Copyright © V. Rozn 1999-2015
Comments and questions can be mailed to
the author
Last updated: Jan 6, 2009
Brandenburg
The House of Brandenburg descended from the
ancient immediate Counts of Zollern / Hohenzollern (see) [10: Neue Folge;
Band I.3; t. 116, 129-141].
Konrad (+1260/61), Burgrave of Nuremberg, son of
Count Friedrich III of Zollern, founded the House of
Brandenburg.
The Burgraves of Nuremberg acquired many lands in
Franconia (e.g., Ansbach in 1331, Bayreuth / Kulmbach in 1340,
etc.).
In 1363, Friedrich V (+1388), Burgrave of
Nuremberg, received the rank of Imperial Prince.
In 1415, Friedrich VI (+1440), Burgrave of
Nuremberg, acquired the Margraviate of Brandenburg with the Dignity of
Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire (the formal investiture followed in
1417).
In 1464, the House of Brandenburg
concluded the succession agreement with the House of Pomerania, and the Elector
of Brandenburg took the title of Duke of Szczecin, Pomerania, the Kashubs,
and the Wends.
Elector Johann "the Cicero" (+1499) and Margrave
Friedrich (+1536), the sons of Elector Albrecht "the Achilles" (+1486), founded,
respectively, the Electoral and the Elder Franconian branches
(N.1).
In 1538, the Elector of Brandenburg
accepted the title of of Krosno / Krosen, when Ferdinand I, King
of Hungary and Bohemia, reaffirmed his rights to this Silesian Duchy [12: 1972;
p.6] (N.2).
Joachim-Friedrich (+1608), Christian (+1655) and
Joachim-Ernst (+1625), the sons of Elector-Margrave Johann-Georg (+1598),
foundedfounded, respectively, Electoral, Bayreuth and Ansbach branches of the
House of Brandenburg. The branch of Bayreuth became extinct in 1769, and its
possessions passed to the branch of Ansbach.
Notes:
1. a. Margrave Friedrich (+1536), the founder of
the Elder Franconian branch, received Ansbach in 1486, and inherited Bayreuth in
1495 after the death of his brother Sigmund.
Georg (+1543), Margrave of Ansbach, the second
son of Friedrich, became Duke of Krnov / Jägerndorf in Silesia. His
son Georg-Friedrich (+1603) succeeded him in Ansbach and Krnov, and in 1557
inherited Bayreuth after the death of his cousin Albrecht "the Alcibiades".
After the death of Georg-Friedrich, Ansbach, Bayreuth, and Krnov passed to the
Electoral branch.
b. In 1525, Albrecht (+1568), High Master of the
Teutonic Order, a younger son of Margrave Friedrich (+1536), secularized the
possession the Order in Prussia and became the first Duke in Prussia. With the
death of his son Albrecht-Friedrich, Duke of Prussia, in 1618, the the Elder
Franconian branch of the House of Brandenburg became extinct.
2. Matthias I Corvinus, King of Hungary, ceded
the Silesian Duchy of Krosno to the Electors of Brandenburg in
1482.
1. Prussia / Electoral
Brandenburg
Elector-Margrave Joachim-Friedrich (+1608)
continued the direct branch of Brandenburg.
In 1618, the Elector-Margrave of Brandenburg
succeeded in Prussia, the Duchy under the suzerainty of Poland
(N.1).
In 1648, by the Peace of Westphalia, the Elector
of Brandenburg acquired East Pomerania, Minden, Halberstadt, and the rights to
Magdeburg.
In 1656 (finally 1657), the Duchy
of Prussia became an independent state, and its owners, the Electors-Margraves
of Brandenburg, became sovereign rulers.
In Jan 1701, Friedrich III (+1713),
Elector of Brandenburg & sovereign Duke of Prussia, was proclaimed
sovereign King in Prussia (as Friedrich I).
In 1707, the sovereign lands of Neuchâtel
and Valangin passed to the King of Prussia.
