The Margraviate of Meissen was a territorial state on the border of the German empire. The Mark of Meissen (cradle of Saxony) was founded 965 by Emperor Otto I; in 929, the German king Henry the Fowler built a fortress on the hill where Meissen castle stands. During the tenth century, Meissen was populated by Slavic tribes who were subdued by the German margrave Gero the Great. The region between the rivers Elbe and Oder was then ruled by Gero as the margraviate of Ostmark 937-965. When Gero died in 965, Ostmark was partitioned into five new margraviates, including Meissen, and also Nordmark which eventually became Brandenburg. In 1089, Meissen became the honor of the house of Wettin's possessions and remained as such even after it had been incorporated into the electorate of Saxony in 1423.

See also

• Margraves of Meissen and Ostmark

Saxon monarchs | Lists of monarchs

Liste der Markgrafen von Meißen | Margrabiowie Miśni