View source for Margraviate of Brandenburg

{{Short description|Holy Roman Empire principality (1157–1806)}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{native name|de|Mark/Markgrafschaft Brandenburg}}
| conventional_long_name = March/Margraviate of Brandenburg
| common_name            = Brandenburg
| image_map              = Locator Brandenburg within the Holy Roman Empire (1618).svg
| image_map_caption      = Margraviate of Brandenburg within the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (1618)
| status                 = [[Margraviate]]
| empire                 = Holy Roman Empire
| status_text            = [[List of states in the Holy Roman Empire|State]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]<br />[[Prince-elector|Imperial elector]] (1356–1806)<br />[[Crown land]] of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]] (1373–1415)
| p1                     = Northern March
| p2                     = Lutici{{!}}Lutician federation
| flag_p2                = Heraldic biull's head.png
| p3                     = Margraviate of Brandenburg-Küstrin{{!}}Brandenburg-Küstrin
| flag_p3                = Flag of Brandenburg (1340-1657).svg
| p4                     = Prince-Bishopric of Brandenburg
| flag_p4                = Wappen Bistum Brandenburg.png
| image_flag             = Pabellon de Brandeburgo (c. 1684).svg
| image_flag2            = Flag of Brandenburg (1660–1750).svg
| flag_type              = Top: [[Flag of Brandenburg|Flag]] or [[naval ensign]] {{nowrap|{{circa|1684}}}} (based on [[Lieve Verschuier|L. Verschuier's]] painting<ref>''[[:File:Kurbrandenburgi Navy.jpg|Die kurbrandenburgische Flotte]]'' (1684)</ref>)<br />Bottom: [[Flag of Brandenburg|Flag]] 1660–1750 used by [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollerns]]
| image_coat             = Arms of Brandenburg.svg
| symbol_type            = [[Coat of arms of Brandenburg|Coat of arms as Electorate]]<ref>Based on some original preserved depictions:
<gallery>
1795 Berliner Baer mit Brandenburgischem Wappen anagoria.JPG|Berlin Bear with Brandenburg coat of arms, late 18th / Early 19th Century; Märkisches Museum Berlin
Erhebung des Großen Kurfürsten in den Olymp (van Loo) - weibliche Allegorie mit Ährenkranz und dem brandenburgischen Adler.jpg|Ceiling painting (detail: female allegory with wreath of grain ears and the Brandenburg eagle), oil on canvas, 1751 (destroyed in World War II)
Wappengalerie Museum Senftenberg.jpg|Museum Senftenberg (Senftenberg Castle)
</gallery></ref>
| s1                     = Province of Brandenburg
| flag_s1                = Flagge_Preußen_-_Provinz_Brandenburg.svg
<!--
|event_pre    = Death of [[Pribislav]]
|date_pre     = 1150
-->| date_start             = 3 October
| year_start             = 1157
| event1                 = Raised to [[Prince-elector|Electorate]]
| date_event1            = 25 December 1356
| event2                 = [[Brandenburg-Prussia]]
| date_event2            = 27 August 1618
| event3                 = [[Kingdom of Prussia]]
| date_event3            = 18 January 1701
| event_end              = Dissolution of the<br />[[Holy Roman Empire]]
| date_end               = 6 August
| year_end               = 1806
| capital                = [[Brandenburg an der Havel]] (1157–1417)<br />[[Berlin]] (1417–1806)
| common_languages       = {{ubl|[[Low German]]|[[Polabian language|Lüneburg Wendish]]}}
| government_type        = [[Monarchy]]
| title_leader           = [[Margrave of Brandenburg|Margrave]]
| leader1                = [[Albert the Bear]] (first) 1417
| year_leader1           = 1157–1170
| leader2                = [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Frederick William III]] (last)
| year_leader2           = 1797–1806
| religion               = Dominant confession among the population was [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] until the 1530s, then [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]].<br /><br />Elector was Roman Catholic until 1539, then Lutheran until 1613, and then [[Calvinism|Reformed]].
|today = {{ubl|[[Germany]]|[[Poland]]}}
}}

The '''Margraviate of Brandenburg''' ({{langx|de|link=no|Markgrafschaft Brandenburg}}) was a major [[principality]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the [[Duchy of Prussia]] in 1618 and then came to play a pivotal role in the [[history of Germany]] and that of [[Central Europe]] as core of the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian kingdom]].