In 1740-1742, King Friedrich II of Prussia
conquered the most of the Duchy of Silesia and the County of Klodzko that
belonged to the Crown of Bohemia.
In 1772, by the first division of Poland, the
King of Prussia annexed the Polish province of Royal Prussia (the annexed
territory connected the Kingdom of Prussia with his possessions in the Holy
Roman Empire).
In Aug 1806, with the abolition of the
Holy Roman Empire, the King of Prussia became a sovereign ruler in his
possessions in the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1815, the King of Prussia joined the German
Confederation.
In 1867, the King of Prussia joined the North
German Confederation.
In 1871, the King of Prussia was
proclaimed the German Emperor.
In the course of the November Revolution of
1918, the German Emperor-King of Prussia was
deposed.
Notes:
1. In 1569, Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg
obtained the Joint Investiture / Mitbelehnung of the Duchy of Prussia
from Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland, who assured the succession of the
Electoral branch of the House of Brandenburg if the Prussian branch became
extinct [16: book III; chapter VI].
List of the Rulers
Friedrich-Wilhelm II (1744-1797) [1786-1797]
Friedrich-Wilhelm III (1770-1840) [1797-1840]
Friedrich-Wilhelm IV (1795-1861) [1840-1861]
// 1858-1861 Regent: Prince Wilhelm
(1797-1888)
Wilhelm I (1797-1888) [1861-1888]
Friedrich III (1831-1888) [1888-1888]
Wilhelm II (1859-1941) [1888-1918]
Titles
1772-1792
King of Prussia;
Margrave of Brandenburg;
The HRE Prince-Elector;
Sovereign & Supreme Duke of
Silesia;
Sovereign Prince of Orange, Neuchâtel,
Valangin, of the County of Klodzko;
Duke in Gelderland, of Magdeburg, Kleve,
Jülich, Berg, Szczecin, Pomerania, the Kashubs, the Wends, Mecklenburg,
Krosno;
Burgrave of Nuremberg;
Prince of Halberstadt, Minden, Kamien, the Wends,
Schwerin, Ratzeburg, East Frisia, Mörs;
Count of Hohenzollern, Ruppin, the Mark,
Ravensberg, Hohenstein, Tecklenburg, Lingen, Schwerin, Buren,
Leerdam;
Lord of Ravenstein, the Lands of Rostock,
Stargard, Lebork, Bytow, Arlay, Breda;
1792-1803
King of Prussia;
Margrave of Brandenburg;
The HRE Prince-Elector;
Sovereign & Supreme Duke of
Silesia;
Sovereign Prince of Orange, Neuchâtel,
Valangin, of the County of Klodzko;
Duke in Gelderland, of Magdeburg, Kleve,
Jülich, Berg, Szczecin, Pomerania, the Kashubs, the Wends, Mecklenburg,
Krosno;
Burgrave of Nuremberg above & below the
Mountains;
Prince of Halberstadt, Minden, Kamien, the Wends,
Schwerin, Ratzeburg, East Frisia, Mörs;
Count of Hohenzollern, Ruppin, the Mark,
Ravensberg, Hohenstein, Tecklenburg, Lingen, Schwerin, Buren,
Leerdam;
Lord of Ravenstein, the Lands of Rostock,
Stargard, Limburg, Lebork, Bytow, Arlay, Breda;
1803-1806 [15: Band 11;
p.1849-1850]
King of Prussia;
Margrave of Brandenburg;
The HRE Prince-Elector;
Sovereign & Supreme Duke of
Silesia;
Sovereign Prince of Orange, Neuchâtel,
Valangin, & of the County of Klodzko;
Duke of Magdeburg, Kleve, Berg, Szczecin,
Pomerania, the Kashubs, the Wends, Mecklenburg, Krosno;
Burgrave of Nuremberg above & below the
Mountains;
Prince of Hildesheim, Paderborn, Halberstadt,
Münster, Minden, Kamien, the Wends, Schwerin, Ratzeburg, East Frisia,
Eichsfeld, Erfurt, Essen, Quedlinburg, Elten;
Count of Hohenzollern, Ruppin, the Mark,
Ravensberg, Hohenstein, Tecklenburg, Lingen, Schwerin, Buren,
Leerdam;
Lord of the Lands of Rostock, Stargard, Werden,
Limburg, Lebork, Bytow, Arlay, Breda;
1817-1850 [14: Jahr 1817; p.17-18; Lit.
