[November 13] Albert II, margrave of Meissen

Local Name: Albrecht II
Surnamed: "The Degenerate" (Der Entartete)
Parents: Henry III, margrave of Meissen, and Constantia of Austria
Born: 1240
House: Wettin
Spouse(s): (1) Margaret, daughter of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Isabella of England, then (2) Kunigarde, daughter of Otto of Eisenberg, then (3) Elisabeth, heiress of Nordhalben
Predecessor: Henry III

Reign: 1288 – 1292
Brief: Albert II enters the history books as the landgrave of Thuringia and the count palatine of Saxony in 1265. His father, Henry III, retained Meissen until his death in 1288. A younger brother received smaller portions of the domain. In 1274, Albert married his mistress and attempted to deprive his legitimate children from the succession, sparking a short civil war within Saxony. With the deaths of an uncle, Theodoric, and Henry III, the succession dispute became acute since the fighting expanded over all of Meissen. In 1288, Albert was captured by his eldest surviving son, Frederick, forcing the Treaty of Rochlitz which deprived the margrave of much of his lands. Meissen itself Albert retained until 1292 when he sold it to his nephew, Frederick Tuta, in defiance of his own children. He further angered his children by selling Thuringia to the German King Adolf of Nassau. When Albert finally died in 1314, Albert I, the new German king, claimed the territory for himself via the old treaty. Albert finally resolved the issues with his son when his son married the daughter of his step-mother, thereby uniting both halves of the family. His death in 1305 pushed Albert over the edge. He gave up any remaining claims to his lands and handed them to Frederick, dying several years later at Erfurt.

Date of Death: 13 November 1314
Successor: Frederick I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Nicholas I, pope of Rome (867)
• Malcolm III, king of Scotland (1093)
• Fulk, king of Jerusalem (1143)
• Albert I, margrave of Brandenburg (1170)
• Ivan II, grand prince of Moscow (1359)
• Franz Joseph II, prince of Liechtenstein (1989)

[October 20] Henri X, duke of Bavaria

Surnamed: "The Proud"
Parents: Henry IX, duke of Bavaria, and Wulfhilde of Saxony
Born: circa 1108
House: Welf
Spouse(s): Gertrud, daughter of Lothar III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Richenza of Northeim
Predecessor: Henri IX

Reign: 1126 – 1138
Brief: Henry was the eldest surviving son of his parents, and the heir not only to Bavaria, but to Saxony as well. He shared his territories with his younger brother, Welf VI. Henry furthered his fortunes in 1127 by marrying the only child of Holy Roman Emperor Lothar III. She was the heiress to three more Saxon families. Much of Henry's reign was spent campaigning for the Hohenstaufen brothers Frederick II of Swabia and Conrad of Franconia. Civil unrest in Bavaria forced Henry to forcefully repression rebellion. In 1136, Henry lead an army to southern Italy where he devastated the land. For his actions, he was made margrave of Tuscany and named Lothar's successor in Saxony. Lothar died the next year and Henry was a strong candidate for the Imperial crown, but he was blocked and Conrad of Franconia became emperor. A dispute broke out, and Henry was deprived of Saxony and Bavaria. He was preparing for war soon after retaking Saxony in 1139 when he died suddenly. Bavaria passed to a brother of the Emperor while Saxony passed to Albert the Lion of the Ascania family. Henry's son, Henry the Lion, eventually regained both duchies.

Date of Death: 20 October 1139
Successor: Leopold

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor (1740)

[September 12] John George III, elector of Saxony

Parents: John George II, elector of Saxony, and Magdalene Sybille of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
House: Wettin
Born: 20 June 1647
Spouse(s): Anna Sophie, daughter of Frederick III, king of Denmark, and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Predecessor: John George II

Reign: 1680 – 1691
Brief: A soldier king from the start of his reign, John George III was a staunch ally of the Habsburgs against the France of King Louis XIV. He established the first standing army in Saxony and used it to support Emperor Leopold I in his wars against the Ottoman Empire and France. While he did not join in the League of Augsburg, he fought against the French in the Nine Years' War. He died from an epidemic of Cholera or Plague and was buried in the Cathedral of Freiberg.