Brandenburg developed out of the [[Northern March]] founded in the territory of the [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] [[Wends]]. It derived one of its names from this inheritance, the '''March of Brandenburg''' ({{lang|de|Mark Brandenburg}}). Its ruling [[margrave]]s were established as prestigious [[prince-elector]]s in the [[Golden Bull of 1356]], allowing them to vote in the election of the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]. The state thus became additionally known as '''Electoral Brandenburg''' or the '''Electorate of Brandenburg''' ({{lang|de|Kurbrandenburg}} or {{lang|de|Kurfürstentum Brandenburg}}).

The [[House of Hohenzollern]] came to the throne of Brandenburg in 1415. In 1417, [[Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick I]] moved its capital from [[Brandenburg an der Havel]] to [[Berlin]]. By 1535, the electorate had an area of some {{convert|10,000|sqmi}} and a population of 400,000.<ref>[[Preserved Smith]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pO9EAQAAMAAJ&dq=Brandenburg+%2C+having+in+1535+an+area+of+10%2C000+square+miles+%2C+and+a+population+between+300%2C000+and+400%2C000+%2C+has+been+aptly+compared+for+size+and+numbers+to+the+present+state+of+Vermont+.+Bavaria+had+in+1554+a+population+of+434%2C000&pg=PA17 The Social Background of the Reformation.] 1920. Page 17.</ref> Under Hohenzollern leadership, Brandenburg grew rapidly in power during the 17th century and inherited the Duchy of Prussia. The resulting [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] was the predecessor of the Kingdom of Prussia, which became a leading German state during the 18th century. Although the electors' highest title was "[[King in Prussia|King in/of Prussia]]", their power base remained in Brandenburg and its capital Berlin.

The Margraviate of Brandenburg ended with the [[dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire]] in 1806. It was replaced after the [[Napoleonic Wars]] with the Prussian [[Province of Brandenburg]] in 1815. The Hohenzollern Kingdom of Prussia was the primary driving force behind the [[unification of Germany]]. The Prussian-dominated [[North German Confederation]] later transformed in 1871 into the [[German Empire]]; it was the [[succession of states|legal predecessor]] of the united [[German Reich]] of 1871–1945, and as such a direct ancestor of the present-day [[Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]],

== Geography ==

The territory of the former margraviate, commonly known as the {{lang|de|Mark Brandenburg}},{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} lies in present-day eastern Germany and western Poland. Geographically it encompassed the majority of the present-day [[States of Germany|German states]] of [[Brandenburg]] and Berlin, the [[Altmark]] (the northern third of [[Saxony-Anhalt]]), and the [[Neumark (region)|Neumark]] (now divided between Poland's [[Lubusz Voivodeship|Lubusz]] and [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]s). Parts of the present-day federal state Brandenburg, such as [[Lower Lusatia]] and territory which had been [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxon]] until 1815, were not parts of the Mark. Colloquially but not accurately, the federal state Brandenburg is sometimes identified as the Mark or Mark Brandenburg.

The region was formed during the [[ice age]], and characterized by [[moraine]]s, glacial valleys, and numerous lakes. The territory is known as a {{lang|de|Mark}} or [[marches|march]] because it was a border county of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (see also [[Margraviate of Meissen]]).

The Mark is defined by two uplands and two depressions. The depressions are taken up by rivers and chains of lakes with marsh and boggy soil along the shores; once used for [[peat]] collection, the riverbanks are now mostly drained and dry.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

The Northern or [[Baltic Uplands]] of the [[Mecklenburg Lake Plateau]] have only minor extensions into Brandenburg. The approximately 230&nbsp;km-long range of hills in the Mark's south begins in the [[Lusatian Highlands]] (near [[Żary|Żary (Sorau)]]) and continues past [[Trzebiel|Trzebiel (Triebel)]] and [[Spremberg]], then to the northwest through [[Calau]], and ends in the bare and dry [[Fläming]]. The southern depression is generally to the north of this ridge and appears strikingly in the [[Spreewald]] (between [[Baruth/Mark]] and [[Plaue an der Havel]]). The northern depression, lying almost directly south of the Baltic uplands, is defined by the lowlands of the [[Noteć]] and [[Warta River|Warta]] Rivers, the [[Oderbruch]], the valley of the [[Finow]], the [[Havelland]] [[moorland|moor]], and the [[Oder River]].

