Editing Dresden (section)

===Early history===
[[File:Smac Neolithikum 122.jpg|thumb|[[Stroke-ornamented ware culture]] settlement with [[Neolithic circular enclosures in Central Europe|circular enclosures]] in the area of today's Dresden, 4700 BC]]
[[File:dresden 1521.jpg|thumb|Dresden in 1521]]

Around the late 12th century, a [[Sorbs|Sorbian]] settlement called ''Drežďany''<ref name="Fritz Löffler">Fritz Löffler, ''Das alte Dresden'', Leipzig 1982, p.20</ref> (meaning either "woods" or "lowland forest-dweller"<ref>[[Ernst Eichler (Linguist)|Ernst Eichler]] und [[Hans Walther (Onomastiker)|Hans Walther]]: ''Sachsen. Alle Städtenamen und deren Geschichte.'' Faber und Faber Verlag, Leipzig 2007, {{ISBN|978-3-86730-038-4}}, S.&nbsp;54 f.</ref>) had developed on the southern bank. Another settlement existed on the northern bank, but its Slavic name is unknown. It was known as ''Antiqua Dresdin'' by 1350, and later as Altendresden,<ref name="Fritz Löffler"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dresden.de/media/pdf/infoblaetter/historie_altendresden.pdf?PHPSESSID=3b1a560f5b42d55b28790331bf486b97|title=Geschichtlicher Hintergrund des Jubiläums – 600 Jahre Stadtrecht Altendresden|language=de|website=dresden.de|access-date=25 May 2007|archive-date=13 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313054253/http://www.dresden.de/media/pdf/infoblaetter/historie_altendresden.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> both literally "old Dresden". [[Dietrich, Margrave of Meissen]], chose Dresden as his interim residence in 1206, as documented in a record calling the place "Civitas Dresdene".

After 1270, Dresden became the capital of the margraviate. It was given to [[:de:Friedrich Clem|Friedrich Clem]] after the death of [[Henry III, Margrave of Meissen|Henry the Illustrious]] in 1288. It was taken by the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] in 1316 and was restored to the [[House of Wettin|Wettin]] dynasty after the death of [[Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal|Valdemar the Great]] in 1319. From 1485, it was the seat of the dukes of [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]], and from 1547 the [[Prince-elector|electors]] as well.