Capitulation of Wittenberg

In 1517, Martin Luther had nailed his 95 Theses against Indulgences on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, the opening act of the Reformation.

In 1547, Emperor Charles V, with the assistance of the Duke of Alva, captured Wittenberg after the Battle of Mühlberg, where John Frederick I was taken prisoner.

To save his life, the Elector conceded the defeat of Wittenberg and resigned the government of his country in favor of his relative, Maurice of Saxony.

Rescued on 1 September, 1552, he returned to Saxony in a triumphal march, and removed the seat of government to Weimar.

Wittenberg declined after 1547, when Dresden, residence of the Albertine dukes, replaced it as the Saxon capital.