[[File:Provinz Brandenburg 1905.png|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Province of Brandenburg, {{circa|1905}}]]

Between these two depressions is a low plateau that extends from the [[Poznań]] area westward to Brandenburg through [[Torzym|Torzym (Sternberg)]], the [[Spree (river)|Spree]] plateau, and the [[Mittelmark]]. From southeast to northwest, this plateau is intersected by the lowland of the [[Leniwa Obra]] and the [[Oder River]] below the confluence of the [[Lusatian Neisse]], the lower Spree Valley, and the Havel Valley. Between these valleys rise a series of hills and plateaus, such as the [[Barnim]], the [[Teltow (region)|Teltow]], the Semmelberg near [[Bad Freienwalde]] ({{convert|157|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), the Müggelberge in [[Köpenick]] ({{convert|115|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), the Havelberge ({{convert|97|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}), and the Rauen Hills near [[Fürstenwalde]] ({{convert|112|to|152|m|abbr=on|disp=comma}}).

The region is predominantly marked by dry, [[sand]]y soil, wide stretches of which have [[pine]] trees and [[Erica (plant)|erica]] plants, or heath. However, the soil is [[loam]]y in the uplands and plateaus and, when farmed appropriately, can be agriculturally productive.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Mark Brandenburg has a cool, continental climate, with temperatures averaging near {{convert|0|C|F}} in January and February and near {{convert|18|C|F}} in July and August. Precipitation averages between 500&nbsp;mm and 600&nbsp;mm annually, with a modest summer maximum.

== History ==
=== Northern March ===
[[File:Karte(PS) Brandenburg 1150.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Slavic territories pre-Brandenburg, {{circa|1150}}]]
{{main|Northern March}}
{{History of Brandenburg and Prussia}}

By the eighth century, [[Slavs|Slavic]] [[Wends]], such as the [[Sprewane]] and [[Hevelli]] (Havolane or Stodorans), started to move into the Brandenburg area. They intermarried with Saxons and Bohemians.

The Bishoprics of [[Diocese of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]] and [[Bishopric of Havelberg|Havelberg]] were established at the beginning of the tenth century (in 928 and 948, respectively).<ref name="Koch23">Koch, p. 23.</ref> They were suffragan to the [[Archbishopric of Mainz]]; the Bishopric of Brandenburg reached to the [[Baltic Sea]].

King [[Henry the Fowler]] started governing in the region in 928–929, allowing Emperor [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]] to establish the [[Northern March]] under Margrave [[Gero]] in 936 during the German {{lang|de|[[Ostsiedlung]]}}. However, the march and the bishoprics were overthrown by a [[Slavic revolt of 983|Slavic rebellion in 983]]; until the collapse of the [[Lutici|Liutizian]] alliance in the middle of the 11th century, the [[Holy Roman Empire]] government through bishoprics and marches came nearly to a standstill for approximately 150 years,<ref name="Koch24">Koch, p. 24.</ref> even though the bishopric was retained.

Prince [[Pribislav-Henry|Pribislav]] of the Hevelli came to power at the castle of Brenna ({{lang|de|italic=no|[[Brandenburg an der Havel]]}}) in 1127. During Pribislav's reign, in which he cultivated close connections with the [[German nobility]], Germans succeeded in binding to the Holy Roman Empire the Havolane region from {{lang|de|italic=no|Brandenburg an der Havel}} to [[Spandau]]. The disputed eastern border continued between the Hevelli and the Sprewane, recognized as the Havel-Nuthe line. Prince [[Jaxa of Köpenick]] (''Jaxa de Copnic'') of the Sprewane lived in Köpenick east of the dividing line.

=== Ascanians ===
[[File:Albrecht Wiggerl.JPG|left|thumb|[[Siegesallee]] statue of [[Albert I, Margrave of Brandenburg|Albert the Bear]], flanked by Bishop Wigger of Brandenburg and Bishop [[Otto of Bamberg]]]]

During the second phase of the German {{lang|de|[[Ostsiedlung]]}}, [[Albert I of Brandenburg|Albert the Bear]] began the expansionary eastern policy of the [[Ascanian]]s. From 1123 to 1125 Albert developed contacts with Pribislav, who served as the godfather for the Ascanian's first son, [[Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg|Otto]], and gave the boy the Zauche region as a christening present in 1134. In the same year, Emperor [[Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor|Lothair III]] named Albert margrave of the [[Northern March]] and raised Pribislav to the status of king, although that was later rescinded. Also in 1134, Albert succeeded in securing for the Ascanians the inheritance of the childless Pribislav. After the latter's death in 1150, Albert received the Havolane residence of Brenna. The Ascanians also began to build the [[Spandau Citadel|castle]] of [[Spandau]].