Date of Death: 12 September 1691

Successor: John George IV

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Andronikos I, emperor of Constantinople (1185)
• Peter II, king of Aragón (1213)
• Innocent VI, pope of Rome (1362)
• Albert III, duke of Saxony (1500)
• Vasili IV, tsar of Russia (1612)
• Afonso VI, king of Portugal (1683)

[May 5] Frederick Augustus I, king of Saxony

True Name: Frederick Augustus Joseph Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Aloys Xavier
Parents: Frederick Christian, elector of Saxony, and Maria Antonia of Bavaria

Date of Birth: 23 December 1750

House: Wettin
Spouse: Amalie, daughter of Frederick Michael, count palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler, and Maria Francisca of Palatine-Sulzbach

Predecessor: Frederick Christian

Reign: 1806 – 1827

Summary: Saxony was a Holy Roman Imperial Electorate when Frederick Augustus was born in 1750, and it remained so for many years of his early reign. Frederick was a minority when he became elector, so his mother, Maria Antonia, ruled as regent until 1768 when Frederick turned eighteen. His uncle, Franz Xavier, served as his representative in international affairs and, in 1765, was instrumental in handing the Polish throne to Stanislaw August, a relative of the Saxon ruler. Frederick Augustus, however, was named heir to Stanislaw according to the Polish constitution. Frederick eventually declined the Polish throne in 1798 due to conflicts with Austria, Prussia, and Russia. Saxony sided with the French monarchists in 1791 after the French Revolution started but he did not go so far to sign a treaty stating as much. Frederick wanted to stay out of the growing conflict between France, Prussia, and Austria. But Austria would have none of it. In a formal proclamation by the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, Austria was demanding unilateral warfare against France. Saxons avoided most of the fighting and managed to renege on their obligations in 1796 after Prussia pulled out of the alliance. Between 1797 and 1803, Frederick personally refused to accept new land exchanges and new constitutional amendments to the Holy Roman Empire and its charter, fearing that imperial order was falling apart. He also refused to join Napoleon I's Confederation of the Rhine, which led to the breakup of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. Fearing French encroachment, Frederick joined in alliance with Prussia against France and at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, Saxony was soundly defeated. Frederick was forced to join the Confederacy and surrender land to the new Kingdom of Westphalia. In exchange, Saxony was elevated to the status of kingdom with Bavaria and Württemberg. In 1807, he was also named Duke of Warsaw.

Frederick Augustus did not relish being a member of France's puppet Confederacy. He was constantly forced to make territorial revisions and Poland was constantly harassed by Austria. In 1812, Frederick Augustus proclaimed the Kingdom of Poland, which upset Napoleon and the Austrians. During the 1813 War of Liberation, Saxony became the battlefield of nations. Over a million soldiers came to Saxony to fight and Frederick could do nothing but watch, fearing retribution from either side should he choose the wrong side. Yet by the end of the year, Frederick had joined sides with the other German powers and been caught between a rock and a hard place. Napoleon recalled him and forced the king to side with the French in the battle. The Germans were unable to dislodge Napoleon from Saxony. Yet every time Saxon soldiers fought against Germans, increasing numbers would defect with Frederick's secret blessing. At the Battle of Leipzig, the Saxon armies remained on the French side, but many defectors fought for the Germans. Napoleon was defeated and the Congress of Vienna commenced. Frederick was taken into custody as an enemy of the state. Poland was confiscated from him and given to the Russians. Saxony was reduced to half its size, in fear that Prussia would grow too large otherwise, but Frederick was allowed to remain as king. The Saxons praised his return but those Saxons now finding themselves in Prussian territory were bitter at their sudden separation. Frederick Augustus spent the final years of his life ruling in a conservative manner, neglecting reform movements and modernizing the economy, which would come to bite his successor, Anthony, in the behind. Frederick died in 1827 and was buried at the Catholic Cathedral in Dresden.

Date of Death: 5 May 1827

Successor: Anthony

Other Monarch Deaths:

Galerius, emperor of Rome (311)

Alfonso V, king of Castile, León, and Galicia (1028)

Casimir II, king of Poland (1194)

Leo II, king of Armenia (1219)

Charles II, king of Naples (1309)

Frederick IIII, elector of Saxony (1525)

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1705)

Napoleon I, emperor of the French (1821)

[April 27] John George IV, elector of Saxony

Parents: John George III, elector of Saxony, and Anna Sophie of Denmark

Date of Birth: 18 October 1668

House: Wettin
Spouse: Eleonore Erdmuthe, daughter of John George I, duke of Saxe-Eisenach, and Joanna of Sayn-Wittgenstein

Predecessor: John George III

Reign: 1681 — 1684

Summary: Born the eldest son of John George III, the Holy Roman Imperial elector of Saxony, John George IV was destined to be a leader. During his youth, John George fell in love with a minor noble, Magdalena Sibylla, who may have been John George III's illegitimate daughter and, thus, John George IV's half-sister. Despite the rumor, the young prince continued his relationship with Madgalena and, after he became elector in September 1691, lived with her openly. She was declared the Official Mistress in 1692.

