Sächsische Landesgeschichte

The transition of news and information are the backbone of every larger society. This lecture paper (in German language) is concerning the messenger-mail of the Saxon court and administration around the year 1500.
As much as we know about the imperial Turn-&-Taxis-Post, which is the germ of the Deutsche Bundespost of our days, that less we know about the messenger mail of the smaller countries in ancient Germany. How could rulers in that time control their land and their possessions, which often stretched across several hundred kilometers? What does it mean, when even the most powerful sovereigns were dependent of the speed and trustworthiness of their messengers, which were going by foot or riding several hundred kilometers. The administration, the courts and even princes were waiting for an answers several weeks, fearing that the messenger could be robbed or bribed and confidential letters could be lost.
At least ten important letters were send out from main court of Electoral-Saxony every day, not counting the smaller requests and inquiries or the formal charters. The Saxon court was keeping at least 4-6 messengers with horses ("reitende Boten") and 4-5 running messengers ("fußgehende Hofboten") the handle this task. At the same time in every of the 70 local central castles ("Ämter") there was at least one local messenger ("Amtsbote") responsible for the delivery of letters, often just getting food and beer. These "Amtsboten" were even used by the court, carrying letters from one "Amts-"castle to the next "Amts-"castle in a relay race (Jens Kunze: "Botenstafette").
The performance of these messengers was extraordinary. Books of account show the some of the "Amtsboten" were going 45 km a day, six days in a row, while some "Hofboten" sometimes travelled 183 Saxon miles (~1500 km) on horseback to deliver several letters to the coast towns, receiving not more than 8 pence a mile and refund of their expenses.

Das 18. und beginnende 19. Jahrhundert waren gleichermaßen von Kriegen, Revolution und Hungersnöten wie auch von der neuen Geisteshaltung der Aufklärung, dem Aufstreben des Bürgertums und dem Aufblühen von Handel, Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur geprägt. Die Ereignisse dieser unruhigen und vielgestaltigen Zeit veranlassten Johann Ephraim August Jacobi (1746–1814), Sattlermeister und Kaufmann in der sächsischen Stadt Penig, seine Lebenserinnerungen für die Nachwelt festzuhalten. Auf über 500 Seiten schildert er sein bewegtes Leben, seine Reisen durch Europa und beschreibt die besonderen Vorkommnisse in seiner Heimatstadt und in Sachsen für die Jahre 1748 bis 1810. Als gebildeter Bürger erkennt er auch die historische Bedeutung der Vorgänge in Frankreich und berichtet über die Auseinandersetzungen Napoleons mit den europäischen Mächten. Der vorliegende Band umfasst die Edition dieses Selbstzeugnisses, das durch eine umfangreiche Einführung mit Hintergrundinformationen zum Autor und seinem Werk sowie Bild- und Kartenmaterial ergänzt wird.

The 18th and early 19th centuries were marked by wars, revolution and famine as well as by the new spirit of the Enlightenment, the rise of the bourgeoisie and the flourishing of trade, education, science and culture. The events of this turbulent and diverse period prompted Johann Ephraim August Jacobi (1746-1814), master saddler and merchant in the Saxon town of Penig, to record his life's memories for posterity. On more than 500 pages, he describes his eventful life, his travels through Europe and describes the special events in his hometown and in Saxony for the years 1748 to 1810. As an educated citizen, he also recognizes the historical significance of the events in France and reports on Napoleon's conflicts with the European powers. The book comprises the edition of this egodocument, which is supplemented by an extensive introduction with background information on the author and his work as well as images and maps.

Die Geschichte der spätmittelalterlichen Universität Leipzig ist eng mit der Geschichte der Stadt verbunden, weshalb die Studie die ökonomischen, rechtlichen und sozialen Phänomene für die ersten 130 Jahre der Hochschule umfassend behandelt. Auf der Grundlage universitärer wie auch bisher kaum benutzter städtischer Quellen werden der Alltag von Studenten und Professoren, deren Zusammenleben mit der Stadtbevölkerung, aber auch die Nutzung der Alma mater Lipsiensis durch die Einwohner Leipzigs selbst sowie der städtische Arbeitsmarkt für Akademiker untersucht. Mit Hilfe sozialwissenschaftlicher Methoden wird nach dem Stellenwert der Universität für das Repräsentationsverständnis der städtischen Oberschicht gefragt. So lässt sich ein ausgeprägtes personelles Netzwerk zwischen den ratsfähigen Familien der Stadt und den Angehörigen besonders der höheren Fakultäten der Universität nachweisen, das sich u. a. im Aufstieg von Gelehrten in Ratsherren- und Bürgermeisteramt, in einer gezielten Geschenkpraxis oder der Entstehung von Promotions-netzwerken äußerte. Die Studie bietet damit einen sozialgeschichtlichen Beitrag, der die Beziehung von Stadt und Universität als produktives Miteinander auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen zeigt.