In contrast to their leaders who had accepted Christianity, the Havolane population still worshipped old Slavic deities and opposed Albert's assumption of power. [[Jaxa of Köpenick]], a possible relative of Pribislav and a claim-holder to Brandenburg, controlled Brandenburg with [[Kingdom of Poland (1138–1320)|Polish]] help, and ruled the land of the Stodorans. Older historical research dates this conquest to 1153, although there are no definite sources for the date. More recent researchers (such as Lutz Partenheimer) date it to spring 1157, as it is doubtful that Albert would not have responded to Jaxa's actions for four years.

With bloody victories on 11 June 1157, Albert the Bear was able to reconquer Brandenburg, exile Jaxa, and found a new lordship. Because he already held the title of margrave, Albert styled himself as [[Margrave of Brandenburg]] ({{lang|la|Adelbertus Dei gratia marchio in Brandenborch}}) on 3 October 1157, thereby beginning the Margraviate of Brandenburg.

[[File:WielkoPolska epoki Piastowskiej.jpg|thumb|left|19th-century map of the 13th-century [[Duchy of Greater Poland]] of then-fragmented Poland. Territories annexed by Brandenburg from Poland marked in yellow ([[Lubusz Land]]) and green (northwestern [[Greater Poland]])]]
The territorial limits of the original margraviate differed from the area of the current Bundesland [[Brandenburg]], consisting merely of the Havelland and Zauche regions. In the following 150 years the Ascanians succeeded in winning the [[Uckermark]], [[Teltow]], and [[Barnim]] regions east of the Havel and Nuthe, thereby extending the Mark to the [[Oder River]]. The {{lang|de|[[Neumark (region)|Neumark]]}} ("New March") east of the Oder was acquired gradually through purchases, marriages, and aid to the [[Piast dynasty]] of [[Kingdom of Poland (1138–1320)|Poland]].<ref name="Koch25">Koch, p. 25.</ref>

Because of the sandy soil prevalent in Brandenburg, the agriculturally meager principality was denigrated as "the [[sandpit|sandbox]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]".<ref name="Koch25"/> Albert [[Ostsiedlung|invited colonists to settle the new territory]], many of whom came from the {{lang|de|[[Altmark]]}} ("Old March", a later name for the original Northern March), the [[Harz]], Flanders (hence the {{lang|de|[[Fläming]]}} region), and the [[Rhineland]]. After the capture of territory along the Elbe and Havel Rivers in the 1160s, [[Flemish people|Flemish]] and [[Dutch (ethnic group)|Dutch]] settlers from flooded regions in [[Holland]] used their expertise to build [[Dike (construction)|dikes]] in Brandenburg. Initially, the Ascanians protected the country by settling [[knight]]s in villages; [[castle]]s fortified with knights were mostly located in the border region of the Neumark. After a 14th-century decline in imperial power, however, knights began constructing castles throughout the principality, granting them more independence.<ref name="Koch25"/>
[[File:Karte Mark Brandenburg 1320.png|right|thumb|Brandenburg until the extinction of the Ascanian dynasty in 1320]]

After Albert's death in 1170, his son succeeded him as [[Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg]]. The Ascanians pursued a policy of expanding to the east and the northeast with the goal of connecting their territories through [[Pomerania]] to the [[Baltic Sea]]. This policy brought them into conflict with the Kingdom of Denmark. After the [[Battle of Bornhöved (1227)]], Margrave [[John I, Margrave of Brandenburg|John I]] staked his claim to Pomerania, receiving it as a fief from Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] in 1231. The middle of the 13th century was a time of important developments for the Ascanian House, as it won [[Szczecin|Stettin (Szczecin)]] and the [[Uckermark]] (1250), although the former was later lost to the [[Duchy of Pomerania]].<ref name="Koch24"/> Also around 1250 it took over [[Lubusz Land]] from then-fragmented Poland and subsequently conquered northwestern parts of the [[Duchy of Greater Poland]] in the late 13th century, moving the border east of the [[Oder]] river. [[Henry II, Margrave of Brandenburg|Henry II]], the last Ascanian margrave, died in 1320.

