List of rulers of Saxony

• Hadugato (fl. c. 531)
• Berthoald (fl. c. 622)
• Theoderic (fl. c. 743–744)
• Widukind (c. 777–785), leader against Charlemagne
• Albion (fl. c. 785–811)

Dukes of Saxony
Image	Name	Reign	Notes
Hattonid Dynasty
	Banzleib	838 – 840	Comes et marchio
Liudolfing/Ottonian Dynasty
	Liudolf I	850 – 12 March 864 or 866	Comes et marchio
	Bruno	12 March 864 or 866 – 2 February 880	Comes et marchio
	Otto I the Illustrious	2 February 880 – 30 November 912	first Duke of the Younger stem duchy
	Henry I the Fowler	30 November 912 – 2 July 936	Also German King 919–936
	Otto II the Great	2 July 936 – 961	Also German King 936–973, Emperor 962–973
Billung Dynasty
	Hermann	961 – 27 March 973
	Bernard I	27 March 973 – 9 February 1011
	Bernard II	9 February 1011 – 29 June 1059
	Ordulf	29 June 1059 – 28 March 1072
	Magnus	28 March 1072 – 23 August 1106
Supplinburg Dynasty
	Lothar	1106 – 4 December 1137	Also German King 1125–1137, Emperor 1133–1137
Ascanian Dynasty
	Otto the Rich	1112	Appointed by Emperor Henry V in opposition to Duke Lothar. Otto was the son-in-law of Duke Magnus Billung and the father of later Duke, Albert the Bear.
House of Mansfeld
	Hoyer I, Count of Mansfeld	1115	Appointed by Emperor Henry V in opposition to Duke Lothar.
Welf Dynasty
	Henry the Proud	4 December 1137 – 20 October 1139	son-in-law of Lothar; also Duke of Bavaria
Ascanian Dynasty
	Albert the Bear	20 October 1139 – 1142	son of Otto the Rich and grandson of Magnus Billung; also Margrave of Brandenburg
Welf Dynasty
	Henry the Lion	1142–1180	son of Henry the Proud and grandson of Lothair III; also Duke of Bavaria

With the removal of the Welfs in 1180, the Duchy of Saxony was sharply reduced in territory. Westphalia fell to the Archbishop of Cologne, while the Duchy of Brunswick remained with the Welfs. The Ascanian Dukes had their base further east, near the Elbe, in what is sometimes called the younger Duchy of Saxony, resulting in the name Saxony moving towards the east. After the division, the counting of the dukes started anew. Though the first Ascanian duke is competingly counted as Bernard III (because of two predecessors of the same name before 1180) or as Bernard I, his successor, Albert I is already usually counted as the first, although before 1180 he had one predecessor of the same name, Albert the Bear.

In the 10th century the Emperor Otto I had created the County Palatine of Saxony in the Saale-Unstrut area of southern Saxony. The honour was initially held by a Count of Hessengau, then from the early 11th century by the Counts of Goseck, later by the Counts of Sommerschenburg, and still later by the Landgraves of Thuringia. When the Wettin landgraves succeeded to the Electorate of Saxony, the two positions merged.

(Note: Both lines follow the numbering established in this table until 1296, when they were created. From 1296 on, each line follows independently the succession of Saxon dukes until 1296)