The electoral residence in Wittenberg is place of one of the most important happenings in the early modern history: Martin Luthers "Thesenanschlag" at the gates of the castle church 1517.
The source-based paper is concerning with some not reliable answered questions: Which meaning had the Wittenberg castle for the prince-electors of Saxony, the protectors of Martin Luther? When did they inhabit their castle? Which noble guests visited the castle? How did the logistics of a residence-castle work?
Some special excursions are concerning with the Jurists Wolfgang Stähelin and Petrus Thomai of Ravenna, the Wittenberg jousting 1508 and the Wittenberg armorer's, the reconstruction of the Elbe Bridge, the relic-"show" (ostensio reliquiarum) in the castle church since 1504 etc.

English Abstract of the paper (in German language): The development of stately residences is generally considered to be an important step on the way from the pre-modern regnancy to the modern state. Such residences were newly founded as centres of administration, governance and presentation in several territories since the 15th century and replaced the travelling ruler with his court. But this assumption does not apply to the territories in the centre of the Holy-Roman-Empire at about 1500. The example of the travelling elector and duke Frederic III. of Saxony (1463-1525) shall prove this. Frederic, called the Wise, ruled several territories, which ranged from Coburg over Weimar and Wittenberg to Beeskow (south of Berlin). He was a protector of Martin Luther and known as a diligent politician, who pur-portedly visited more than 30 "Reichstage". His relatively independent economical and legal administration enabled the duke to be very mobile and to travel pompously. The court of the Elector involved approximately 300 persons. Several times a year this court moved to another castle, in order to avoid burdening the region too much. From these castles the duke started his travels through his territories or to the rest of the empire, accompanied by a big or small entourage. In his letters home Frederic describes his experiences and the problems of travelling and the urge of behaving courtly. Another source of evidence is provided by the account books. They inform us about itinerary and daily routine of an elector, who stayed active till his old age.

The castle of Wittenberg has been completely rebuilded 1489 - 1525. The castle complex was erected for prince-elector Frederic III. of Saxony, the new castle-church entrance was the storied scene of the "Thesenanschlag" of Martin Luther at the 31. October 1517.
In 1760 and 1813/14 the castle and castle-church Wittenberg were heavily damaged, partially bombed down to their foundation walls. The interested visitor of our days will only see a reconstruction of the Prussian-Protestantic reconstruction of the old church of 1892 and a Prussian fortification of 1819/1885 sitting in the old, famous walls.
It is hard enough to get an image of the castle in times of Luther, it is even harder to gain knowledge about the time before 1489.
This paper is a collection and interpretation of sources to the history of the Wittenberg castle and the Saxon prince-electors from 1423 up to 1489, as Wittenberg was a heavily fortified stronghold in the north of the new Saxon electors, the noble house of Wettin, withstanding several wars.

"If they will send another Martinian pastor, I will grab him at his throat and drag him out of the parish church" - Those words were written 1534 by one of the most notorious enemies of Martin Luther: Lord Ernst II of Schönburg, general and council of Duke Georg of Saxony, himself known as the most vigorous opponent of Luther.

Ernst’s of Schönburg’s domain was a small but formally independent territory in southern Saxony (around Glauchau, Waldenburg, Hartenstein, Lichtenstein) with some exclaves to the East at the Elbe River (Hohenstein, Lohmen und Wehlen). Although the dominion Schönburg bordered on the Electorate Saxony, the mother country of the Lutheran Reformation, the Schönburgs remained Catholic.

Ernst II quarreled constantly with the Saxon Elector and his noble administrators about the occupation of the small parish churches at the vague border of his territory. In 1526 he captured the evangelic preacher of the small town Ponitz, a sexton, cut of his ears and banished him form his domain. The sexton complained and sued Ernst at the court of the Saxon Elector. The Elector did send troops to occupy Ponitz a. s. o. The conflict lasted till the death of Ernst in 1534. And this was only one trouble spot and only one of the reasons Luther marked Ernst as a first class example for a tyrant.