The death of [[Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal|Magrave Waldemar]] in 1319 sparked a conflict between the neighbouring principalities of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]], [[Mecklenburg]], [[Saxe-Wittenberg]], [[Pomerania-Wolgast]], [[Duchy of Jawor|Jawor]] and [[Duchy of Żagań|Żagań]], for control of different parts of the Margraviate. The war was periodically fought between various factions due to the alliances formed, such as the Jawor-Pomeranian and Mecklenburg-Saxe-Wittenberg alliances, and kings of Bohemia, Poland and Denmark also entered alliances with various parties. In 1319, [[Wartislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania|Wartislaw IV of Pomerania]] took control of the [[New March]] with [[Torzym]] Land, the [[Międzyrzecz]] castellany, annexed from Greater Poland by Brandenburg in 1297, and northern [[Lubusz Land]], in the north-east, [[Henry II, Lord of Mecklenburg|Henry II of Mecklenburg]] captured [[Prignitz]] in the north-west and [[Uckermark]] in the north, [[Rudolf I, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg|Rudolf I of Saxe-Wittenberg]] captured the [[Mittelmark]], [[Teltow]] and [[Barnim]], i.e. the central part, [[Otto the Mild]] of Brunswick-Lüneburg captured the [[Old March]] in the west.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|pp=476–477, 481}} In 1320, a large portion of the Lubusz Land passed to Duke [[Henry I of Jawor]], who tried to reclaim it as a region lost by his grandfather [[Bolesław II the Horned]], and afterwards its western outskirts and a portion of the Uckermark were occupied by Rudolf I of Saxe-Wittenberg.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|pp=485–486}} In 1320 the allied forces of Pomerania and Jawor clashed with Mecklenburg in the Uckermark, and war between Pomerania and Mecklenburg continued in 1321–1322 on the Oder River and in Mecklenburg.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|pp=485–486}} By February 1322, eastern outskirts of the Lubusz Land with Torzym and [[Sulęcin]] and the Międzyrzecz castellany were controlled by Duke [[Henry IV the Faithful]] of Żagań.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|p=489}} After heavy fights between Pomerania and Saxe-Wittenberg around [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]] in 1322–1323, a peace between the two parties was signed in December 1323.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|p=489}}

=== Wittelsbachs ===
[[File:CoA Brandenburg, Germany.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|left|Coat of arms as simple Margraviate]]
[[File:HRR 14Jh.jpg|thumb|The [[Holy Roman Empire]] from 1273 to 1378:
----
{{legend|#ca9233|[[Habsburg]] lands}}
{{legend|#a482be|[[House of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]] lands}}
{{legend|#b1c35f|[[Wittelsbach]] lands}}]]

Having defeated the [[Habsburg]]s, the [[Wittelsbach]] Emperor [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]], an uncle of Henry II, formally granted Brandenburg to his oldest son, [[Louis V, Duke of Bavaria|Louis I]] (the "Brandenburger") in 1323, although various portions of the margraviate were still controlled by various neighbouring principalities. The emergence of a new powerful rival prompted the previously warring parties to make peace with each other and cooperate.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|p=492}} Bavarian forces soon entered the region, but in October 1323 [[Pope John XXII]] called Louis IV to annul the grant of Brandenburg to Louis V, declaring it unlawful.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|p=493}} As a consequence of the murder of Provost Nikolaus von Bernau in 1325, Brandenburg was punished with a papal [[interdict]]. Bavarian forces gradually seized the margraviate. King [[Władysław I Łokietek]] of Poland actively joined the ongoing war, invading [[Frankfurt (Oder)]] in 1326, and the Międzyrzecz castellany was ultimately reintegrated with Poland.{{sfn|Rymar|1979|p=494}} From 1328 onwards, Louis was in war against Pomerania which he claimed as a fiefdom and the conflict did not end before 1333. The rule of Margrave Louis I was rejected by the domestic nobility of Brandenburg, and, after the death of Emperor Louis IV in 1347, the margrave was confronted with the [[False Waldemar]], an [[imposter]] of the deceased Margrave [[Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal|Waldemar]]. The pretender was recognized as Margrave of Brandenburg on 2 October 1348 by the new emperor, [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] of [[House of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], but was exposed as a fraud after a peace between the Wittelsbachs and Luxembourgs at [[Eltville]]. In 1351 Louis gave the Mark to his younger half-brothers [[Louis VI the Roman|Louis II]] (the "Roman") and [[Otto V, Duke of Bavaria|Otto V]] in exchange for the sole rule over [[Upper Bavaria]].