Ruler		Born	Reign	Death	Ruling part	Consort	Notes
Bernard III		c.1134	1180–1212	2 February 1212	Saxony	Brigitte of Denmark six children Sophia of Thuringia one child Judith of Poland c.1173 no children	Also Count of Ballenstedt and Prince of Anhalt. Numberings starting with Ascanian rule or continuing after prior dukes of the same name. Father of the following.
Albert I		c.1175	1212–1260	7 October 1260	Saxony	Agnes of Austria 1222 five children Agnes of Thuringia 1238 three children Helene of Brunswick-Lüneburg 1247 five children	Father of the following two dukes
Albert II		1250	1260–1296	25 August 1298	Saxony	Agnes of Austria 1282 six children	Ruled jointly; and associated his nephews to the joint rulership after his brothers death. However, these three nephews divided the land with him. Albert II retained Saxe-Wittenberg, and became the head of the Elder Saxon Line; Albert III, Eric I and John II ruled together in Saxe-Lauenburg, becoming the founders of the Younger Saxon Line.
			1296–1298		Saxe-Wittenberg
John I		1249	1260–1282	30 July 1285	Saxony	Ingeborg Birgersdotter of Sweden 1270 eight children
In 1296 Albert II and his nephews Albert III, Eric I, and John II ended their joint rule and divided Saxony into the Lauenburg line, where Albert III, Eric I, and John II continued to rule jointly until 1303, and the Wittenberg line, where Albert II continued as sole ruler until 1298. Since the Duke of Saxony was considered one of the prince-electors electing a new Holy Roman Emperor, conflict arose between the lines of Lauenburg and Wittenberg over the issue of who should cast Saxony's vote. In 1314 both lines found themselves on different sides in a double election. Eventually, the Dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg succeeded in 1356 after the promulgation of the Golden Bull. To distinguish him from other rulers bearing the title Duke of Saxony, he was commonly called Elector of Saxony.
John II		1275	1296–1303	22 April 1322	Saxe-Lauenburg	Elizabeth of Holstein-Rendsburg 1315 one child	Children of John I, co-ruled first with their uncle Albert II since 1282 (since the death of their father), and in 1296 split the land with him. They retained Lauenburg, which they divided once more. Albert passed the land to his widow, and after her death, in 1315, the territory was realigned: Eric divided Bergdorf with his surviving brother and held all of his brother Albert's inheritance. However, he ended up abdicating to his son, and survived for most of his reign.
			1303–1322		Saxe-Mölln
Eric I		1280	1296–1303	1360	Saxe-Lauenburg	Elisabeth of Pomerania 1316 or 1318 four children
			1303–1338		Saxe-Bergedorf (1303-15) Saxe-Ratzeburg (1315-38)
Albert III		1281	1296-1303	1308	Saxe-Lauenburg	Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel 1302 two children
			1303–1308		Saxe-Ratzeburg
Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel		1270	1308–1315	1 May 1315	Saxe-Ratzeburg	Przemysł II, King of Poland 1302 two children Albert III 1302 two children
In 1315, after the death of Margaret of Brandenburg, the remaining brothers Eric and John redesigned the political division in Saxe-Lauenburg; Eric retained all of Margaret's part, but had to give part of his original domains to his brother.
Rudolph I (Rudolf I)		1284	1298-1356 10 January 1356 – 12 March 1356	12 March 1356	Saxe-Wittenberg Electorate of Saxony	Jutta of Brandenburg 1298 eight children Kunigunde of Poland 28 August 1328 one child Agnes of Lindow-Ruppin 1333 three children	In January 1356 the Golden Bull confirmed Rudolf I as the legitimate Saxon Prince-Elector, thus the rulers of Saxe-Wittenberg are conceived as Electors of Saxony.
The Golden Bull of 1356 confirmed the right to participate in the election of a Holy Roman Emperor to the Duke of Saxony in the Saxe-Wittenberg line.
Regency of Elizabeth of Holstein-Rendsburg (1322-1330)
Albert IV		1315	1322–1343	1343	Saxe-Mölln	Beata of Schwerin 1334 three child Sophia of Mecklenburg-Werle-Güstrow 1341 no children
Eric II		1318/20	1338–1368	1368	Saxe-Ratzeburg	Agnes of Holstein-Plön between 1342 and 1349 four children
John III		c.1330	1343–1356	1356	Saxe-Mölln	Unmarried	Left no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother, Albert.
Albert V		c.1330	1356–1370	1370	Saxe-Mölln	Catherine of Mecklenburg-Werle-Güstrow 25 January 1366 no children	Left no descendants. He was succeeded by his brother, Eric.
Rudolph II the Blind (Rudolf II. der Blinde)		1307	12 March 1356 – 6 December 1370	6 December 1370	Saxe-Wittenberg and Electorate of Saxony	Elisabeth of Hesse Before 8 May 1336 one child	Left no descendants.
Wenceslaus I		1337	6 December 1370 – 15 May 1388	15 May 1388	Saxe-Wittenberg and Electorate of Saxony	Cecilia da Carrara 23 January 1376 six children	Brother of his predecessor.