Even after the death of Ernst II his territory remained Catholic. He had determined that Duke Georg of Saxony should be custodian for his underage sons, who were tutored by the Catholic parish priest of Glauchau.

In 1542 the situation changed rapidly. The new Elector of Saxony, Johann Frederic, invaded the small diocese of Naumburg forcing the catholic bishop of Naumburg to leave his realm and enthroning an old friend of Luther. Afterwards the Elector was occupying the diocese territory of Wurzen, belonging to Meißen and standing under the protection of the new Duke of Saxony Moritz, nephew of Georg. Martin Luther himself and the Landgrave of Hesse scarcely could prevent a war between the cousins: Elector Johann Frederic and the Duke Moritz.

Shortly after this conflict Duke Moritz, himself Lutheran Protestant and first of the custodian of the still underage sons of Ernst II of Schönburg, ordered the other custodians to introduce the evangelic worship and service in the Schönburgic dominion. He feared that a catholic territory under his patronage could be used as cause for an invasion from his cousin the Elector of Saxony. Some months later, in July 1542, the Schmalkaldic League under the Saxon Elector stormed the catholic town of Wolfenbüttel.
Meanwhile the renowned preacher and first evangelic superintendent of Leipzig Johannes Pfeffinger was asked to reform the Schönburgic church. He held his first evangelic sermon 18. October 1542 and started to write a church regulation.
Everything what had changed in Wittenberg in over 20 years, had to change in Glauchau, Waldenburg and Lichtenstein etc. in less than two years. Altars were broken, Pictures removed, recently holy relics were thrown in the meadow, the silver and gold of the church treasure melted. The old parish priest had already left his position. Other clerics were reviewed and tested in their believes.

Five points stand out in Pfeffingers church regulation (Kirchenordnung) from a modern point of view:

1. The Lords of Schönburg kept great influence in religious matters, kept their own singing books, their own superintendents, their own church law (Konsistorium) and still held memorial masses for family members in their chapel.

2. The religious service is compared to today very intense: with at least two sermons every day, starting in the morning with songs of the school boys and ending in the evening the same way. Only the - today famous - organ of Glauchau had to withhold to not disturb the singers.

3. To heal the world: The mayor task of the evangelic confession was the education of the youth. In Wittenberg the religious reform had been strongly connected with the humanistic educational reform. Latin was the teaching language and remained even in the song books. Roman, Greek and Hebrew literature formed the mayor part of the schedule.

4. Supervision and punishment were an important part of the evangelic church in the 16. Century. The visitations with harsh interrogations not only applied the pastors but also the whole religious community. The punishments ranged from imprisonment up to banishment.

5. No tolerance for nobody: The Evangelic Church as well as the Catholic Church of the 16. Century were not tolerant to dissent believes. In the songbooks of this time the death wish for the Pope and Pagans were considered appropriate for children to sing every night. In the 18. Ct. a Count of Schönburg failed to remove such songs from the song books. His clerics and the community declined his wish.

'And, thus, they pass the days of their youth ...’
Wandering scholars on the via regia Wandering scholars were individuals who embarked on journeys for the sake of education. This diverse group included pupils who were en route to Latin schools as well as aristocratic jurists and theologically trained sons of clergymen making their way to university. However, a desire for education was not always their only motive for travelling. In many cases, vague hopes of social advancement or even simply the need to make a living undoubtedly played an equally significant role. Although this group of wandering scholars was relatively small, a considerable amount of documentary evidence has been left behind, including both written accounts by the scholars themselves and various pieces of invective directed against the youthful vagrants. Destinations along the via regia favoured by these wandering scholars included important cathedral and monastic schools, as well as ‘studia generalia’ run by religious orders, such as the one that flourished in Erfurt and that which was established for the Franciscans in Görlitz. Municipal Latin schools, such as those in Görlitz and Breslau, attracted both students and teachers hoping to earn a living. For students wishing to acquire academic degrees, the universities at Erfurt, Kraków and Leipzig, all located on the via regia, had been available since the Middle Ages. As a result of the Reformation, the subsequent wars of religion and the Enlightenment, the motives, routes and destinations of scholars changed. Luther’s university in Wittenberg, the rival institution established in Jena, the Enlightenment-inspired university in Halle, the Jesuit Leopoldina in Breslau (Wrocław), as well as numerous smaller educational institutions associated with various religious orders, became additional destinations for students. It was due to the existence of these institutions that scholars travelling from school to places of higher education could still be encountered along the ancient trade route well into the 19th century. They laid the basis for lively exchanges of intellectual ideas between regions and sometimes even between different religious denominations.

