List of rulers of Brandenburg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Mark, or March, of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Holy Roman Empire. It was created in 1157 as the Margraviate of Brandenburg by Albert the Bear, Margrave of the Northern March. In 1356, by the terms of the Golden Bull of Charles IV, the Margrave of Brandenburg was given the permanent right to participate in the election of the Holy Roman Emperor with the title of Elector (German: Kurfürst).

The early rulers came from several different dynasties, but from 1415 Brandenburg and its successor states were ruled by the House of Hohenzollern for over 500 years. The titles of Margrave of Brandenburg and Elector of Brandenburg were abolished along with the the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. However the Hohenzollern-ruled state based in Berlin continued under the name of the Kingdom of Prussia (the Hohenzollerns had been kings in Prussia since 1701 and Kings of Prussia since 1772.) From 1871 to 1918 the Hohenzollerns were also the German Emperors.

Contents 1 Margraves of Brandenburg 2 Electors of Brandenburg 3 Post-monarchy 3.1 Prime Minister of Brandenburg, 1945-1952 3.2 Ministers President of Brandenburg, 1990 to date

[edit] Margraves of Brandenburg

Ascanian Dynasty
Name		Reign		Comments
Albert I		1157–1170		Ruler of the Nordmark from 1134. Called "Albert the Bear".
Otto I		1170–1184		Son of Albert I. Ruled together with his father from 1144.
Otto II		1184–1205		Son of preceding.
Albert II		1205–1220		Brother.
John I Otto III		1220–1266 1220-1267		Co-rulers, sons of Albert II.
From 1266 to 1319, Brandenburg was held by the two lines of Brandenburg-Stendal and Brandenburg-Salzwedel, all of whom jointly shared the title of Margrave.
Brandenburg-Stendal			Brandenburg-Salzwedel
Co-rulers, sons of John I: John II, 1266-1282 Conrad, 1266-1304 Otto IV, 1266-1308 Henry I, 1266-1318			Co-rulers, sons of Otto III: John III, 1267-1268 Otto V, 1267-1298 Otto VI, 1267-1291 Albert III, 1267-1300
Co-rulers: Waldemar, 1308-1319, son of Conrad Henry II, 1319-1320, son of Henry I			Co-rulers: Herman, 1298-1308 (alone from 1300) John V, 1308-1317
After the extinction of the Ascanian dynasty in 1320, Brandenburg came under the control of the Emperor Louis IV of the House of Wittelsbach, who granted Brandenburg to his eldest son, Louis V of Bavaria.
Wittelsbach Dynasty
Name		Reign		Comments
Louis I "the Brandenburger"		1323–51		Cousin of Henry II, Son of Emperor Louis IV.
Louis II "the Roman".		1351–56		Half-brother of preceding; named Elector in 1356.

[edit] Electors of Brandenburg

Wittelsbach Dynasty
Image	Name	Reign	Comments
	Louis II "the Roman"	1356–1365	First Elector of Brandenburg.
	Otto V	1365–1373	Brother of preceding. Co-ruler of Brandenburg with his brother from 1351, but as a minor (b. 1346) took no part in administration until his brother's death. Abdicated 1373 but retained Electoral title. Died 1379.
Luxemburg Dynasty
Image	Name	Reign	Comments
	Wenceslaus	1373–1378	Emperor Charles IV forced the last Wittelsbach Elector to abdicate, and then installed his own son, Wenceslaus. As Wenceslaus was still a minor (b. 1361), the Emperor administered the margraviate for him.
	Sigismund	1378–1388	Younger brother of Wenceslaus; took control of Brandenburg on his brother's ascension as King of Germany and Bohemia. Gave up Brandenburg to his uncle Jobst as security for a substantial loan.
	Jobst of Moravia	1388–1411	Sigismund's first cousin, nephew of Charles IV. Elected as German King in 1410 in opposition to Sigismund, but died very shortly afterwards.
	Sigismund	1411–1415	Following Jobst's death, Sigismund regained control of Brandenburg and was elected undisputed King of Germany.
Hohenzollern Dynasty
Image	Name	Reign	Comments
	Frederick I	1415–1440	Originally Burgrave of Nuremberg. Appointed by King Sigismund in 1415 and enfeoffed in 1417. His eldest son John the Alchemist administered Brandenburg as Margrave from 1425 to 1437, but Frederick retained the Electorship.
	Frederick II	1440–1470	Son of Frederick I. Called "Irontooth" (German: Eisenzahn). Administered Brandenburg from 1437 and became Elector on his father's death in 1440.
	Albert III Achilles	1470–1486	Brother.
	John Cicero	1486–1499	Son.
	Joachim I Nestor	1499–1535	Son. His younger brother, Albert was co-Margrave 1499-1513, but only Joachim was Elector.
	Joachim II Hector	1535–1571	Son.
	John George	1571–1598	Son.
	Joachim Frederick	1598–1608	Son.
	John Sigismund	1608–1619	Son. Duke of Prussia from 1618.
	George William	1619–1640	Son. Ruled during the Thirty Years' War. Also Duke of Prussia.
	Frederick William I	1640–1688	Son. Called "the Great Elector". Also Duke of Prussia.
	Frederick III	1688–1713	Son. "King in Prussia" as Frederick I from 1701.
	Frederick William II	1713–1740	Son. King in Prussia. Called "the Soldier-King".
	Frederick IV	1740–1786	Son. King in Prussia as Frederick II to 1772; after annexations of Polish Prussian territory, "King of Prussia". Called "Frederick the Great".
	Frederick William III	1786–1797	Nephew. Second king of Prussia.
	Frederick William IV	1797–1806	Son. Last Elector of Brandenburg and third king of Prussia. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, after which Frederick William ruled as independent King of Prussia (including Brandenburg) to his death in 1840.

v • d • e Members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire following the Golden Bull of 1356     Spiritual Archbishopric of Mainz Archbishopric of Trier Archbishopric of Cologne Secular Kingdom of Bohemia Palatine / Rhine Duchy of Saxony Margraviate of Brandenburg Added in the 17th century 1623 Duchy of Bavaria 1692 Duchy of Hanover Added from 1803–06 Principality of Regensburg Electorate of Salzburg (1803–05) Grand Duchy of Würzburg (1805–06) Duchy of Württemberg Margraviate of Baden Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel

For further rulers of Brandenburg as part of Prussia, see List of rulers of Prussia.

[edit] Post-monarchy

History of Brandenburg and Prussia
Northern March pre-12th century		Old Prussians pre-13th century
Margraviate of Brandenburg 1157–1618 (1806)		Ordensstaat 1224–1525
		Duchy of Prussia 1525–1618	Royal (Polish) Prussia 1466–1772
Brandenburg-Prussia 1618–1701
Kingdom in Prussia 1701–1772
Kingdom of Prussia 1772–1918
Free State of Prussia 1918–1947
Brandenburg 1947–1952 / 1990–present

After the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, Brandenburg, which had previously been merely a province of Prussia, re-emerged as a German Land.

[edit] Prime Minister of Brandenburg, 1945-1952

• Karl Steinhoff (SPD/SED), 1945-1949.
• Rudolf Jahn (SED), 1949-1952.

After being abolished in a reorganization of the territories administered by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the Land Brandenburg was restored in the prelude to German unification in 1990.

[edit] Ministers President of Brandenburg, 1990 to date

• Manfred Stolpe (SPD), 1990-2002.
• Matthias Platzeck (SPD), since 2002.