County of Zeitz-Grima (Merveilles des Morte)

County of Zeitz-Grima
1505 – 1609
Capital	Zeitz
Largest city	Grima
Common languages	Middle Low German
Religion	Jungism
Government	Feudal duchy
Count
Establishment
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Established	1505
• Union with Grima	1563
• Dissolution	1609
• Established	1505
• Disestablished	1609

The County of Zeitz-Grima, formally known only as the County of Zeitz was a German polity within the Holy Roman Empire. The state was created in 1505 following the the introduction of the Protestant Reformation under Konrad Jung. Facing local unrest and pressure from his neighbors, most notably the Thin White Duke, Johann III von Schönberg secularized the Bishopric of Naumborg and declared himself count. This development would later be confirmed in the Wolfen War, which saw a Catholic coalition, primarily bishoprics, repulsed by local Jungist converts and sympathizers. Zeitz had previously been a part of Naumborg, but was instead granted to Johann III's nephew Philip who was a fellow priest and high ranking administrator of Naumborg, creating a separate fief.

Philip was seen by locals as a capable and fair ruler; he attracted Catholics and Jungists alike due to his lenient attitudes toward religion in comparison to his neighbors, namely the militaristic rulers of Altenburg. Zeitz managed to preserve its independence by sanctioning the actions of the League of Wolfen and its allies, despite Philip's personal suspicions, and by marrying into the House of Jenagotha and other nobles of Meissen. Philip's son Dietrich elected to join the Rätian Union, and was also notable for expanding the territory of Zeitz through marriage and strategic purchases and trades.

Under Dietrich II, known as the Magnanimous, the small territory experienced a relative golden age. Zeitz more than doubled in size with the introduction of Grima in 1563, as well as the acquisition of lands from Meissen. Under Dietrich II the small county came outspoken in Rätian politics and across the Empire, and Dietrich became a respected military commander. The county established alliances with several Saxon nobles, especially Alwin I of Saxe-Lochau, and Dietrich II became a mentor to several children of Elector Henry V. During the Forty Years' War the county was devastated by war and several counts died in combat or from disease in quick succession, causing the county to unexpectedly pass to the House of de la Marck in 1609. The county was united with Saxe-Wittenberg and administered by Engelbert III, but upon his death the county's former lands were divided with the rest of his domain. The majority of Zeitz-Grima's territory fell to either the Duchies of Saxe-Zeitz or Saxe-Grima.