This paper - in German language is part of volume concerning with the formation and development of the University Wittenberg (Leucorea) in the 16. Century.

In the small town of Wittenberg not only the college-buildings (Kollegien, Lektorien, Bursen) were used for teaching and celebrating, for housing the students, scholars and stipendiaries. The 1502 founded university took also place in the castle and the castle church of Wittenberg.

Some of the best payed professors of the university were at the same time clergyman at the "Allerheiligenstift" in the castle church, which was incorporated in the university in 1507.

The professors were not only obligated to hold sermons and masses in the castle church, they were also holding lessons and disputations in "Allerheiligen". Even more, ceremonial events like the election of the rector and promotions took place in the church.

Starting with the tombs of the prince-electors of Saxony and later on burials of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon the castle church was evolving to the most important burial place for the university scholars.

1511/12 the prince-electoral library was established right above the heads of scholars and clergyman, in the roof of the castle church. The electoral librarians and chronicler Georg Spalatin and later on Lucas Edenberger, were responsible for the growth of this library and the book selection. They supported scholars, among others Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, with books of the electoral collection for their teachings and sermons.

1536 the library moved to the castle, where it was reestablished as university library with scheduled opening hours and a budget for acquisition of new books. The picture agenda and even the sorting of the books represented the connection of the Lutheran confession with the prince-elector family.

The librarians, Spalatin and Edenberger, served at the same time as preceptors at the princely court. From 1511–1515, 1528/29–1538 and around 1542/43 the prince elector’s nephews from Braunschweig-Lüneburg, as well as three sons of the Prince-elector and even an illegitimate son were holding prince-courts in Wittenberg. Their studies also included the attendance of the lessons held by Luther and Melanchthon. Since 1528 Melanchthon himself was also responsible for curriculum of the princes.

The prince instructors were keeping track of Luther writings and were usually buying several volumes of every new publication. The Princes partially transferred them to main court or were donating them to other noble students in Wittenberg. Around 1530 the princely court in Wittenberg evolved to a dissemination center of the Martin Luther's writings.

Brief Synopsis (in German language) of the history city of Glauchau under the Lords and Counts of Schönburg from the 13th century to 1945; based on older preliminary studies of Walter Schlesinger and Ernst Berlet.
The city of Glauchau is closely linked to the fate of the ruling family Schönburg. From the time of the Interregnum until the middle of the 18th century, Glauchau was the capital and seat of government of one of the typical small territories in the Holy Roman Empire. Glauchau with its mixture of numerous craftsmen and some traders as well as about 2500 inhabitants (1535) is a typical German Mittelstadt of the late Middle Ages. The Lords of Schönburg took great influence on the daily city life. On the one hand, they promoted the economy through the construction of mill factories and the establishment of fairs in the context of the Leipzig fairs, on the other hand, they prevented an independent citizenship. For example, mayors have been documented not earlier then 1476. Their importance was reduced with several “Polizeiordnungen” in the 16. Centaury, which transferred important rights to the “Amtmann” of the Schönburg Lords. In 1681, the city itself was subdivided into two dominions following a family division in Schoenburg family, the boundary of the dominions crossed the market. It was the weakening of the Schoenburgers by further divisions of inheritance that enabled the citizens to act against those noble city rulers with the help of the Wettins. However, citizens only achieved real urban self-government through the social upheavals of the Industrial Revolution, which made Glauchau a textile industry town par excellence.