A]
King of Prussia;
Margrave of Brandenburg;
Sovereign & Supreme Duke of Silesia & of
the County of Klodzko;
Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine, Poznan;
Duke of Saxony, Angaria, Wesphalia, in
Gelderland, of Magdeburg, Kleve, Jülich, Berg, Szczecin, Pomerania, the
Kashubs, the Wends, of Mecklenburg, Krosno;
Burgrave of Nuremberg;
Landgrave of Thuringia;
Margrave of the Upper & Lower
Lusatia;
Prince of Orange, Neuchâtel,
Valangin;
Prince of Rügen, Paderborn, Halberstadt,
Münster, Minden, Kamien, the Wenden, Schwerin, Ratzeburg, Mörs,
Eichsfeld, Erfurt;
Count of Hohenzollern;
Princely Count of Henneberg;
Count of Ruppin, the Mark, Ravensberg,
Hohenstein, Tecklenburg, Schwerin, Lingen;
Lord of the Lands of Rostock, Stargard, Lebork,
Bytow;
1850-1856
King of Prussia;
Margrave of Brandenburg;
Sovereign & Supreme Duke of Silesia & of
the County of Klodzko;
Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine, Poznan;
Duke of Saxony, Angaria, Wesphalia, in
Gelderland, of Magdeburg, Kleve, Jülich, Berg, Szczecin, Pomerania, the
Kashubs, the Wends, of Mecklenburg, Krosno;
Burgrave of Nuremberg;
Landgrave of Thuringia;
Margrave of the Upper & Lower
Lusatia;
Prince of Orange, Neuchâtel,
Valangin;
Prince of Rügen, Paderborn, Halberstadt,
Münster, Minden, Kamien, the Wenden, Schwerin, Ratzeburg, Mörs,
Eichsfeld, Erfurt;
Count of Hohenzollern;
Princely Count of Henneberg;
Count of Ruppin, the Mark, Ravensberg,
Hohenstein, Tecklenburg, Schwerin, Lingen, Sigmaringen,Veringen,
Pyrmont;
Lord of the Lands of Rostock, Stargard, Lebork,
Bytow, Haigerloch, Werstein;
1873-1918 [14: Jahr 1873; Nr.28;
p.397-399; Anlage A.; Doc.# 8156]
King of Prussia;
Margrave of Brandenburg;
Burgrave of Nuremberg,
Count of Hohenzollern;
Sovereign & Supreme Duke of Silesia & of
the County of Klodzko;
Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine, Poznan;
Duke of Saxony, Wesphalia, Angaria, Pomerania,
Lüneburg, Holstein, Schleswig, Magdeburg, Bremen, Gelderland, Kleve,
Jülich, Berg, the Wends, the Kashubs, Krosno, Lauenburg, Mecklenburg;
Landgrave of Hesse, Thuringia;
Margrave of the Upper & Lower
Lusatia;
Prince of Orange;
Prince of Rügen, East Frisia, Paderborn,
Pyrmont, Halberstadt, Münster, Minden, Osnabrück, Hildesheim, Verden,
Kamien, Fulda, Nassau, Mörs;
Princely Count of Henneberg;
Count of the Mark & Ravensberg, Hohenstein,
Tecklenburg, Lingen, Mansfeld, Sigmaringen, Veringen;
Lord of Frankfort;
Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in
1789
The Upper Saxony:
- Brandenburg;
- Hither Pomerania;
- Kamien / Kammin /
Cammin;
Franconia:
= The Bench of Secular
Princes:
- Henneberg-Schmalkaden;
The Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- Kleve;
- the Mark,
- Ravensberg;
- Minden;
- East Frisia;
- Mörs;
- Tecklenburg & Lingen;
The Lower Saxony:
- Halberstadt;
- Magdeburg;
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1789
Voices in the Council of
Electors:
- Brandenburg;
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Magdeburg;
- Halberstadt;
- Hither Pomerania;
- Minden;
- Kamien / Kammin /
Cammin;
- East Frisia;
Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Westphalia
=
- Tecklenburg;
Territorial Possessions in 1789
The Imperial Circle of the Upper
Saxony:
- Brandenburg,
- Krosno /Krossen;
- Ruppin;
- % Pomerania / Pommern;
- Kamien / Kammin /
Cammin;
- % Lohra & Klettenberg;
- % Mansfeld;
= Territorial Supremacy over =
- Wernigerode;
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Saxony:
- Magdeburg;
- Halbertstadt with Regenstein /
Reinstein;
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- Kleve;
- Mörs;
- Minden;
- East Frisia /
Ostfreisland;
- the Mark;
- Lingen;
- Ravensberg;
- Tecklenburg;
Outside Imperial Circles:
- % Gelderland / Geldern /
Gelre;
- % Silesia / Schlesien with Klodzko /
Glatz;
= Territorial Supremacy over =
-
Zagan
/
Sagan;
- Bytom / Beuthen;
- Pszczyna / Pleß;
-
Münsterberg
(now
Ziebice);
Sovereign outside the Empire:
- Prussia /Preussen;
- Neuchâtel / Neuenburg &
Valangin;
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1803
(Changes by the Final Recess of the Imperial
Deputation)
Voices in the Council of
Electors:
- Brandenburg;
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Magdeburg;
- Hildesheim;
- Ansbach;
- Paderborn;
- Bayreuth;
- Halberstadt;
- Münster;
- Hither Pomerania;
- Minden;
- Kamien / Kammin /
Cammin;
- East Frisia;
- Eichsfeld;
- Erfurt;
Territorial Acquisitions and Losses since
1789 [13: tome V (1988); p.197-204]
- In Jan 1792, the Margrave of
Brandenburg-Ansbach ceded his possessions in Franconia (Ansbach, Bayreuth, and
Hausen) to the King of Prussia.
- In 1792, by the second division of Poland, the
King of Prussia acquired "South Prussia" (Poznan, Leczyca, Plozk, Gniezno,
etc.)
- In 1794, the French armies occupied some
possessions of the King of Prussia on the left bank of the Rhine: % Kleve,
Mörs, Gelderland, etc.
In 1801, the Treaty of Lunéville
recognized these territorial losses.
- In 1795, by the third division of Poland, the
King of Prussia acquired "New East Prussia" (Mazowia with Warsaw, Bialystok,
etc.) and "New Silesia".
- In Feb 1803, by the Final Recess of the
Imperial Deputation the King of Prussia acquired Hildesheim, Paderborn, % Mainz
(Erfurt, Eichsfeld, etc.), Essen, Quedlinburg, Elten, Werden, % Münster,
etc.
- Dec 1805, by the Treaty of Vienna (confirmed by
the Treaty of Paris in Feb 1806): the King of Prussia ceded Bayreuth, Ansbach,
Kleve, Neuchâtel-Valangin, etc.; and acquired Hanover / Hannover
(took in possession in Feb 1806).
- In Oct 1806, during the War of the Fourth
Coalition, the French armies occupied a big portion of the King of Prussia's
possessions.
- In July 1807, by the Treaties of Tilsit, which
ended the War of the Fourth Coalition, the King of Prussia ceded about half his
territory: Kottbus to Saxony, the left bank of the Elbe to the Kingdom of
Westphalia, Bialystok to Russia, and the rest of Polish lands in the Prussian
possession was set up as the Duchy of Warsaw.
- In 1814, the King of Prussia acquired Fore
Pomerania with Rügen.
- In 1815, the King of Prussia acquired the lands
of Prince of Nassau-Orange (Dillenburg, Diez, Siegen, Hadamar,
etc).
