Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia

Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia (21 December 1336 in Weißenfels – 18 May 1406 at the Wartburg in Eisenach) was Margrave of Meissen and Landgrave of Thuringia from the House of Wettin.

Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia
Landgrave Balthasar in his fight against the robber barons (fresco by Moritz von Schwind in the Landgrave's room in the Wartburg in Eisenach)
Born(1336-12-21)21 December 1336
Weißenfels
Died18 May 1406(1406-05-18) (aged 69)
Wartburg in Eisenach
Noble familyHouse of Wettin
Spouse(s)Margaret of Nuremberg
Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg
FatherFrederick II, Margrave of Meissen
MotherMathilde of Bavaria

Life

Balthasar was the second son of Frederick the Serious. After his father's death in 1349, his elder brother Frederick the Austere acted as regent and guardian for Balthasar and his brothers William I and Louis. After they came of age, William and Balthasar ruled jointly with Frederick.

After Frederick's death, a conflict arose between the brothers Balthasar and William on the one hand, and their nephews, Frederick the Warlike, William the rich and George on the other hand. This was resolved on November 1382, with the so-called Division of Chemnitz in which Balthasar received the Landgraviate of Thuringia.

Marriage and issue

Balthasar first married, in the spring of 1374, with Margaret, the daughter of Burgrave Albert of Nuremberg (d. 1390). With her, he had a son and a daughter:

After Margaret's death, Balthasar married Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg (d. 1426), the widow of Duke Frederick I of Brunswick-Lüneburg. This marriage remained childless.

Ancestry

References

  • Heinrich Theodor Flathe (1875), "Balthasar", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German), 2, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, p. 27
Balthasar, Landgrave of Thuringia
Born: 21 December 1336 Died: 18 May 1406
Preceded by
Frederick II
Margrave of Meissen
1349-1382
With: Frederick III and William I
Margraviate divided
New division Landgrave of Thuringia
1382-1406
Succeeded by
Frederick IV


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