Sachsen-Anhalts „Land der Frühaufsteher“-Kampagne kennzeichnete einen Tiefpunkt im Prozess der Entfremdung dieses Bundeslandes von seiner geschichtsträchtigen Kulturlandschaft.
Abgesehen davon, dass die Kampagne bei der Frage, warum denn der Sachsen-Anhalter früher aufstehen muss, schnell ihren Witz verlor, offenbarte sie auch die Unfähigkeit, den gegenwärtig existierenden sachsen-anhaltischen Staat aus der Geschichte seines Landesgebietes heraus erklären und legitimieren zu können. Das Klischee seiner angeblichen „Künstlichkeit“ wurde so einmal mehr bedient.
Dabei liegt der Schlüssel zum historischen Verständnis Sachsen-Anhalts in seinem Landesnamen und den heraldischen Symbolen seiner Landesflagge offen greifbar zutage.
Während aber bezüglich des historischen Verhältnisses zum Freistaat Anhalt kaum Zweifel aufkommen, bereitet der Namensbestandteil „Sachsen“ Probleme, da sich doch scheinbar alle sächsischen Traditionen im gleichnamigen Freistaat mit seiner Hauptstadt Dresden manifestieren.
Die Broschüre „Unser Sachsen“ möchte den Leser in unterhaltsamer Form zu einer Reise in ein „vergessenes“ Land einladen. Jenseits seiner wettinischen Phase zeichnet die Publikation mit zahlreichen großformatigen Fotografien, Karten und Zitaten das Bild eines weitgehend unbekannten Sachsens. Der Autor, Olaf Böhlk, konnte mit seiner erfolgreichen Kampagne zur Umwandlung der Sachsen-Anhalt-Flagge zur Landesflagge bereits einen Akzent zu mehr sä(!)chsisch-anhaltischem Selbstbewusstsein in Sachsen-Anhalt setzen. Mit der Broschüre „Unser Sachsen“ liefert er nun eine handliche „Gebrauchsanleitung“ für ein neues, die unterschiedlichen Landschaften integrierendes und historisch begründetes Landesbewusstsein im Bundesland Sachsen-Anhalt nach.

Die Broschüre „Unser Sachsen“, Softcover, A4, 32 S., ISBN 978-3-00-057662-1 Schutzgebühr 2,00 € kann hier bezogen werden: https://supr.com/ksb-shop/publikationen/unser-sachsen-die-wiederentdeckung-eines-vergessenen-landes/

Karlheinz Blaschkes Deutungskonzept „Sachsens geschichtlicher Auftrag“ und die ideologische Verknüpfung der Bezeichnungen „Mitteldeutschland“ und „Sachsen“ als geschichtspolitisches Paradigma nach der deutschen Wiedervereinigung. Ein Aufruf zur kritischen Diskussion grundlegender Begriffe der ostdeutschen Landesgeschichtsforschung.

Dieser im Mai 2015 im Oberseminar für sächsische Landesgeschichte gehaltene Vortrag setzt sich kritisch mit den von Karlheinz Blaschke 2012 veröffentlichten Thesen zur frühen Stadtentwicklung von Glauchau und Waldenburg (Sachsen) auseinander.

Ausgehend davon, dass vorbildliche Beispielfälle zum Beleg von Thesen auf möglichst sicherer Quellenbasis stehen sollten, werden die von Blaschke angeführten Rekonstruktionskarten, die Belege für Flur- und Straßennamen sowie Patrozinien und Grundstücksstrukturen auf Basis der regionalgeschichtlich-wissenschaftlichen Literatur, der einschlägigen Quelleneditionen und einiger Zins-, Musterungs- und Grundregister überprüft.
Leider lässt sich feststellen, dass Blaschke nicht mehr die in seinen Untersuchungen zu Colditz selbst geforderte und gezeigte Genauigkeit und Gründlichkeit bei der Suche nach Quellenbelegen anwendet.

Die gesamte Darstellung muss der These genügen, dass jedes noch so spät (oder gar nicht) überlieferte Nikolaipatrozinium einen unfehlbaren Hinweis auf eine hochmittelalterliche Händlersiedlung bedeutet.
Es wird gezielt weggelassen, lokal verschoben, nicht überprüft und sogar manipuliert.

Flussübergänge, die nicht ins Entwicklungskonzept der Stadt passen, werden aus den Kartenausschnitten entfernt. Friedhofskapellen des 16. Jhs. werden mittelalterliche Vorgänger angedichtet. Frondienste, Zinsen etc., die noch in Colditz für den Beleg einer Händlersiedlung von Bedeutung waren, werden vollends ignoriert. Ebenso jegliche Quellen, die Hinweise auf die Tätigkeiten der Grundstücksbewohner oder Handelsumfang der Städte geben könnten. Statt dieser - seit dem ausgehenden 15. Jh. gut überlieferten - Quellen bevorzugt und verwendet Blaschke fast ausschließlich Berichte und Flurnamen aus dem 19. Jh. für seine Aussagen zu Entwicklungen im frühen 12. Jh.