- In 1815, the King of Prussia exchanged
territories with the Duke of Nassau-Usingen and the Prince of Nassau-Weilburg:
the King of Prussia acquired Linz, Altenwied, Altenkirchen, Hammerstein,
Neuwied, Braunfels, Hohen-solms, etc., and ceded Dillenburg, Diez, Hadamar,
Beilstein, % Siegen, Westerburg, % Runkel, etc.
- In 1815, by the decisions of the Congress of
Vienna, the King of Prussia acquired and re-acquired the Old Brandenburg Mark
(Altmark), Kottbus, Magdeburg, Halbertstadt, Erfurt, % Saxony with
Lusatia, the Lower Rhineland, Westphalia, Minden, Münster, % Gelderland,
Mörs, Jülich, Kleve, Berg, the Mark, Ravensberg, Essen, Werden,
Poznan, Neuchâtel-Valangin, etc.
- In 1848, following a revolution,
Neuchâtel-Valangin was declared Republic. After a failed royalist
counter-revolution in 1856, the King of Prussia renounced his rights to the
land.
- In Dec 1849, the Princes of
Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen ceded their Principalities
to the King of Prussia. In March 1850, these lands officially became part of the
Kingdom of Prussia.
- In 1865, as a result of the Second Schleswig
War with Denmark, the King of Prussia annexed the Duchy of
Lauenburg.
- In 1866, as a result of the Austro-Prussian
War, the King of Prussia annexed the Kingdom of Hanover with Lüneburg,
Bremen, Verden, East Frisia, Osnabrück and Hildesheim; the Duchy of Nassau;
the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel with Fulda; the former possessions of the
Landgraves of Hesse-Homburg; the Duchies of Schleswig & Holstein, and the
Free City of Frankfort.
- In 1867, the Prussian government took control
over the Principality of Pyrmont, which was owned by the Prince of
Waldeck.
2. Ansbach / Onolzbach
-1803(?)]; +1806
Joachim-Ernst (+1625), son of Elector
Johann-Georg of Brandenburg, founded the branch of Ansbach of the House of
Brandenburg.
In 1769, Christian-Friedrich-Karl-Alexander
(+1806), Margrave of Ansbach & Count of Sayn-Altenkirchen, inherited the
lands of the extinct Bayreuth branch.
In Jan 1792, he ceded Ansbach and
Bayreuth to the King of Prussia.
In 1806, with the death of
Christian-Friedrich-Karl-Alexander the branch of Ansbach became
extinct.
List of the Rulers
Christian-Friedrich-Karl-Alexander (1736-1806) [1757-1803
(?)]
// 1757-1792 in Ansbach; 1769-1792 in
Bayreuth; 1757-1803 (? 1792, ? 1806 ?) in Sayn
Titles
>-1792
Margrave of Brandenburg;
Duke in Prussia, Silesia, Magdeburg, Kleve,
Jülich, Berg, Szczecin, Pomerania, the Kashubs, the Wends, Mecklenburg,
Krosno;
Burgrave of Nuremberg above & below the
Mountains;
Prince of Halberstadt, Minden, Kamien, the Wends,
Schwerin, Ratzeburg, Mörs;
Count of Klodzko, Hohenzollern, the Mark,
Ravensberg, Schwerin;
Lord of Ravenstein, the Lands of Rostock,
Stargard;
Count of Sayn, Wittgenstein;
Lord of Limburg;
Voices in the Imperial Circle assemblies in
1789
Franconia:
= The Bench of the Secular
Princes:
- Bayreth /Kulmbach;
- Ansbach/Onolzbach;
= The Bench of Counts &
Lords:
- Hausen;
The Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- Sayn-Altenkirchen;
Voices in the Imperial Assembly in 1789
Individual voices in the Council of
Princes:
- Ansbach;
- Bayreuth;
Curial voices in the Council of Princes:
= the Counts of Westphalia
=
- Sayn-Altenkirchen;
Territorial Possessions in 1789 [7:
p.12-14]
The Imperial Circle of
Franconia:
- Ansbach;
- Bayreuth;
- Hausen;
The Imperial Circle of the Lower
Rhine-Westphalia:
- % Sayn;
The Knightly Circle of Franconia: [3:
Abtheilung I; Band II; p.242, 244, 246, 252]
- Allersheim;
- % Beymbach;
- Giebelstadt;
- % Gröningen;
- % Hengstfeld;
- Rimbach / Rimpach;
- Pflaumfell;
- Steinhard;
Bibliography.
