meißen.
During the siege of Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
Wenceslas died suddenly of a serious illness. Even his contemporaries suspected that he had been administered poison and that that was the cause of death. According to other traditional accounts, he died on 18 August 1402 which has however caused confusion over his grave.
Descendants
On 23 January 1376 Wenceslas married Cecilia of Carrara, daughter of Francis of Carrara (born 29 September 1325 in Padua; died 6 October 1393 in Monza), Count of Padua.They had the following children:
- Rudolf IIIRudolf III, Duke of Saxe-WittenbergDuke Rudolf III of Saxe-Wittenberg was a member of the House of Ascania and Elector of Saxony. He ruled Saxe-Wittenberg from 1388-1419.- Life :...
, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg - Wenceslas (died 1402)
- Erich (died as child)
- AnnaAnna of Saxe-WittenbergAnna of Saxe-Wittenberg was a member of the House of Ascania and the wife of Duke Frederick I of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a German antiking....
(died 1426) who married Frederick of Brunswick-LüneburgFrederick, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgFrederick , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was ruler of the Principality of Brunswick from 1373, and, according to some sources, briefly German king-elect in opposition to Wenceslaus in 1400.... - Albert IIIAlbert III, Duke of Saxe-WittenbergDuke Albert III of Saxe-Wittenberg was the last Wittenberg Ascanian and prince-elector of the German Nation.- Life :When Prince-Elector Rudolf III was poisoned in 1419 and died, his younger brother Albert III, , also known as Albert the Poor, took over the running of Saxe-Wittenberg...
(died 1422) Elector of Saxony - Margaret of Saxony who married Bernhard of Brunswick-LüneburgBernard I, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgBernard , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, ruled over several principalities of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the genealogy of the House of Welf, he is considered the first member of the Second House of Lüneburg....
Literature
- Lorenz Friedrich Beck: Herrschaft and Territorium des Herzöge of Saxe-Wittenberg (1212–1422). Potsdam, 2000. ISBN 3-932981-63-4
- Heinrich Kühne: Die Askanier. Drei Kastanien Verlag, 1999. ISBN 3-933028-14-0
- Georg Hirschfeld: Geschichte der Sächsisch-Askanischen Prince-Electoren. Julius Sittenfeld, Berlin 1884.