Letztlich bleibt die Frage, wie sich zwei Händlersiedlungen mit insgesamt 90 Familien ohne erkennbaren Grund- und Ackerbesitz in einem Umland ernähren sollten, in dem 1105 vor allem eins existierte: Wald, der in den folgenden 100 Jahren von etwa 60-80 Bauernfamilien in Waldhufenfluren umgewandelt wurde.

This lecture in German language (with presentation charts) is discussing the genesis and traces of the library of the Saxon Prince-Elector in the castle of Wittenberg 1437 - 1547.
Compared to the prior uploaded publications concerning this matter it offers some more detailed documented and pictured findings, the complete bibliography and some of the sources.
It represents a summary of some of the findings in the research project "Ernestinische Wittenberg" at the Leucorea-Foundation and some already published papers.

The beginning of this library may be modest: 1437 about 30 books were stored in two chests in the small chapel of the Wittenberg castle. Hundred years later this library has not only grown in size but also in influence. The castle library has become the library of the 1502 founded University of Wittenberg. The teachers and students like Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon used the preserved books for their teachings, often taking them home and - in the case of Melanchthon – often forgot to return them.
The first proof for Luther using the books of the library in the Wittenberg castle, is a letter to the preceptor and chronicler Georg Spalatin in 1515. Luther asked him to lend a book about the lives of the saints for a sermon, held on the very same day, and got obviously, what he asked for. Since 1511 Spalatin worked on the assemblage of the book collection now situated in the attic of the new castle-church. At the same time Spalatin taught the squires of the court in the parlor of the castle and wrote several chronicles and biographies. 1536 the library was officially opened to the university public and therefore relocated in the second floor of the southern castle wing. The new librarian, the Greek teacher Lucas Edenberger, worked – like Spalarin – at the same time as preceptor at the court.
The over 1600 titles in 984 books were sorted by languages – Hebraic, Greek, Latin and German – concerning theology, law, medicine and the seven artes liberales. Moreover new world and celestial globes, maps, wall charts a. s. o. were bought. They were probably presented in a separate chamber, where the precious song books of the Prince Electors were stored. With the relocation of 1536 the library was also reformed to serve as monument for the reformation. At least two shelves – subsequent the scriptures of the prophets – were signed with D.M.L. for Doctor Martin Luther. The succeeding signatures were reserved for Desiderius Erasmus von Rotterdam, Melanchthon and Huldreich Zwingli. Therefore it is high probably that among pictures of the Prince Electors and well known scholars were also portraits of Luther and Melanchthon.

Cf. Lang, Thomas / Neugebauer, Anke: Aus Kisten, auf den Dachstuhl, in die Hofstube - Das Entstehungsumfeld der Wittenberger Schlossbibliothek (Bibliotheca Electoralis) 1437-1545, in: Matthias, Meinhardt (Hg.): Die Reformationsgeschichtlichen Forschungsbibliothek Wittenberg. Eine Einladung, Halle/Saale 2017, S. 33-48;

Cf. Lang, Thomas / Neugebauer, Anke: Zur universitären Nutzung des Schlosses und der Schlosskirche in ernestinischer Zeit, in: Lück, Heiner/ Bünz, Enno/ Helten, Leonhard/ Kohnle, Armin/ Sack, Dorothée/ Stephan, Hans-Georg (Hgg.): Das ernestinische Wittenberg: Die Leucorea und ihre Räume, hrsg. im Auftrag der Stiftung Leucorea (Wittenberg-Forschungen 4), Petersberg 2017, S. 339-416

Margrave Frederic IV., the first Saxon prince-elector of the noble house Wettin, earned his tittle in crusades and battles against the bohemian Hussites. In 1409 he also took the chance to lure Silesian and Saxon scholars, which left in protest the Prague University, to his trading town Leipzig, where they founded a new university.
The margrave and his brother Wilhelm donated 500 florin every year to finance the 20 scholars at two colleges, five teachers of every of the four "University-Nations". The foundation documents stated, that foreign teachers and students of the three nations: Polen, Bayern und Sachsen, should have the same rights as the native students of the Meißner Nation. A rule, which was broken 1409 in the Prague University and provoked the pullout of the foreign nations.
In tradition and constitution the Leipzig University remained strongly connected with the anti-Hussite fight of their founder even hundred years after the foundation.