800 Years of Power: The Secret History of the House of Wettin

One German noble family. Eight centuries in power. A legacy that stretches all the way to the modern British throne. This is the story of the House of Wettin — and how it happened. The dynasty's roots trace back to medieval central Germany, where the Wettins slowly built their influence until they became the rulers of Saxony. But power came at a cost: internal rivalries eventually split the family into two branches, the Ernestine and the Albertine, each charting its own course through European history. Along the way came Augustus the Strong, scandal, war, betrayal, and constant political maneuvering — the family bent, but it never broke. One branch would go on to place its members on thrones across Europe. Another — the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha line — would eventually rename itself and become known to the world as the House of Windsor. In this documentary: ► How the Wettins climbed from minor nobility to rulers of Saxony ► The split that created the Ernestine and Albertine branches ► The wars, scandals, and betrayals that tested the dynasty ► How the family's influence spread across European royal courts ► The transformation from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor Eight hundred years of ambition, division, and survival — this is the House of Wettin.