Ernest, Elector of Saxony

Ernest, Elector Of Saxony (1441 at Altenburg-1486) founder of the Ernestine line of Saxon princes, ancestor of Prince Consort. He was kidnapped along with his brother Albert in 1455, an episode famous in German history as the "Prinzenraub" (i. e. the stealing of the prince). In 1464, he succeeded his father Frederick II, and annexed Thuringia in 1482, and three years later shared his territory with his brother Albert.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.