Louis the Roman forced the False Waldemar to renounce his claims to Brandenburg and succeeded in establishing the Margraves of Brandenburg as [[prince-elector]]s in the [[Golden Bull of 1356]]. Brandenburg therefore became a {{lang|de|Kurfürstentum}} (literally "electoral principality" or "electorate") of the Holy Roman Empire and had a vote in the election of the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]. The Margrave of Brandenburg also held the ceremonial title of ''Arch-Chamberlain of the Empire'' ({{langx|la|Archi-Camerarius Imperii}}). When Louis the Roman died in 1365, Otto took over the rule of Brandenburg, although he quickly neglected the march. He sold [[Lower Lusatia]], which he had already pledged to the [[Wettin (dynasty)|Wettin]] dynasty, to Emperor Charles IV in 1367. A year later he lost the town [[Wałcz|Deutsch Krone (Wałcz)]], annexed from Greater Poland by Brandenburg in 1296, to Polish King [[Casimir III of Poland|Casimir the Great]].

=== Luxembourgs ===
After the middle of the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV attempted to secure Brandenburg for the [[House of Luxembourg]]. Control over the electoral vote of Brandenburg would help assure the Luxembourgs of election to the imperial throne, as they already held the vote of [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]]. Charles succeeded in purchasing Brandenburg from Margrave Otto for 500,000 [[guilder]]s in 1373 and, at a {{lang|de|[[Landtag]]}} in [[Guben]], he attached (but did not incorporate) Brandenburg to the [[Crown of Bohemia]]. The ''Landbuch'' ("land book", i.e. estate register) of Charles IV, a source for the history of medieval settlement in Brandenburg, originated during this time. Charles chose the castle of {{lang|de|[[Tangermünde]]}} to be the electoral residence.

The power of the Luxembourgs in Brandenburg declined during the reign of Charles's nephew [[Jobst of Moravia]]. In 1402, the Luxembourgs reached an agreement with [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Poland]], by which Poland was to purchase and reincorporate the [[New March]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Rogalski|first=Leon|year=1846|title=Dzieje Krzyżaków oraz ich stosunki z Polską, Litwą i Prussami, poprzedzone rysem dziejów wojen krzyżowych. Tom II|language=pl|location=Warszawa|pages=59–60}}</ref> which it previously lost to Brandenburg in the 13th century, however in the same year the Luxembourgs pawned the region to the [[Teutonic Knights]], who neglected the border region. Under the Wittelsbach and Luxembourg margraves, Brandenburg fell increasingly under the control of the local nobility as central authority declined.<ref name="Koch28">Koch, p. 28</ref>

=== Hohenzollerns ===
[[File:Central Europe religions 1618.jpg|thumb|Religion in Central Europe, {{circa|1618}}. Electoral Brandenburg is striped, indicating that its ruler was a Calvinist, while most of his subjects remained Lutheran.
----
{{legend|#EFB9A1|[[Lutherans]]}}
{{legend|#D9736E|[[Calvinists]]}}
{{legend|#FADF9A|[[Zwingli]]ans}}
{{legend|#C6A16D|[[Hussites]]/[[Moravian Church|Bohemian Brethren]]}}<!-- wrongly marked as "Moravians" although this Church has been established as late as in 1722 -->
{{legend|#8EA690|Roman Catholics}}
{{legend|#939B5F|[[Greek Orthodox]]}}
{{legend|#B19F89|Muslims}}]]

In return for supporting [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]] as Holy Roman Emperor at [[Frankfurt]] in 1410, [[Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick VI of Nuremberg]], a [[burgrave of Nuremberg|burgrave]] of the [[House of Hohenzollern]], was granted hereditary control over Brandenburg in 1411. Rebellious [[landed nobility]] such as the [[Quitzow]] family opposed his appointment, but Frederick overpowered these knights with [[artillery]]. Some nobles had their property confiscated, and the Brandenburg estates gave allegiance at [[Tangermünde]] on 20 March 1414.<ref name="Koch29">Koch, p. 29.</ref> Frederick was officially recognized as Margrave and Prince-elector Frederick I of Brandenburg at the [[Council of Constance]] in 1415. Frederick's formal investiture with the {{lang|de|Kurmark}}, or electoral march, and his appointment as Archchamberlain of the Holy Roman Empire occurred on 18 April 1417, also during the Council of Constance.

