Although Maurice, Elector of Saxony was also a Protestant, in 1546 he sided with Emperor Charles V against the Protestant princes of the Schmalkaldic League under the leadership of his cousin John Frederick I. After the defeat of the Protestants in the Schmalkaldic War, in 1547 he received the electoral dignity and large parts of the Ernestine lands as a reward for his services. Since then, the Albertine branch have been the leading line of the House of Wettin.