1. Büsching, Anton Friedrich. Neue
Erdbeschreibung (Hamburg : Bohn, 1754-).
2. Lancizolle, Carl Wilhelm von Uebersicht
der deutschen Reichsstandschafts- und Territorial-Verhältnisse : vor dem
französischen Revolutionskriege, der seitdem eingetretenen
Veränderungen und der gegenwärtigen Bestandtheile des deutschen Bundes
und der Bundesstaaten (Berlin : Dümmler, 1830).
3. Berghaus, Heinrich. Deutschland seit
hundert Jahren. Geschichte der Gebiets-Eintheilung und der politischen
Verfassung des Vaterlandes (Leipzig : 1859-1862; 5 vols) < I.Abt. Bd. 1-2:
Deutschland vor hundert Jahren 1859/1860. 2. Abt. Bd. 1-3: Deutschland vor
fünfzig Jahren, 1861/1862 >.
4. Stokvis, Anthony Marinus Hendrik Johan.
Manuel d'histoire, de généalogie et de chronologie de tous les
états du globe, depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à
nos jours (Leiden : E.J. Brill, 1887-1893; 3 vols; Reprint. Amsterdam : B.M.
Israël, 1966).
5. Himly, Auguste. Histoire de la
formation territoriale des etats de l'Europe centrale (Paris : Hachette, 1876; 2
vols).
6. Wallner, Emil. Die kreissässigen
Reichsterritorien am Vorabend des Luneviller Friedens (Innsbruck : 1929)
[Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung /
MIÖG; Ergänzungsband 11].
7. Hölzle, Erwin. Der deutsche
Südwesten am Ende des alten Reiches (Stuttgart : Württembergischen
Statistischen Landesamt, 1938).
8. Frank, Karl Friedrich.
Standeserhebungen und Gnadenakte für das Deutsche Reich und die
österreichischen Erblande bis 1806 sowie kaiserlich österreichische
bis 1823 (Senftenegg : 1967–1974; 5 vols).
9. Almanach de Gotha (Gotha : Justus Perthes,
1763-1944).
10. Isenburg, Wilhelm Karl Prinz von;
Freytag von Loringhoven, Frank Baron; Schwennicke, Detlev.
Europäische Stammtafeln (1935-).
11. Hassel, Georg. Statistischer Umriss
der sämtlichen europäischen Staaten in Hinsicht ihrer
Größe, Bevölkerung, Kulturverhältnisse, Handlung, Finanz-
und Militärverfassung und ihrer aussereuropäischen Besitzungen
(Braunschweig : Vieweg, 1805).
12. Orzechowski, Kazimierz. Terytorialne
podzialy na
Slasku
[Kwartalnik Opolski, t. 17 (1971),
z. 2 – 4, t. 18 (1972)
].
13. Huberty, Michel; Giraud, Alain;
Magdelaine, F.; Magdeleine, B. L'Allemagne Dynastique (1976-).
14. Gesetz-Sammlung für die königlich
preussischen Staaten, 1806-1883 (Berlin : Georg Decker; C. Heymanns Verlag,
1884).
15. Novum corpus constitutionum
Prussico-Brandenburgensium praecipue marchicarum, oder, neue Sammlung
Königl. Preussl. und Churfürstl. Brandenburgischer, ... Ordnungen,
edicten, mandaten, rescripten, &c. &c. vom Anfang des Jahrs 1751. und
folgenden Zeiten (Berlin: 1753-1822).
16. Carlyle, Thomas. History of Friedrich
II of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great.