Frederick made Berlin his residence, although he retired to his [[Franconia]]n possessions in 1425. He granted governance of Brandenburg to his eldest son [[John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|John the Alchemist]], while retaining the electoral dignity for himself. The next elector, [[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick II]], forced the submission of Berlin and [[Cölln]], setting an example for the other towns of Brandenburg.<ref name="Koch30">Koch, p. 30.</ref> He reacquired the Neumark from the [[Teutonic Knights]] by the [[Treaties of Cölln and Mewe]] and began its rebuilding.

[[Brandenburg-Pomeranian conflict|Years of warfare]] with the Duchy of Pomerania were ended by the [[treaty of Prenzlau|treaties of Prenzlau]] (1448, 1472, and 1479).

Brandenburg accepted the [[Protestant Reformation]] in 1539. The population has remained largely [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] since, although some later electors converted to [[Calvinism]].

The Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg sought to expand their power base from their relatively meager possessions, although this brought them into conflict with neighboring states. [[John William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg]] died childless in 1609. His eldest niece, [[Anna, Duchess of Prussia]], was the wife of [[John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg]], who promptly claimed the inheritance and sent troops to take hold of some of John William's holdings in the [[Rhineland]].  Unfortunately for John Sigismund, this effort became tied up with the [[Thirty Years' War]] and the disputed succession of Jülich. At the end of the war in 1648, Brandenburg was recognized as the possessor of approximately half the inheritance, comprising the [[Duchy of Cleves]] in the [[Rhineland]] and the Counties of [[Mark (county)|Mark]] and [[County of Ravensberg|Ravensberg]] in [[Westphalia]]. These territories, which were more than 100 kilometers from the borders of Brandenburg, formed the nucleus of the later [[Rhine Province|Prussian Rhineland]].

==== Brandenburg-Prussia ====
{{main|Brandenburg-Prussia}}
[[File:Acprussiamap2.gif|thumb|Growth of [[Brandenburg-Prussia]], 1600–1795]]

When [[Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia]], died without a son in 1618, his son-in-law John Sigismund inherited the [[Duchy of Prussia]]. He then ruled both territories in a [[personal union]] which came to be known as [[Brandenburg-Prussia]]. In this way, the fortuitous marriage of John Sigismund to Anna of Prussia, and the deaths of her maternal uncle in 1609 and her father in 1618 without immediate male heirs, proved to be the key events by which Brandenburg acquired territory both in the Rhineland and on the Baltic coast. Prussia lay outside the Holy Roman Empire and the electors of Brandenburg held it as a fief of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]], to which the electors paid homage.

The electors of Brandenburg spent the next two centuries attempting to gain lands to unite their separate territories (the Mark Brandenburg, the territories in the Rhineland and Westphalia, and Ducal Prussia) to form one geographically contiguous domain. In the [[Peace of Westphalia]] ending the [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1648, Brandenburg-Prussia acquired [[Farther Pomerania]] and made it the [[Province of Pomerania (1653–1815)|Province of Pomerania]] by the [[Treaty of Stettin (1653)]]. In the second half of the 17th century, [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William]], the "Great Elector", developed Brandenburg-Prussia into a major power. The state constructed Brandenburg's [[Brandenburg Navy|first navy]] ({{lang|de|Kurbrandenburgische Marine}}), leading to short-lived colonies at [[Arguin]], the [[Brandenburger Gold Coast]], and [[Saint Thomas (Brandenburg colony)|Saint Thomas]]. The electors succeeded in acquiring full sovereignty over Prussia in the [[Treaty of Bromberg|treaties of Wehlau and Bromberg]] in 1657. The territories of the Hohenzollerns were opened to immigration by [[Huguenot]] refugees by the [[Edict of Potsdam]] in 1685.

==== Kingdom of Prussia ====
{{main|Kingdom of Prussia|Province of Brandenburg}}

In return for aiding Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] during the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], Frederick William's son, [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick III]], was allowed to elevate Prussia to the status of a kingdom. On 18 January 1701, Frederick crowned himself Frederick I, [[King in Prussia]]. Prussia, unlike Brandenburg, lay outside the Holy Roman Empire, within which only the emperor and the ruler of Bohemia could call themselves king. As king was a more prestigious title than [[prince-elector]], the territories of the Hohenzollerns became known as the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], although their power base remained in Brandenburg. Legally, Brandenburg was still part of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the Hohenzollerns in personal union with the Prussian kingdom over which they were fully sovereign. For this reason, the Hohenzollerns continued to use the additional title of Elector of Brandenburg for the remainder of the empire's run. However, by this time the emperor's authority over the empire had become merely nominal. The various territories of the empire acted more or less as ''de facto'' sovereign states, and only acknowledged the emperor's overlordship over them in a formal way. Thus, Brandenburg came to be treated as ''de facto'' part of the Prussian kingdom rather than a separate entity.