Eric III		c.1330	1370–1401	1401	Saxe-Mölln	Unmarried	Determined to enter to clergy, has to resign to succeed his brothers. He also left no descendants, which allowed the Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg line to reunite Saxe-Lauenburg.
Rudolph III		1378	15 May 1388 – 11 June 1419	11 June 1419	Saxe-Wittenberg and Electorate of Saxony	Anna of Meissen 1387/89 three children Barbara of Legnica March 1396 two children	Left no male descendants. he was succeeded by his brother, Albert.
In 1401 Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg inherited Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln from the Ascanian Elder Lauenburg line there extinct upon Eric IV's death. The reunited duchy continued under the old name of Saxe-Lauenburg.
Eric IV		1354	1368–1401	21 June 1411/12	Saxe-Ratzeburg	Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg 8 April 1373 ten children	In 1401 reunited Saxe-Lauenburg.
			1401–1411/12		Saxe-Lauenburg
Eric V		after 1373	1411/12–1436	1436	Saxe-Lauenburg	Elisabeth of Holstein-Rendsburg 1404 no children Elisabeth of Weinsberg before 1422 one child	Ruled jointly. The numberings here lead to some confusion, as not all genealogists of the House of Ascania count John IV in the list of Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg, numbering John V (John IV's nephew) as John IV.
John IV		after 1373	1411/12–1414	1414	Saxe-Lauenburg	Unmarried
Albert IV		1375/80	11 June 1419 – (before 12 November) 1422	before 12 November 1422	Saxe-Wittenberg and Electorate of Saxony	Euphemia of Oleśnica 14 January 1420 no children	Left no male descendants, which led the Ascanian Saxe-Wittenberg line to extinction.
The Ascanian Dynasty continued in Saxe-Lauenburg until 1689, but after the Lauenburgish line had finally lost the Saxon Electorate to the Wittenberg line in 1356 and failed to obtain the succession in the Electorate after 1422, recognition of the Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg as Dukes of Saxony waned. To follow the remnant House of Ascania in Saxe-Lauenburg, follow this table. For the following Electors of Saxony, see below the House of Wettin.
Bernard IV		1385/93	1436–1463	16 July 1463	Saxe-Lauenburg	Adelaide of Pomerania-Stolp 1428 two children
John V		18 July 1439	1463–1507	15 August 1507	Saxe-Lauenburg	Dorothea of Brandenburg 12 February 1464 twelve children	Sometimes numbered John IV. He is sometimes confused with his uncle, John IV (Eric V and Bernard IV's brother) and a son of his own (John IV, Bishop of Hildesheim).
Magnus I		1 January 1470	1507–1543	1 August 1543	Saxe-Lauenburg	Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 20 November 1509 Wolfenbüttel six children
Francis I		1510	1543-1571	19 March 1581	Saxe-Lauenburg	Sibylle of Saxony 8 February 1540 Dresden nine children	In 1571 – highly indebted – Francis I resigned in favour of his eldest son Magnus II, who had promised to redeem the pawned ducal demesnes with funds he gained as Swedish military commander and by his marriage to a Swedish princess.
Magnus II		1543	1571–1573	14 March 1603	Saxe-Lauenburg	Sophia of Sweden 4 July 1568 Stockholm one child	Eldest son of Francis I. He didn't pay the debts he promised to pay and led to war with his father and brothers. Two years later they deposed Magnus II and Francis I re-ascended. Magnus' violent and judicial attempts to regain the duchy failed. In 1588 he was imprisoned for the remainder of his life.
Francis I		1510	1573–1581	19 March 1581	Saxe-Lauenburg	Sibylle of Saxony 8 February 1540 Dresden nine children	Regained the title in 1573, after pushing back Magnus II.
Francis II		10 August 1547	1581–1619	2 July 1619	Saxe-Lauenburg	Margaret of Pomerania-Wolgast 26 December 1574 Wolgast four children Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 10 November 1582 Wolfenbüttel fourteen children	Brother of Magnus II. Vice-regent from 1578, administrator from 1581. Joint rule with his brother Maurice between 1581 and 1612. Father of Augustus and Julius Henry.
Maurice		1551	1581–1612	2 November 1612	Saxe-Lauenburg	Katharina von Spörck 1581 (annulled 1582) no children	Ruled jointly with his brother Francis II.
Augustus		17 February 1577	1619–1656	18 January 1656	Saxe-Lauenburg	Elisabeth Sofie of Holstein-Gottorp 5 March 1621 Husum six children Catherine of Oldenburg 4 June 1633 no children	Left no male descendants; he was succeeded by his half-brother Julius Henry.
Julius Henry		9 April 1586	1656–1665	20 November 1665	Saxe-Lauenburg	Anna of East Frisia 17 March 1617 Grabow no children Elisabeth Sophia of Brandenburg 4 June 1633 Toužim one son Anna Magdalena of Lobkowicz 18 August 1632 Vienna six children
Francis Erdmann		25 February 1629	1665–1666	30 July 1666	Saxe-Lauenburg	Sibylle Hedwig of Saxe-Lauenburg 1654 no children	Left no descendants; He was succeeded by his brother Julius Francis.
Julius Francis		16 September 1641	1666–1689	30 September 1689	Saxe-Lauenburg	Hedwig of the Palatinate-Sulzbach 9 April 1668 Sulzbach two children

