SAXONY, a state in the German Re public, formerly a kingdom, now a re public; bounded on the N. W., N. and E. by Prussia; S. E. and S. by Bohemia; S. W. by Bavaria ; and W. by Reuss, Saxe-Weimar, and Saxe-Altenburg; area, 5,787 square miles. For administrative purposes it is divided into the five dis tricts of Dresden, Leipsic, Zwickau, Chemnitz, and Bautzen. Pop. about 5,000,000.
General Features.—With the exception of a very small portion of the E., which sends its waters to the Baltic, Saxony belongs to the basin of the Elbe, which traverses it in a N. W. direction for about 70 miles. Of its tributaries the most important are the Mulde and the Elster. The surface, though very much broken, may be regarded as an inclined plane, which commences in the S., in the Erzgebirge chain, and slopes toward the N. In the more elevated districts, the scenery is wild, and on either side of the Elbe, from the Bohemian frontier to Pirna, is a remarkable tract which has received the name of the Saxon Switzer land. On the Prussian frontiers, where the district subsides to its lowest point, the height above the sea is only 250 feet. The loftiest summits are generally com posed of granite and gneiss, and are rich in mineral products. The Erzgebirge is continued by the Riesengebirge, a branch of which, under the name of the Lausit zergebirge, or Mountains of Lusatia, covers a considerable portion of East Saxony. The climate in the loftier moun tain districts is very cold, but with this exception it is milder than that of most countries of Europe under the same lati tude.
Productions, Industries, etc.—The most important crops are rye, oats, barley, wheat, potatoes; and orchard fruits, par ticularly apples, pears, and plums, are very abundant. Considerable attention is paid to the culture of the vine. Large numbers of horned cattle are exported. The wool of Saxony has long been cele brated for its excellence. Swine and horses are of a superior breed. The min erals are of great importance and in clude silver, lead, tin, iron, cobalt, nickel, bismuth, and arsenic. Lignite and coal are found in various districts. The quar ries furnish in abundance granite, por phyry, basalt, marble, serpentine, and sandstone. Several mineral springs of reputation exist. Saxony is an impor tant manufacturing country, textile fab rics, such as cotton and woolen goods, linen, lace and ribbons, being the leading products. Other industries are earthen ware, Dresden ware, leather, straw weaving, chemicals, etc., and the printing establishments of Leipsic are well known. Saxony is connected with the great trunk lines which traverse central Europe. The chief towns are Dresden (the capital), Leipsic, Chemnitz, Zwickau, Plauen, and Freiberg.
History.—The last ruling family in Saxony claimed descent from Wittekind, the national hero who was conquered by Charlemagne and embraced Christianity.
The territory became a duchy about 880, and in the 10th century Duke Henry was elected German emperor. In 1127 the duchy passed to the Bavarian branch of the Guelph family, and after several changes Frederick the Warrior, Mar grave of Meissen and Landgrave of Thuringia, became (1423) Elector of Sax ony. His grandsons, Ernest and Albert, in 1485 divided the family posses sions, founding the Ernestine and Alber tine lines respectively, the former re taining the electoral dignity. Ernest was succeeded by his sons Frederick III. (1486-1525) and John (1525-1532), but in 1548 the elector of the Ernestine line was put under the ban of the empire, and the electorate transferred to Mau rice, who represented the Albertine line which now occupies the throne. Maurice was succeeded by his brother Augustus (1553-1586), who made important addi tions to the Saxon territories by purchase and otherwise. His son, Christian I., died in 1691, leaving the crown to his son, Christian II. Christian's brother and successor, John George I. (1611-1656), joined Gustavus Adolphus in the Thirty Years' War, and the Saxon forces took part in Breitenfeld and at Lutzen. Fred erick Augustus I. (1694-1733) embraced the Catholic religion (1697) to obtain the crown of Poland. Frederick Augus tus II. also obtained the Polish crown (as Augustus III.) after a war with France and joined with Austria in the Seven Years' War. Frederick Augustus III. (1763-1827) reluctantly took part against France when war was declared by the Imperial Diet in 1793, but after the battle of Jena the elector and his army fought side by side with the French. Napoleon conferred on him the title of king, and large additions were made to the Saxon territory in 1807 and 1809. In 1813 Saxony was the scene of Napo leon's struggle with the allies, and the battles of Lutzen, Bautzen, Dresden, and Leipsic were followed by the Congress of Vienna (1814), when a large part of the dominions then under the Saxon monarch was ceded to Prussia. A period of great progress followed, interrupted somewhat at the revolutionary period of 1848-1849. In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Sax ony took part with Austria and was occupied by the Prussian troops. Prus sia desired to incorporate the kingdom, but Austria, supported by France, op posed this arrangement, and Saxony was admitted into the North German Con federation instead. In the Franco-Prus sian War, Saxony united with the rest of Germany against France; and the late King Albert (then crown prince) was commander of the German army of the Meuse. On Nov. 9, 1918, the King of Saxony abdicated and the country was declared a republic.