n.
German Sachsen
Historical region, former state, and recreated state, Germany.
Before 1180 the name was applied to the territory conquered 0441; AD 200700 by the Germanic Saxon tribe. They were conquered and Christianized by Charlemagne in the late 8th century. In the mid-9th century Saxony became part of the German kingdom of the Franks . The territory was broken up in 1180 and divided into two smaller and widely separated areas, Saxe-Lauenburg on the lower Elbe River and Saxe-Wittenberg on the middle Elbe. From 1422 the name Saxony was applied to a large region, including the country from Thuringia to Lusatia, bordering Bohemia. It was part of the German Empire (18711918) and a free state in the Weimar Republic (191933). The state was abolished in 1952 and divided among East German districts. Upon German reunification in 1990, a new state of Saxony was recreated. The current territory of Saxony Land (pop., 2001 est.: 4,384,192) occupies the southeastern portion of what was formerly East Germany and covers an area of 7,080 sq mi (18,337 sq km). The capital is Dresden.