House of Wettin

The House of Wettin is the reigning house of the Kingdom of Saxony, which it has ruled since 1422. The Wettins claimed the Saxon throne through matrilineal descent upon the extinction of the formerly ruling Wittenberg line of the House of Ascania. The Wettins managed to consolidate their rule and, with papal blessing, were able to take the Saxon throne, which they would hold ever after. The house is generally split into the Ernestine and Albertine branches, descended from the two sons of King Friedrich II: Ernest and Albert. The Ernestine line was generally predominant, continuing to reign as Kings of Saxony throughout much of its history. Meanwhile, the Albertines were invested with the title of Duke of Saxe-Meissen, the title they would hold for the majority of their existence. Upon the Pragmatic Sanction, which allowed the inheritance of Queen Frederika with her husband Friedrich August VI (an Albertine) as co-monarchs, this helped to bridge the gap between the two branches of the same family. The new position of dominance of the Albertines has led to uneasiness with some Ernestine backers.

The house was instrumental in the spread of protestantism in the German kingdoms. King Friedrich VII and his son, Johann I, were instrumental in protecting Martin Luther - who established the Christian religious sect known as Lutheranism, beginning the Protestant reformation. The Wettins came staunchly Lutheran in the coming generations, both Ernestine and Albertine converting to the new religion and rejecting papal authority. The ideas of Protestantism would become central to Wettin rule. They began a campaign against Catholic authorities in Saxony, investing the King as the ultimate authority for secular and religious matters in his kingdom. Otherwise, the Wettin Kings focused on centralisation and the growth of their power on the European stage.