From 1701 to 1946, Brandenburg's history was largely that of the state of Prussia, which established itself as a major power in Europe during the 18th century. King [[Frederick William I of Prussia]], the "Soldier-King", modernized the [[Prussian Army]], while his son [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick the Great]] achieved glory and infamy with the [[Silesian Wars]] and [[Partitions of Poland]]. The feudal designation of the Margraviate of Brandenburg ended with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, which made the Hohenzollerns ''de jure'' as well as ''de facto'' sovereigns over it. It was replaced with the [[Province of Brandenburg]] in 1815 following the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. The Prussian kings, however, continued to use the title "Margrave of Brandenburg" in their formal style.

Brandenburg, along with the rest of Prussia, became part of the [[German Empire]] in 1871 during the Prussian-led [[unification of Germany]].

=== Later years ===
{{main|Brandenburg|Berlin}}
[[File:Coat of arms of Mark Brandenburg 1945-1952.svg|upright|thumb|Coat of arms of Brandenburg from 1945 to 1952]]

During the {{lang|de|[[Gleichschaltung]]}} of provinces by [[Nazi Germany]] during the 1930s, the [[Province of Brandenburg]] and the [[Free State of Prussia]] lost all practical relevancy. The region was administered as the [[Gau March of Brandenburg]].

The state of Prussia was ''de jure'' abolished in 1947 after the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II; the Gau March of Brandenburg was replaced with the {{lang|de|[[States of Germany|Land]]}} Brandenburg.

Brandenburg west of the Oder–Neisse line lay in the [[Allied-occupied Germany|Soviet occupation zone]]; it became part of the [[German Democratic Republic]]. In 1952 the region was divided among the districts of [[Cottbus]], [[Frankfurt (Oder)]], [[Potsdam]], [[Schwerin]], and [[Neubrandenburg]] Berlin was divided between [[East Berlin]] and [[West Berlin]].

This division of Brandenburg continued until the [[German reunification]] in 1990. The GDR districts were dissolved and replaced with the state of [[Brandenburg]] with its capital in Potsdam. The 850th anniversary of the foundation of the March of Brandenburg was celebrated officially on 11 June 2007, with preliminary celebrations at the Knights' Academy of [[Brandenburg an der Havel]] on 23 June 2006.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Holy Roman Empire}}
* [[List of rulers of Brandenburg]]
* [[Prussian virtues]]

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* {{cite book |author=H.W. Koch |title=A History of Prussia |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |location=New York |year=1978 |isbn=0-88029-158-3 |page=326}}
* {{cite journal|last=Rymar|first=Edward|year=1979|title=Rywalizacja o ziemię lubuską i kasztelanię międzyrzecką w latach 1319–1326, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem stosunków pomorsko-śląskch|journal=Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka|publisher=[[Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich]], Wydawnictwo [[Polish Academy of Sciences|Polskiej Akademii Nauk]]|location=Wrocław|language=pl|volume=XXXIV|issue=4}}

== External links ==
* {{in lang|de}} {{lang|de|[http://www.brandenburg1260.de/ Hochmittelalter in der Mark Brandenburg]}} at Brandenburg1260.de.
* {{in lang|de}} {{lang|de|[http://brandenburg.rz.fhtw-berlin.de/regenten.html Der Brandenburger Landstreicher]}}
* [http://www.hoeckmann.de/germany/brandenburg-e.htm Historical map of Brandenburg, 1789]
* {{in lang|de}} [https://archive.today/20130106042346/http://www.lexikus.de/index.php?page=buch&thema=0&buch=685 {{lang|de|Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg|nocat=y}} by Theodor Fontane, 1899] at Lexikus.de.

{{Electors of the Holy Roman Empire after 1356}}
{{Upper Saxon Circle}}
{{Territories and provinces of Prussia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandenburg, Margraviate Of}}
[[Category:Margraviate of Brandenburg| ]]
[[Category:1806 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1157]]
[[Category:Marches of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1150s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1157 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Upper Saxon Circle]]
[[Category:Former principalities]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1815]]