The male line of the Saxe-Lauenburgish Ascanians was extinguished in 1689, after Julius Francis' death. In spite of having left two daughters to inherit the rights to the duchy, the House of Welf usurped the duchy, preventing the succession of the legitimate heiress, Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg, and resucceeded with its Brunswick and Lunenburg-Celle line. In fact, George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was a great-great-grandson of Magnus I through his great-grandmother Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. His descendants became Monarchs of Great Britain from 1714 on. In 1814, after being deposed by various occupations in the Napoleonic Wars, George III's son, Regent George agreed to pass Saxe-Lauenburg to his Danish cousin in a general territorial realignment at the Congress of Vienna. This cousin was Frederick VI of Denmark, who changed the official colours of Saxe-Lauenburg to red and gold. The duchy changed hands again when, in 1865, Christian IX of Denmark was deposed in Second Schleswig War and resigned by Treaty of Vienna; Saxe-Lauenburg passed to William I of Prussia, to whom the Estates of Saxe-Lauenburg offered the ducal throne. The coat-of-arms of Saxe-Lauenburg was changed to the colours red and silver, with a border in the Prussian colours of black and white. Both duke and estates decided to merge Saxe-Lauenburg into Prussia, as district Duchy of Lauenburg, with effect from 1 July 1876.

The Ascanian line of Saxe-Wittenberg became extinct with the death of Elector Albert III in 1422, whereafter Emperor Sigismund bestowed the country and electoral dignity upon Margrave Frederick IV of Meissen, who had been a loyal supporter in the Hussite Wars. Late Albert's Ascanian relative Duke Eric V of Saxe-Lauenburg protested in vain. Frederick, now one of the seven Prince-electors, was a member of the House of Wettin, which since 1089 had ruled over the adjacent Margraviate of Meissen up the Elbe river, established under Emperor Otto I in 965, and since 1242 also over the Landgraviate of Thuringia. Thus, in 1423, Saxe-Wittenberg, the Margraviate of Meissen and Thuringia were united under one ruler, and the unified territory. gradually received the name of (Upper) Saxony (or simply Saxony).