Soon after his election to the electorate, John George IV's chief advisor, Hans Adam von Schöning, suggested unifying Saxony and Brandeburg and turning against Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. John George agreed and withdrew Saxon troops from the Imperial army, prompting Leopold to capture Schöning and imprison him indefinitely. John George finally relented and returned Saxon troops to the army in 1693. John George was forced to marry Eleonore Erdmuthe in 1692 by his mother, who sought to continue the Wettin bloodline through her son. His mother also had the ulterior motive of separating John George from his Madgalena. It backfired, though, as John George instead simply relegated his wife to the back burner, humiliating her publicly and allowing her to reside in the electoral palace while he moved to a country estate with his mistress. John George eventually tried to murder his wife but was stopped by his younger brother, Frederick Augustus. The brother was wounded from the encounter for the rest of his life. John George had his mistress elevated to the rank of countess by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1693 and she bore a baby girl soon after. Within months, though, Magdalena died of smallpox and the elector also became infected. He died less than a month later. The elector was succeeded by his brother, Frederick Augustus (who was also king of Poland as Augustus II). He took care of his illegitimate niece and eventually married her to a Polish count.

Date of Death: 27 April 1694

Successor: Frederick Augustus I

Other Monarch Deaths:

Ardashir III, king of Persia (630)

Philip II, duke of Burgundy (14040

Leo XI, pope of Rome (1605)

[March 27] Herman, duke of Saxony

The March of the Billungs, circa 1000.

Parents: Billung von Strubenskorn and Ermengarde of Nantes

Date of Birth: circa 900

House: Billung

Predecessor: Otto I

Spouse: Oda, then Hildegarde of Westerbourg

Reign: 961 – 973

Summary: A relatively unknown duke of Saxony during the transitional years before the House of Wettin took the throne, Herman was originally a margrave (marcher lord) of the Holy Roman Empire. His father was a little known local lord and his wife a Frankish woman. He ruled an area north of the Elbe River between the Limes Saxoniae and Peene Rivers. Herman began expanding his domains to the east, pushing into Slavic land and creating what became known as the March of the Billungs, named after his family. The Saxons at this time were in an almost constant state of warfare with the eastern Slavs. Otto I, the Holy Roman Emperor, was the duke of Saxony at this time but entrusted increasing amounts of authority to Herman while Otto was away on Imperial business. It is unclear if Herman was ever officially duke, but Otto relinquished the title during his reign and it is fairly certain Herman received it around the year 961.

The new duke ruled in his own right but under the authority of Otto. He was known as a military leader outside of Saxony and supported the emperor's prerogatives. His son, Bernard, was responsible for making Saxony a strong bastion in the center of Germany. Herman centralized his rule around Lüneburg in western Germany and founded the monastery of St. Michael there. He had five children, the eldest of whom succeeded him to Saxony in 973. Of his other children, one married two margraves of Meissen, a margraviate that would later inherit Saxony, another married the count of Flanders and then the count of Verdûn. A third became an abbess in Herford in Saxony. Herman died at Quedlinburg after a long and successful life. His family ruled Saxony for 150 years before the dynasty ended in dynastic warfare.

Date of Death: 27 March 973

Successor: Bernard I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Herman, duke of Saxony (973)
• Clement III, pope of Rome (1191)
• Alfonso XI, king of Castile (1350)
• Gregory XI, pope of Rome (1378)
• Vasili II, grand prince of Moscow (1462)
• Mary, duchess of Burgundy (1482)
• James VI/I, king of Scots, England & Ireland (1625)

[February 9] Bernard I, duke of Saxony

Map of Saxony (light orange), c. 1000

Parents: Herman, duke of Saxony, and Oda
Date of Birth: c. 950

Royal House: Billung

Spouse: Hildegard, daughter of Henry I the Bald, count of Stade

Reign: 973 – 1011

Predecessor: Herman

Summary: Bernard grew up in the tough times in Germany after the fall of the Carolingian empire when the Ottonians were just establishing themselves. Bernard's father, Herman, fought his whole life for acceptance as the leader of the Saxons and never achieved the status of duke. Bernard, therefore, succeeded where his father had failed. Taking strength from the military victories of his father and grandfather, Bernard inherited Saxony during its rise to greatness and expanded upon that. 

Bernard fought against the Slavs in order to secure his eastern border. He fought the Danes in the north in three separate invasion attempts. In 983, he was a strong supporter of Otto III for the Holy Roman Imperial throne against the claims of Otto's uncle, Henry the Wrangler. For his loyalty to the throne, Bernard was made a marshal of the reich in 986. In 991 and 995 he joined Otto in campaigns against the encroaching Slavs. Inso-doing, he unified the Saxons under his banner and served as their representative and confidant to the emperor. And while his son ratified the union with the tribal leaders of the Saxons, Bernard set the stage for such a union. Bernard died in 1011 after a reign of 38 years. He was buried in a the Church of Saint Michael in Lüneburg in western Germany.

Date of Death: 9 February 1011

Successor: Bernard II

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Minamoto no Yoritomo, shogun of Japan (1199)